Every cloud has a silver lining. Mary Brickey, a Utah-based artist, lost a leg in a motorcycle accident while chasing a Division 1 title in a group ride through Provo Canyon last November.
In a heart-warming outpour of sympathy and friendship, a local community of artists rallied behind the injured rider and organized a fundraiser art exhibit and a GoFundMe campaign.
As for Brickey, she hasn’t lost her passion for riding. “I’m going to be on a bike at least a little. That’s important to me,” she told FOX 13 News from her hospital bed.
A Group Ride Gone Wrong
Mary Brickey will likely remember the date November 6, 2022, forever. That day, her whole life changed in an instant when the artist lost a leg in a motorcycle accident.
An artist and teacher at La Europa Academy in Murray, UT, Brickey balances her love for art with her passion for motorcycles. Her father was an avid motorcyclist and would take her riding with him, instilling in his daughter a lifelong love for bikes and the open road.
As an adult, Brickey took a motorcycle safety class and eventually bought her first bike in August of 2022. Just three months later, she was competing for a Division 1 title in a big group ride.
The race began in Orem, UT, and continued through Provo Canyon, which connects the snow-capped Mount Timpanogos and Mount Cascade. Brickey was among the first 50 riders as they made their way through the canyon.
Shortly after passing the exit for Sundance Mountain Resort, the artist noticed something felt wrong with her bike. Brickey decided to pull off the road to inspect the motorcycle, but halfway to the barrier, she realized her brakes weren’t functioning and the bike wasn’t slowing. A split second later, Brickey crashed into the barrier.
The Power of Community and Friendship
Mary Brickey and her bike flew some 30 feet down the ravine at the side of the road. The impact was so brutal that she severed her leg in an instant. Fortunately, local emergency services airlifted Brickey to a hospital in Murray right away, where she was also diagnosed with a broken hand and a dislocated finger.
As Brickey recovered in the intensive care unit, her friend Esther Hi’ilani Candari sprang into action. Candari decided to organize a fundraiser art exhibit for Brickey, leveraging her connections and experience working as a programming director for an art gallery and rare books dealer in Provo, UT.
Writ and Vision, the gallery where Candari works, is normally booked up to a year ahead but miraculously had a two-week opening at the time. The local art community joined in and generously donated over 150 works of art to be sold at the fundraiser, both off and online, through December 31, 2022. All proceeds from the fundraiser and the GoFundMe campaign that Rachel Tutuu, Brickey’s daughter, set up will go directly to her. The GoFundMe fundraiser was at $7.6K at the time of this writing with an aim for $22,000 to offset medical care.
Stay Safe with Law Tigers
Whether you’re going on a group ride or hitting the road for a relaxing solo trip, it’s important to be prepared for any unexpected incident. If you have a motorcycle accident, call our Law Tigers team at (888) 863-7216 to speak to an experienced motorcycle attorney.
