Taking the Long Way Back

A single moment can change a life. The moment that changed Matt Long's is one he doesn't remember.

On December 22, 2005, Long was riding his Trek 2200 bike in Manhattan, on 52nd Street and 3rd Avenue. The time was approximately 5:45 am. A 40,000-pound bus traveling at 25 miles per hour made an illegal right turn and hit Long. The force of the collision sucked him under the bus and the bike's seatpost nearly tore him in half, causing blood to gush from his abdomen. Police and ambulances were soon at the scene and Long was soon at the hospital, given less than a 5 percent chance to survive. The injuries were massive, numerous, and complex. And gory. One doctor said it looked it looked like a bomb had gone off in Long's stomach.