Late-night joyrides and wheelies have a long, complicated history, and not exactly a graceful one. Every so often a rider decides the empty street in front of them is basically a runway, and every so often that decision goes sideways in the worst way. That is exactly what happened early Sunday morning in San Antonio, where a motorcyclist attempting a wheelie with a passenger on board slammed into a car and now sits in critical condition.
According to KENS 5, the crash happened near the intersection of Alamo and Jones Street just before 2 a.m. The motorcyclist was reportedly popping a wheelie, meaning he had a passenger on the back and the front wheel off the ground, when the bike collided with a vehicle. It is the kind of stunt that looks impressive for about three seconds and can end a life in the fourth.
What makes this story stand out isn’t just the crash itself, but what happened right after. The passenger who was riding along reportedly took off running before officers arrived, leaving the injured rider behind. Meanwhile, the driver of the other car stayed put and cooperated with police. That contrast alone tells you a lot about how differently people react when things go wrong in a split second…