GAINESVILLE, Fla. – June 15, 2024 – PRLog — Martin Barta, 36, content contributor to Motos Locos Travel Channel, suffered a horrific motorbike accident on April 6, 2023, while touring Sarandë, Albania in the Balkan’s region in south Europe.
The Czech citizen, who enjoyed the extreme hobby as a break away from his mundane profession as an IT recruiter, was traveling with two groups of other adventure motorcyclists. “I was familiar with this road and had traveled it many times, but I was the last one in the first group, so there was a lot of dust and visibility was quite bad,” Martin said.
Although he tried to maneuver his KTM 890 Adventure R bike at the last second to
avoid the obstacle, Martin was launched in the air and skid about 20 meters along the road. Instantly, he knew something was gravely wrong – the pain in his back was too
intense but thankfully he could still move his legs. He waited there alone and in agony
before his group noticed he was not behind him, and the other group of riders caught up
to him.
An ambulance was called and tried to comfort him as best they could, but Martin knew his back was broken. At the local hospital where a CT scan was ordered and confirmed his fear. He not only broke the L3 vertebra but also shattered his L4. He would need immediate spinal surgery and was transferred to a trauma hospital in Tirana, but Martin wanted to be back in his home country and with his family.
Martin contacted Czech government on Saturday, April 10, and arrangements were made by embassy the to have him flown via private plane back to Brno. That following Monday, two doctors from Germany accompanied and monitored Martin during the transport back home, and an ambulance was waiting for him as they touched down. Over the next three days, he underwent two different spinal surgeries, which included duel titanium plates and four screws to fuse his lower spine.
“Immediately after waking up from the first surgery, I was in terrible pain in my legs and
hips. (The doctors) realized that the screws were causing pressure against the nerves in
my spine, so they did a second operation to adjust those,” he said.
Now, 8 weeks later, Martin has healed to the point where he can begin physical therapy
next month and navigate the arduous road to recovery. He plans to take the rest of this
year to heal and spend time with his wife, Nicole, and their two young children, Mia and
Tobias. When asked if his wife now opposes his passion for adventure riding, he
definitively said no.
“It was difficult for her at first, with having to care for our kids and me as well. I was
worried about what she was going to say, but my wife knows how much I love
motorcycling, and she doesn’t want to take that away from me,” he said.
Indeed, Martin’s love for the sport continues and he hopes to be back on his bike next
year, although he is considering upgrading his riding gear with an air bag system.
“Quite a lot of people have asked me if I’m going to ride again. Of course! It was just a
stupid accident,” he said. “Of course I will be more careful now, but I love riding and
discovering new countries, getting to know different cultures and meeting people. It’s
that simple.”
By Angela Leahy
Freelance Journalist
https://www.smartmediaproduction.us/