BADLY INJURED
CYCLIST ‘LUCKY TO BE ALIVE’
A CYCLIST revealed how he “feels lucky to be alive” after suffering a blood clot on his brain when he was knocked off his bike.
Keith Robertson was left unconscious after he collided with a car near Llanberis, also suffering a broken collar bone.
The father-of-two, who was airlifted to a hospital Stoke, said he has no recollection of the incident.
Speaking from his hospital bed, the 59-yearold said: “It’s all a blank. I remember riding past the Kent Mountain Centre and hearing young children laughing outside. I recall getting to the top of a hill just afterwards, and that’s it.”
He was on a 60-mile circular trip with fellow cyclists from his home in Fachwen, near Llanberis, when the accident happened at around 8pm on Tuesday. The driver of the car was also taken to hospital.
When the Welsh Government civil servant regained consciousness a few minutes later, two of his friends were on hand to help.
“It was very strange as quite a few of the people bending over me were friends and they wouldn’t let me get up,” he said
“The police were very good and so were the ambulance people.”
He was taken to Ysbyty Gwynedd, Bangor, where a CT scan revealed bleeding on the brain, and he was rushed to Stoke where he remains.
“I have damaged my hearing and there’s still a blood clot on my brain,” he said. “Thankfully, the clot is stable now and hasn’t grown any further, so the neurosurgeon will make a decision soon and hopefully let me go home.
“My collarbone is also fractured and will take four to six weeks to heal.
“Occupational health here in Stoke have told me a serious brain injury means I can’t drive for at least six weeks and I mustn’t stress myself, so no work for six weeks either.
“I’m feeling really tired all the time and have quite a bad headache. But I feel lucky to be alive.”
The road was closed for 90 minutes after the accident, and Mr Robertson, who was using strong LED lights at the time, added: “I don’t feel the road from Llanberis towards Caernarfon is threatening on a road bike. For all the many years I’ve been riding, cars are naturally patient and wait for safe overtaking places to pass bikes.”
A spokeswoman for the Welsh Ambulance Service, who sent two ambulances to the scene, said the driver of the car, an elderly man, had “non-serious” injuries.