How come when everyone else falls/crashes

[pll]

I also was in one race (on the tandem) when one guy's front tyre blew on a downhill. Becuase he was in a bunch of experienced riders, the guys next to him grabbed an arm each and actually used their brakes to slow him down and then move him off the side of the road. Otherwise he would of taken out the whole bunch.

Wow. This is remarkable! Seeing that type of reaction is amazing.

I ride with a woman who also races and she says the slow crashes are the worst in terms of broken arms and collarbones because generally people have time to try to halt the fall by stretching an arm.