EMIGRANT — Between the millions of tourists visiting our state and Montanans out for a drive, Treasure State highways are a busy place this summer - and potentially dangerous, as highway fatalities and crash rates are up from recent years.
Chris Desborough of Emigrant unwillingly became part of that trend during a motorcycle ride in Paradise Valley on July 5, 2023.
"I looked, everything was the same, next minute a mighty bang," Desborough said. "Things went a little gray or black for like one or two seconds and I'm still not sure even today if the vehicle actually ran over me."
Desborough, 68, is originally from Wales but has lived in the United States for 34 years. Desborough and his wife Tammy moved to the Paradise Valley five years ago in pursuit of their passion.
“I've been doing wildlife photography now for probably 30-plus years and that was our main reason for moving to Montana as well. And being close to Yellowstone,“ he said.
It was a recent photography trip to the Galapagos Islands and inspiration to revisit Charles Darwin's Origin of Species that ultimately put Desborough on his motorcycle back home in Montana.
"My neighbor around the corner owns Elk River Books in Livingston," Desborough said. "I said to her, 'Hey, do you have Charles Darwin's 'Origin Of Species?' She says, 'Yeah, I've got one copy of it there.' I'm like, 'Great. I'll come up tomorrow and pick it up.' So Wednesday, July the fifth, I set off from home about, I think it was about two o'clock in the afternoon, right up the 89, no rush."
Desborough says he was going about 60 miles per hour northbound on Highway 89 on his way to the bookstore when a car passing traffic tried to make another pass and hit him from behind.
"Then the next thing I felt was being dragged up the road and then slid in with the bike on top of me. So eventually came to a halt," Desborough said.
Bearing the brunt of a near-death experience, Desborough was left with extensive bruising, road rash, and lacerations on much of his body, along with broken fingers and toes.
The car that hit Desborough was going nearly 100 miles per hour and left the scene of the crash after hitting him.
“Accidents happen," Desborough said. "If I was laying here today just with all this road rash, you go, it was an accident, eventually you'll get over it. But the fact that somebody left the scene is, is pretty sad.”
Desborough's crash is one of many on Montana highways this summer, a trend increasing over the last three years.
“This summer has been very busy for us. We've seen a huge increase," said Sgt. Jay Nelson with the Montana Highway Patrol. "We're sitting right near about a 15% increase in fatality crashes compared to the last three years. Look at these numbers with caution that do we truly have a trend? We might, it is looking that direction, but things change."
Nelson said in particular they are seeing an increase in motorcycle fatalities and an increase in crashes on secondary highways, such as Highway 89 between Livingston and Gardiner and Highway 2 on Montana's Hi-Line.
For Highway 89 between Livingston and Gardiner, Nelson said the peak of crashes in the last five years was 2021, where they had more than 96 crashes.
"Now I can't predict the future," Nelson said. "However, current to date, we're sitting at 47 crashes. So we could be approaching record numbers of motor vehicle crashes between Livingston and Gardner. So that's what we're looking at right now."
Across all Montana highways, MHP is seeing a commonality in fatal crashes that shows the rise of another troubling trend.
“A majority of that is speed related. The secondary majority of that is definitely alcohol and drugs, but speed is definitely rising to the top," Nelson said.
The driver who hit Desborough, Miguel Rodriguez, was ultimately arrested and charged with 11 misdemeanors related to the crash, including reckless driving, leaving an accident scene, and driving under the influence. Rodriguez is still being held in the Park County jail, according to its roster.
"When the sheriff turned up, when I was in the ER, he mentioned that basically my debris trail was about 260 feet, so that's how far I slid on the road," Desborough said.
Desborough is facing a long road to recovery but says he will ride motorcycles again down the road.
"Again, it's an accident. I prefer I wasn't in it. I'm in a lot of pain, but I'll get over it," Desborough said. "I've enjoyed life and I'll keep on enjoying life. You can't wrap yourself in cotton wool."
But Desborough can and will continue to wrap himself in safety equipment that he was wearing the day of the crash, like Kevlar padding and a helmet.
“I 100% believe I would not be here today if it wasn't for the helmet and the jacket. Absolutely," Desborough said.
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