When Bad Things Happen to Motorcycles – Rider Falls Into Open Manhole

Zhang Bo is one unlucky guy.

As he was busy dodging traffic through the incredibly congested streets of Changchun in northeast China, Bo’s  motorcycle disappeared forks first in a sewer through an open manhole cover. In case you were wondering what the consequences of that might be, Bo was thrown into the air over the handle bars.

According to Hui Shi, a witness to the crash traveling behind Bo’s motorcycle, “Cars were driving on either side of the hole – but the motorbike was in the middle of the road and it just dropped into it. He went head over heels and everyone laughed, despite the injuries.”

Nice to know that his fellow human being were amused.

Bo wasn’t wearing a helmet at the time, and as a result,  was rushed to the hospital suffering from a fractured skull and a broken jaw.

The local police say manhole covers are regularly stolen so they can be melted down for scrap in Changchun.

What would entice a thief to steal something as unwieldy as a manhole cover? Money. The large metal covers bring thieves something like 33 yuan ( or $4 US) from scrap dealers on the black market. That may not sound like much for hauling around something as heavy as a manhole cover, but it amounts to about a full day’s wage for a typical Chinese laborer.

Zhu Jiong, an official with the  Municipal Water Resources Bureau, said 1,800 manhole covers had been stolen in the last 45 days. The loss amounts to about 460,000 yuan or nearly $72,000.

Bad things can happen to you and your bike, and your insurance needs can get complicated. We’re here to help…