A 27-year-old Montreal man is urging cyclists to strap on a helmet after he nearly died on his bike.

Evan Marinacci was hit by a car in the LaSalle neighbourhood last December.

"I don’t think I’d be here had I not been wearing a helmet," said Marinacci on Friday. With the cycling season picking up he is reminding Montrealers to be safe on the roads.

Marinacci doesn’t remember much about the night of the crash. "The driver had stopped and I was unconscious when police and paramedics arrived," he told CTV News.

Paramedics rushed him to the Montreal General Hospital where he underwent emergency surgery. "They told my family I might not be able to talk or walk, they didn’t know what state I’d be in."

Dr. Judith Marcoux, a neurosurgeon at MGH, performed emergency surgery on him.

"He did have a helmet, which offered some protection to him somewhat. Otherwise, it would have been more catastrophic," said Dr. Marcoux. "He had a lot of blood outside the brain, pushing on the brain."

To relieve the swelling, Dr. Marcoux removed a piece of his skull. He survived the emergency surgery, but had a broken leg and femur.

Marinacci spent three-and-a-half weeks in a coma. When he woke up he was unable to see his family or have hospital visits because of COVID-19 restrictions at the time.

"It's not easy to have your son in ICU already and then not being able to see him, not being able to hold him," said Bita Danechi, a MGH nurse. She has helped patients like Marinacci set up virtual visits throughout the pandemic.

After 40 days in hospital, Marinacci was released.

"Even after all these years [as a doctor] I still have tears. That’s what gives us a sense of purpose of what we’re doing," said Dr. Marcoux. "That’s why I get up in the middle of the night to save someone’s life, to know he has his life back together."

Marinacci goes to rehab once a week to strengthen his leg and hips. He uses a cane to help him get around, but has been able to start a new job as an mechanical engineer.

"That’s been kind of nice, getting back to normal again."

He credits his recovery to the staff at MGH and his decision to wear a helmet that day because, "It saved my life."