Teenage Motorcycle Crash Survivor Thanks Doctors Who Saved His Life

MADEIRA BEACH, Fla. — On May 1, Tanner Demarzo's life changed forever. He was riding his motorcycle when a truck making a U-turn failed to stop for him.

“He didn’t even stop to look,” Demarzo said. “He passed right in front of me and I didn't have time to brake. I never would have been able to brake in time and I had no space to get around him.”

In surveillance video captured by a nearby business, Demarzo, 19, can be seen flipping in the air several times, before crashing to the ground after the truck hit him. He was wearing his helmet at the time of the accident, and helmet marks marked his forehead immediately after the incident.

The accident left Tanner with two broken legs, a broken arm, two collapsed lungs and a brain hemorrhage.

“99% of the time when we make these calls and transport a critical patient, we really don't know what happened to them,” said Madeira Beach Fire Chief Clint Belk.

On Wednesday, Tanner and his mother came to the fire station to personally thank the men and women who saved his life.

“But seeing the video, it's wow. If I didn't know it was me and I was just watching this, I'd be like, this guy is dead,” Tanner said. “You know, I can't believe I survived that. It's a miracle. I mean, thanks to the work of all these people, I'm still here.”

It was clear to those who first arrived on the scene that this was a significant traumatic injury.

“Once on scene, the Sunstar unit initiated a trauma alert based on the patient’s injuries,” said firefighter paramedic Jo Whitfield.

Whitfield said it's rare to get an update on a patient. It is even less common to receive a personal thank you.

“It’s awesome, especially seeing him walking and talking when my last memory of him was him basically unconscious,” Whitfield said.

Tanner's recovery was difficult. He had to learn to walk again. His arms and legs are covered in scars from the accident and subsequent surgeries. Despite this, he is just grateful to have the chance to see another day.

“I heard no, no one’s coming to thank them,” Tanner said. “I'm like, I can't believe this. These guys are all heroes. I would, what they do every day as part of their job is heroes.”

Malique Rankin is an Emmy Award-winning feature reporter at 10 Tampa Bay. You can email her story ideas to [email protected] and follow her on Facebook, Twitterand Instagram pages.