Rider seconds away from being crushed by collapsing cliff

A fortuitous turn has saved the life of a motorcyclist in Costa Rica who rode away just seconds before a cliff collapsed on the very spot he was on seconds earlier.

The trail bike rider was returning from work with friends on Wednesday when he decided to take a short cut along a dirt road to get back to the capital San Jose, Costa Rica Hoy reports.

The rider was being filmed as he tentatively made his way up the narrow road.

As the dirt-covered cliff above the rider slowly crumbles he turns around and heads out of the camera's view.

Less than three seconds later a large chunk of the cliff breaks off, falling directly onto the spot where the man was standing moments earlier.

Heavy rains are believed to have caused the roadside cliff to erode rapidly and partially collapse.

Source: Costa Rica Hoy

Author: Martin Zavan, Approving editor: Matthew Henry