BOZEMAN — In the shadow of Emigrant Peak, Chris Desborough was riding his motorcycle along Highway 89 in July 2023 when another vehicle hit him and dragged him nearly 300 feet at 100 miles per hour.
“So I was riding up to Livingston on July the Fifth. and all of a sudden everything just went black for a couple of seconds," Desborough says.
“I think the worst part was I didn't see him coming, so it was a total shock as it threw me forward. And then the bike went down. I was underneath the bike, but then I realized that there was a lot of noise going on, not only the bike being dragged along the floor, but being attached to the car as well,” he adds.
Watch MTN's earlier interview with Chris Desborough after crash on July 5, 2023:
As the cars behind him came to a stop, several people rushed over to help Chris.
“For a few seconds I laid there, wondering what was—what had happened. And all the people behind me, they stopped just like that,” says Desborough.
There is one image from the accident that sticks with Chris.
“There was a young lady stood in the middle of the road and she just had a hand up to her face and she was horrified, and she couldn't do anything. Sorry. And I think I think that helped with the whole EMT thing as well. She couldn't do anything,” says Desborough.
Chris says he's been in other accidents—his adventures have taken him all over the world and the country, always looking for his next one—but for those few seconds?
“I thought, I felt sorry for her. I was lying on the floor. I felt sorry for her. And I don't want to ever be in that position,” says Desborough.
While Chris was recovering from the accident that could have taken his life, his next mission was on his mind.
“I thought, you know what? The amount of people that have helped me in my life, maybe it's now time to start helping people back again,” says Desborough.
Two strangers who rushed to help Chris on Highway 89 were EMTs from the Paradise Valley Fire Department
“I didn’t even know them at the time. And then six months later, I turned up at the station asking, can I join as a volunteer? And they're like, oh yeah Chris, we were there when you were,” says Desborough.
Eric Newhouse is the Captain of Operations at the fire department. He was in the station when Chris walked in.
“When he walked in, he got a standing ovation. We were all I mean, first of all, when you have a motorcycle versus car, it's usually not a good call,” says Newhouse.
Newhouse said he was also on scene, and after Chris’ crash he was blown away by his determination.
“Yeah, it was pretty cool. I mean, to see him walking it all was pretty cool. Never mind coming to volunteer. Kind of a badass,” says Newhouse.
Chris says he spent months studying, shadowing the other members of the department, all while recovering from his own injuries.
“I had damaged my left knee as well. And of course, all the scarring on the right foot as well. You get a little bit of pain when you bend down, but again, it's not insurmountable. And when you go in on a life patient who's in pain, you forget your own stuff,” says Desborough.
Chris now has been an EMT for several months.
“But to date, I've been out on 83 calls in the valley, mostly medical,” says Desborough.
Chris says he still isn’t done; biking is one of his hobbies and has raised money for other fire departments. His next goal is to raise money for his own department.
“I was hoping to do a ride from Spokane back to Emigrant this year on my bicycle, which is actually another 555 miles. And I was hoping to do that and raise money for our fire station. But I may have to put this off a year, I think, until this foot hopefully gets even better,” says Desborough.
