In a motorcycle accident such as the one that Columbus resident Lisa Taylor was involved in on a West Virginia road in 2007, it is slightly short of a miracle that she now lives to even tell the tale.

Taylor's story has more than a tinge of irony. At the time of her accident, she was a crash investigator for the Ohio State Highway Patrol. She was also a skilled motorcycle rider, as well as a major in the patrol and the highest ranking woman in the patrol's history.

Her career and her passion essentially ended on her 2007 trip with friends to West Virginia, when a car driven by an impaired driver slammed into her bike while rounding a curve. Taylor states that, "We had a combined impact speed of somewhere around 66 mph."

Based on statistics in similar types of accidents, Taylor was lucky to have lived. She remembers that she "slid down the highway for what seemed like an eternity." The collision required nine leg surgeries and extensive rehabilitation. Her resiliency pulled her through, and she can now walk again. She has retired from the Highway Patrol and is involved with a crash investigation business as a civilian.

National Highway Transportation Safety Administration statistics from 2007 - the year of Taylor's crash - highlight the comparative dangers that motorcyclists face and their need for constant vigilance on the road. According to the NHTSA, 5,154 motorcyclists died nationwide that year in bike crashes. Moreover, and based on a measurement of miles traveled per vehicle, motorcyclists died at a rate 35 times higher than car drivers.

Related Resource: www.10tv.com "After Crash, Patrol Major Learns to Walk Again, Starts New Career" August 11, 2010