Leave bike life alone - Motorcycle crash survivor pleads with others to ditch two-wheel vehicles

Following a life-altering experience more than two years ago, a motorcycle crash survivor is imploring others to leave the 'bike life' alone.

Shamar Willis says that had he known that he would lose his left foot to his motorcycle, he would have sold the vehicle.

"Mi would want the riders dem to open dem eyes and believe say dem can stop ride the bike. Really and truly, you can't be too safe on a bike, and the best thing you can do is just leave it alone. Mi know dem nah go want to leave it, because at the time, no one could tell mi to leave bike life, until mi see what it do to mi," he said.

"Normally, you see somebody crash, it's like you tell yourself say it's not you and it couldn't happen to you. Mi a ride bike five years and it was the first time mi ever had an accident," Willis added.

His TikTok page is inundated with numerous videos of him giving jokes and smiling, but he told THE STAR that he is not always in an upbeat mood.

"Nah go tell any lie, sometimes mi feel insecure of myself because I was in a much better place before the accident. I was able to work and take care of myself, but it hard to get work now with one foot. Mi used to have a good job at Jamaica Broilers and the week before mi crash, mi all get promotion, but everything go down after," said the St Catherine native.

In August 2023, Willis said one of his friends asked him to transport him to Old Harbour to collect some cash. He said he was hesitant to leave home, but decided to make the trip.

"Him collect the money and we a head back home, and a car overtake and just hit mi off the bike," Willis said. He said his friend succumbed to his injuries in hospital days later.

Depression and thoughts of death blanketed his life as doctors told him that his foot would have to be amputated.

"Mi feel like mi never want to live with just one foot. But my girlfriend was pregnant with my son and he was due to be born in October of that year, so that was a motivation for me. Mi never want to dead and leave him, so mi start take life seriously," he said.

Willis said he had to empty his savings to take care of himself and his partner. He said he was saving towards purchasing a Toyota Pro Box for business use.

"I was planning to go into buying and selling clothes, and the car would be important in that. But, I had to use what I had saved to take care of the baby, and so on," he said. Currently, the young father is struggling to find meaningful employment. He said that a lawyer is looking into his case, but the process is ongoing.

One of his Willis' greatest wishes is to get a prosthetic leg, but he said he is unable to find the approximately $650,000 that is required to purchase one at Surgix Jamaica Limited. He is reaching out to the public for assistance.

"I have a friend who I help him work sometimes and him give mi a little thing, and I do as much as I can with it. I also do headlight cleaning as well. Except for my mother, I really don't have any family helping me, and she got sick and lost her job as well," he said.

Persons wishing to assist Shamar Willis with purchasing a prosthetic leg may contact him at 876-790-9723.