New Hampshire Family Says Motorcycle Helmet Saved Life

The family of a Nashua, New Hampshire, motorcyclist says his helmet saved his life as he fell four stories after crashing into a parking garage wall this week.

Leon Belesca, 28, vaulted over the wall and fell to the pavement below after his motorcycle lurched forward on the top floor of a parking garage early last Friday.

“If he didn’t have his helmet on, we wouldn’t have Leon,” his father, Larry Belesca, told The Telegraph.

Belesca was in serious condition at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston with multiple injuries, but doctors said his prospects for recovery look good, his family said.

“He’s definitely holding his own,” said his sister, Meredith Belesca. “He’s got broken bones from head to toe, but neurologically he’s in good shape. There’s no spinal damage right now, and there’s no brain damage.”

Police have said Belesca wasn’t drunk or speeding and it’s unclear what made him lose control.

Some witnesses told police that Belesca waved goodbye to friends as he was driving off, Lt. Bruce Hansen said. Friends told his family it appeared as though the motorcycle shot forward for no apparent reason, Meredith Belesca said.

Larry Belesca said he and Belesca’s sister remembered being shocked by how much money Belesca paid for his helmet $200. They’ve since learned that’s relatively inexpensive as helmets go.

“It’s the difference between life and death,” Meredith Belesca said. “It’s because of that helmet that my brother didn’t sustain brain damage, and isn’t dead.”

She said Belesca is being kept heavily sedated so he won’t suffer. His recovery is likely to be extremely long and difficult, she said.

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Information from: The Telegraph, http://www.nashuatelegraph.com