On Jan. 2, a Cardo Packtalk Pro crash-detection alert from Dustin Hayes’s helmet notified his wife, Brooke, and provided a pin-drop location after his motorcycle crash on New River Road in Arizona. Brooke drove to the location, walked the roadside with a flashlight and found Dustin in a spot where passing cars could not see him; she says his bike had flown over a fence. Dustin was hospitalized in a medically induced coma with roughly 20 broken bones, a concussion and a brain bleed. A GoFundMe has raised over $8,000 toward a $9,000 goal to help with his recovery.
Helmet Crash Alert Helped Wife Locate Critically Injured Motorcyclist After Bike 'Flew Over a Fence'
GoFundMeDustin Hayes
An Arizona man was critically injured in a motorcycle crash on the evening of Jan. 2, but his wife says a helmet-mounted crash-detection device gave her the pin-drop location that allowed her to find him before passing motorists or first responders did.
What happened: Dustin Hayes was riding at about 9:00 p.m. on New River Road between Carefree Highway and the I-17 when he crashed, according to local outlet Fox 10 Phoenix. Dustin’s helmet was fitted with a Cardo Packtalk Pro Bluetooth unit that triggered an urgent crash-detection alert to his wife, Brooke Hayes, and shared his location.
GoFundMeDustin Hayes motorcycle crash
“I got a message from my phone saying ‘urgent’ and just so I opened it,” Brooke told Fox 10. Concerned that he might be injured, she drove the roughly 30-minute route to the location and called police while en route.
Arriving at the pin drop, Brooke initially saw nothing. Trusting her instincts, she walked the roadside with a flashlight and found Dustin’s motorcycle — which she said had flown over a fence — and then found him off the road in a place where passing cars could not see him.
PBNJ Productions/GettyStock image of an ambulance
“He was in extremely bad shape. I’ll never get the image out of my head,” Brooke said. Officers who reached the scene about 10 minutes after her arrival were surprised he was still alive after lying there for more than 30 minutes.
Brooke said she believes Dustin was thrown from the bike while attempting to avoid an animal. He was transported to a hospital and placed in a medically induced coma. Doctors reported roughly 20 broken bones, including fractures to his neck and spine; he also suffered a concussion and a brain bleed. Medical teams expect to take him out of the induced coma when clinically appropriate.
Brooke set up a GoFundMe to help cover medical bills and living expenses while Dustin recovers. The campaign has raised more than $8,000 toward a $9,000 goal. On the fundraiser, Brooke wrote that Dustin faces a long recovery with surgeries, rehabilitation and many doctor appointments, and that he will be unable to work for an extended period.
Brooke told Fox 10, half-joking, “I found him and now I can say forever, ‘I saved your life. Do the dishes, I saved your life.’”
PEOPLE has contacted the Phoenix Police Department for comment.
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