Barber grateful to be alive after three motorcycle accidents

Romario Roach developed a love for motorcycles when he was about nine years old. He grew up seeing family members riding and was so captivated, he decided to follow in their footsteps.

However, being on motorcycles has not been a smooth ride for Roach, who has had three crashes. After his third accident, Roach made the decision to put aside his passion for riding motorcycles.

"This last accident traumatized me, and now mi worried any time me a travel. Even in a car, me no drive with certain people. If it's not somebody that I trust, me not really following it up or follow them," he said.

The 25-year-old, who lives in Mandeville, Manchester, suffered spinal and knee injuries as well as major contusions in several other parts of his body in his last crash. He said that he was fearful that he would not live to see his son grow up. God's delivering hands kept him.

Very lucky

Roach still considers himself very lucky. In addition to surviving the three crashes in which he has been involved, he has won several prizes from the Malta Back-2-School promotion two years in a row. "Last year, I entered the Malta Back-2-School promotion and mi win all a the prizes because mi enter so much time. Me win book vouchers, which me give to my little sister, and I also won a tablet and other cash prizes. The big win, though, was the $500,000 towards my son's tuition fees, so when him get older him don't have to worry about that," said Roach, who is a barber.

"I decided to enter again this year, and last week I won $10,000, so mi nah stop enter. I want to win some more prizes to help my mother and little sister. Malta also reached out to me to assist with my surgery fees, but the surgery was cancelled. ... God spared my life three times and I'm still receiving other blessings."

As Ricardo's recovery slowly progresses, he looks forward to taking care of his son, his younger sister and his family. The need for his help towards his duties as a father and older brother motivates him to stay healthy through his recovery process and to stay focused on doing things better while he still has life. He has hopes of returning to work in December and is convinced that trusting in God will help him through this difficult period.

He advises other individuals in similar situations to "just hope and pray and believe in God, because a God alone can move mountains. Everybody has a life. I can't tell them how to live their life, but trust in God, despite the circumstances you might face."