Amputee dad’s plea as SA’s motorcyclist death toll doubles over last year’s

Eighteen families have been shattered by split-second moments of horror this year – now, a crash survivor has a desperate message for riders.

It was a split-second moment of terror that cost Steve Page his leg – and almost his life.

The father of four, who briefly died on the operating table after a horrific accident in the Adelaide Hills, is making a plea for rider safety as the state’s motorbike road toll reaches staggering numbers.

On Tuesday night, beloved father Steve Hackett became the 18th motorbike rider to die on SA roads this year – compared with nine in total last year.

Mr Page’s right leg was amputated below the knee after his bike slammed into a horse float during a regular ride with his cousin in 2018.

Despite his miraculous survival, he said the accident had left lifelong scars on his family.

“The first call my mum got from the rider with me was that I’d broken my leg – within an hour and a half, I was having an amputation and suffering massive blood loss,” Mr Page said.

“I died on the operating table. It still affects (my mum), it still affects my kids.

“My youngest has just started to learn how to drive and it’s been really hard for her, because she has this fear of hurting somebody.”

Steve Page is pleading for rider safety after losing his right leg in a motorbike crash. Picture: Matt Loxton

Earlier this month, a moving procession of riders paid tribute to young dad-to-be Jordan Wiseman, 25, who died after his bike collided with a car at Henley Beach.

Mr Page has pleaded for motorcyclists to take their safety seriously, saying no thrill is worth a riders’ life.

“Don’t be a superhero, don’t drive too fast and ride within your ability,” he said.

“Wear all the gear, all the time. I always wore safety gear – judging by the state of what I was wearing (in the accident), it might have saved my life.”

Young father-to-be Jordan Wiseman died in a motorbike crash at Henley Beach. Picture: Supplied

Danny Westhoff, father of former Port Adelaide players Justin and Matthew, died in a crash in the Barossa Valley.

Traffic Services Branch Superintendent Darren Fielke said the number of motorcyclists killed on South Australian roads this year was “not an acceptable number”.

Supt Fielke said “unnecessary risks” taken by riders, compounded by their vulnerability with regard to visibility and protection, were contributing to the number of motorcyclists losing their lives.

“It is an overrepresentation in the numbers,” he said.

“(Motorcyclists) should be able to go for a ride on their motorbike and they should be able to get home safely.”

Motorcycle Riders Association of SA Vice-President Ebi Lux said the organisation believed the state government’s 2020 licencing reforms, which raised the minimum age for a learner’s bike permit to 18, had actually increased young riders’ risk on the roads.

Young dad James Caridi was killed in a motorcycle collision at Evandale. Picture: Supplied

“We’ve argued with the government that changing the age to 18 is actually creating a problem – the simple reason being is that you’re driving in a car for 12 months, and have got all the protection,” he said.

“Then all of a sudden you throw them onto a motorbike without any protection whatsoever, yet the attitude hasn’t changed.

“So we’ve got a super cocky rider who thinks they know it all – and unfortunately they’re in the most dangerous environment they can possibly be in, so it’s a recipe for disaster.”

He also called for funding to the RiderSafe program, which runs courses on motorbike safety for new riders, to be accelerated.

“We’re asking every single road user to take responsibility for their actions and to take care, because everyone who is on the road has a responsibility to everyone else,” Mr Lux said.

“Decent road training processes will save lives. Every crash is preventable.”