Japanese Biker Drives 1.24 Miles Without Severed Right Leg

August 14, 2007

A Japanese man driving a motorcycle severed his right leg after colliding with a concrete highway divider but did not notice the injury until after driving for a few minutes and two kilometers (1.24 miles) away from accident site, the local media in Japan reported on Wednesday. The accident happened at Nishi Ward in the city of Hamamatsu in Shizuoka Prefecture in central Japan.

According to Japan Today, police said Kazuo Nagata, 54, was driving along the Hamana bypass of National Highway Route 1 at about 6:30 a.m. on Tuesday (9:30 p.m., Monday, GMT) when he failed to negotiate a left turn and hit the central divider that severed his right leg about 10 centimeters (3.94 inches) below the knee. Nagata continued driving unaware of the injury and only noticed his missing right leg when he and his friends stopped at an interchange about 1.24 miles from the scene of the accident.

Nagata was traveling on motorbike to Gifu Prefecture with 10 friends. A companion retrieved the severed leg and the others called for an ambulance. Police said Nagata was out of danger.
Police theorized that Nagata failed to notice his missing leg because he struggled to retain his balance after the collision or was focused on the pain he felt after the accident.