Thomas D. Smith must have thought he was starring in an action movie. He had a fast motorcycle, flashing blue lights behind him, and a looming train ahead. The problem? He didn’t have any plot armor to make sure he landed the stunt. Spoiler alert: the ending was painful.

Bad decisions start stacking up

Smith left his house without a helmet. That would have been a good time to grab one—or take a car. But that’s not what Thomas did.

Virginia State Police spotted him on Campbell Avenue in Roanoke and signaled him to pull over. That would have been a good time to stop and face the music. But that’s not what Thomas did.

Instead, he twisted the throttle and took off.

A high-speed motorcycle chase meets an unstoppable force…a train

Police pursued him, but Smith had other ideas. He noticed an Amtrak train approaching a crossing ahead. That would have been a good time to slow down and rethink his choices. But that’s not what Thomas did.

Instead, he aimed straight for the tracks.

Smith tried to beat the train on his motorcycle, but—spoiler alert—the train won. The locomotive slammed into his bike, sending it flying. That would have been a good time to sit tight and wait for help. But that’s not what Thomas did. Instead, he ran.

Running from the train/motorcycle wreckage

Yes, after a high-speed chase and a train collision, Smith still had the energy to take off on foot. He made it out of sight, but not out of trouble.

Hours later, he turned up at a hospital, needing treatment for non-life-threatening injuries. With police looking for an injured rider, a hospital would have been a great place to avoid. But as we know, that’s not what Smith did. And by then, the chase was over.

Thomas D. Smith learned two things that day: Trains don’t stop on a dime, and motorcycles don’t win against locomotives. He survived the crash and even managed to run from the scene. But by the time he got to the hospital, the chase was over. Police had his name, his injuries, and a nice list of pending charges.