Tycoon Richard Branson cheated death in high-speed bike crash
UK - Sir Richard Branson has revealed how he feared he would die after crashing head first onto a road in a high-speed bike crash on the British Virgin Islands.
The 66-year-old Virgin tycoon was on a training cycle run with his two adult children Holly and Sam when the horrifying incident happened on Virgin Gorda on Monday. Sir Richard, who is worth nearly £4billion, was taken to Miami, Florida, for X-rays and scans - which found he had suffered torn ligaments and a cracked cheek. He said: ‘I was heading down a hill towards Leverick Bay when it suddenly got really dark and I managed to hit a ‘sleeping policeman’ hump in the road head on. ‘The next thing I knew, I was being hurled over the handlebars and my life was literally flashing before my eyes. I really thought I was going to die. ‘I went flying head-first towards the concrete road, but fortunately my shoulder and cheek took the brunt of the impact.’ Sir Richard added that wearing a helmet saved his life, and his bicycle went flying off the cliff’. He continued: ‘I really couldn’t believe I was alive, let alone not paralyzed.’ The first person to arrive on the scene was his assistant Helen Clarke, whom he claims to have told: ‘I’m alive! At least you’ve still got a job.’
One of his team sprinted over to help him and he was taken to Miami for treatment, but admitted he had been ‘extremely fortunate’ with his lack of major injuries. He added: ‘My biggest hardship is having to drink tea out of a straw. Oh, and being called elephant man by a six year old. ‘My attitude has always been, if you fall flat on your face, at least you’re moving forward. All you have to do is get back up and try again.’ The accident took place on the fifth anniversary of the fire on his private residence of Necker Island, which gutted his £75million house and led to it being rebuilt.