Zhang Bo was busy dodging traffic in the hustle and bustle of Changchun in China's northeast when his motorcycle suddenly disappeared head first into the sewer and he was thrown almost a meter over the handle bars.
Driver Hui Shi, a witness traveling behind the motorcycle, said: 'Car wheels were driving either side of the hole - but the motorbike was in the middle of the road and it just dropped into it.
'He went head over heels and everyone laughed, despite the injuries.'
Unfortunately for Zhang - who wasn't wearing a helmet at the time - he was rushed to hospital with a fractured skull and a broken jaw.
According to local police, manhole covers are regularly stolen so they can be melted down for scrap and Zhang's accident is an increasing problem caused by the unusual road theft.
