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Motorcycle Rider Has No Hard Feelings Towards Driver That Hit Him

AURORA, Colo. (CBS4) - A motorcycle rider who was hurt when a car went through a red light and smashed into him says he has no hard feelings towards the driver.

Greg Edwards has been recovering in the hospital since the April 30 crash. He was driving through the intersection at Chambers and Iliff after his light turned green.

Approximately six seconds after the light went red for drivers at the cross street, a car driven by a young female went into oncoming traffic and struck the 20 year Navy veteran's motorcycle.

"By the time I got to second gear, I realized (I was in trouble) and I felt the bump," he told CBS4 from his hospital bed on Monday.

Edwards' body was launched into the air. He says at that point his mind was racing.

"When I came down I was aware I had been hit. I knew I needed to get out of harm's way. I knew I needed to get out of the intersection," he said.

He began trying to crawl away, and was still in the process of trying to do so when an ambulance arrived.

"Blood was gushing out like it was pouring down rain," said Edwards, who broke his ankle, femur, needed stitches and even wound up with some broken teeth.

A red light camera captured video and still images of the crash.

Aurora
(credit: Aurora Police)
Aurora Crash
(credit: Aurora Police)

"One of the guys asked if I'm going to keep doing stunts," Edwards said of a friend who saw the shocking video, which was released by Aurora police on Monday.

Edwards has several months of rehab ahead, but he says he feels "blessed to be alive." He's thankful his long pants, riding jacket and helmet prevented the injuries from being even worse than they were.

He also says he wants all drivers to pay attention on the road, but he holds no grudges against the young driver who nearly ended his life.

"I'd be willing to talk to her and let her know I'm doing okay. Something like that can really traumatize someone for life," he said.

Aurora Police Chief Daniel Oates told CBS4 the driver -- Chante Thomas, 20 -- was issued a citation. Oates couldn't speculate on whether she might have been texting while driving.

"One possibilty is she was very distracted by something," Oates said of the crash.

Oates says Aurora's 14 red light cameras capture as much as 3,000 traffic violations per month. He says studies have shown they are a valuable tool for safety on the roads.

"What we found is the number of serious accidents went down and the number of violations eventually went down," he said.

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