Motorcyclist injured at speedway talks

Daniel Guevara suffers back injury at Homestead-Miami Speedway

MIAMI – A motorcyclist who was injured during a race at Homestead-Miami Speedway talks about the crash that left him hospitalized.

"I was at least eight to nine feet up in the air," said Daniel Guevara. "I could see the ground underneath."

The race was part of the CCS Motorcycle Championship Races, a two-day event held in Homestead. Finalists compete and winners move on to race motorcyclists on a national level.

Video showed Guevara lose control of his motorcycle and slam onto the pavement during a race Sunday.

"I had a real intense pain in my back. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't speak," he told Local 10's Terrell Forney. "I couldn't move my back. I was in so much pain."

Paramedics airlifted Guevara to Kendall Regional Medical Center, where doctors found two acute fractures on the mid-section of his spine.

But his spinal cord remained relatively intact.

"That's the most important thing -- that I didn't need surgery," said Guevara. "Hopefully, it'll heal up by itself over the next two months or so."

Guevara believes his helmet, full body suit, and back brace saved his life.

"If it wasn't because of that back protector, I would've probably shattered my spine for sure," he added.

Guevara is now wearing a brace as his back heals.

"It sustains my back of it not to collapse," he said. "Hopefully I can jump on the bike the next month even though the doctor said two months.


About the Author:

Terrell Forney joined Local 10 News in October 2005 as a general assignment reporter. He was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, but a desire to escape the harsh winters of the north brought him to South Florida.