BONSALL, Calif. (KGTV) - The co-founder of a popular rock climbing YouTube channel is recovering from life-altering injuries, including the amputation of his left leg below the knee, after a collision in Bonsall involving a suspected DUI driver.
Nearly two weeks ago, on a Sunday evening, Emile Modesitt, 32, was riding his motorcycle on Old Highway 395, heading home to Encinitas after a day of riding, when a car turned from Lilac Road and pulled out in front of him.
"It looks like they're gonna pull out right in front of me really fast," Modesitt said. "My rider brain kind of immediately clocks that as something dangerous. I try to move out of the way, and then that's when everything goes black.”
The crash threw Modesitt from his motorcycle, and he ended up under a guardrail. He was rushed to a hospital with severe injuries, including fractures in an arm, a crushed pelvis, and a gruesome leg injury that required his left leg to be amputated below the knee.
The driver, 48-year-old Patricia Cannon, was arrested on felony DUI charges.
Nearly 2 weeks after the collision, Modesitt is reflecting on his recovery from his hospital bed.
"Coming out of sedation it just felt like this unreal thing, and it was an unreal thing, because it's such a big life change," Modesitt said.
More than 7 years ago, Modesitt co-founded 'Hoopers Beta,' a YouTube channel covering topics like rock climbing training and injury recovery. When it comes to the loss of his leg, he says his mindset is grounded.
"It's just a thing that happened, and it's a challenge," Modesitt said.
He says that outlook stems from his 15 years of rock climbing experience.
"It just takes this massive amount of time commitment and mental commitment to keep going and keep making progress and to keep overcoming things," Modesitt said.
An outpouring of support from family, friends, and strangers on his YouTube channel has also helped him through the recovery.
"I never could have imagined, you know. Every time I talk about it, it makes me, makes me tear up a little bit," Modesitt said, choking back tears.
The DUI charges Cannon is facing have also stirred emotion.
"It's hard not to be angry, but at the same time, I felt I knew bad that somebody else's life would be changing permanently," Modesitt said.
Still, Modesitt says he believes the driver should be held accountable. His focus, though, is on the climb ahead. He has already begun brainstorming designs to create a prosthetic.
"Honestly I'm really excited. It's going to take a lot of time and work, but that is okay, because I'm here for that. I can do that," Modesitt said. “I’m very thankful. I still have my mind and most of my body, so I can't complain.”
A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help Modesitt with medical and other expenses.
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