Some motorcyclists in southern New Brunswick are nursing broken bones and bruises after a multi-vehicle pile-up over the weekend.
"Right now, I have five broken ribs,” said motorcyclist Melvin Peacock. “A broken shoulder blade (and) a fractured pelvis."
Peacock says they were riding on the rural roads in the Belleisle, N.B. area, but hit a four-inch deep pothole on a blind knoll, causing a chain reaction.
"One bike hit the pothole, it launched him right off the bike,” said Peacock. “Knocked his boots off. He went tumbling. His bike is going arse-over kettle.”
“I geared down and started putting the brakes to it. I hit the pothole. It was too late."
The motorcyclists were scouting for a safe and scenic route to take a group of more than 100 bikers, who will be travelling through the Maritimes this summer.
David Gallant, president of New Brunswick Red Knights Motorcycle Club, led the group of 18 bikers.
"Our focus was to run that run and see if the road was in good shape, and we found out it wasn't," said Gallant.
Gallant is pushing for more to be done to maintain rural highways.
"We all run those roads and it’s getting worse and worse,” he said. “Every time we're out, something gets damaged, something gets broke."
The Department of Transportation did not respond to our questions today, but Gallant says the patchwork and warning signs have appeared in the days after the accident.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Mike Cameron.
