Terrifying moment motocross rider dodged death after horror crash saw her helmet ‘filled with blood’

A Queensland motocross star says she is ‘lucky to be alive’ after a horrific accident left her helmet covered in blood.

Motocross has been in the spotlight after Gold Coast icon Jayden Archer died in a training accident near Geelong this month, with the sport thrown into mourning following his tragic death.

And now teen sensation Taylah McCutcheon says she is ‘enjoying every day as it comes’ after escaping death following a freak fall.

McCutcheon, from Logan, suffered serious facial injuries after an accident at a Melbourne track on Saturday morning.

The 19-year-old lost control of her handlebars after a jump and was unable to brake in time for her next turn. As a result, she flew into a gully. She broke almost every bone in her face.

WARNING – GRAPHIC CONTENT

Taylah McCutcheon crashed during training in Melbourne last weekend

McCutcheon, a former Australian junior champion, was testing a new suspension with her Empire Kawasaki team and managed to crawl up an embankment to raise the alarm, as no one had seen the accident.

She was rushed to the Royal Melbourne Hospital where she underwent emergency surgery. Her mother rushed from Queensland to support her and she will meet with surgeons in the coming days to discuss further operations.

McCutcheon says she remembers little about the incident and is disappointed to miss the opening round of the national championship. However, she is grateful to be alive after the shocking accident.

“I’m lucky to still be here,” she told the newspaper Gold Coast Bulletin.

‘I couldn’t brake in time, so I overshot the berm (corner) and flew into a gully and landed first.

“My helmet was full of blood, my sinuses were destroyed, both of my eye sockets were broken, my left cheekbone, the left side of my jaw, my upper jaw.

“It was pretty tough.”

McCutcheon admits the accident has been a stark reminder of the dangers of her sport, with Archer’s death at just 28 still in everyone’s memory.

“This really hit close to home,” she said.

‘I didn’t know Jayo well but he was such a huge figure in the sport and he had so much competition and so much life ahead of him, so it was a complete shock to hear he died.

She says she is grateful to be able to enjoy every day after her death

“And now that I’m talking to doctors about how close I came to not being here anymore, it’s pretty scary.

“The helmet saved my life.”

In a statement on Instagram, McCutcheon said: “Gvaluable to still be here.

‘We have yet to find out what cut my face as it is still unknown. This is as much information as we can glean from what we know, since I don’t remember anything and no one has really seen much of it.

‘But thanks again to everyone who messaged or called me. Especially to everyone who helped me during my incident, I would like to thank you all more than anything!!

“There was definitely someone in my corner that day and I’m just blessed to be here.” Enjoy each day as it comes.’