How did I survive that?
Branson thrown head first on to concrete road in bicycle crash
SIR Richard Branson feared he was ‘going to die’ after ploughing head first on to a road in a bicycle crash.
The tycoon, 66, was cycling with his two grown-up children on a Caribbean island when he hit a speed bump.
He was flung over the handlebars towards the concrete and landed on his head and shoulder, as the bike hurtled over a cliff.
Sir Richard, who is worth nearly £4billion, suffered a cracked cheek, torn ligaments and cuts across his body.
Yesterday he gave an account of Monday evening’s accident on Virgin Gorda – one of the British Virgin Islands – posting a series of photos on Twitter. They showed his bloodied face and his head in a neck brace.
In another image, he is lying back on a pillow with a bottle of Becks beer in his hand as his leg is treated. ‘I really thought I was going to die,’ Sir Richard said. ‘As I landed, once I realised I was alive, I began testing my movement. I really couldn’t believe I was alive, let alone not paralysed.’
The Virgin boss, who owns nearby Necker Island, said the helmet he was wearing saved his life.
He received initial medical attention on Virgin Gorda before being flown to a hospital in Miami, Florida, for further treatment.
Describing the crash, he said: ‘I was heading down a hill when it suddenly got really dark and I managed to hit a sleeping policema … head- on. The next thing I knew, I was being hurled over the handlebars and my life was literally flashing before my eyes.
‘I went flying head first towards the concrete road, but fortunately my shoulder and cheek took the brunt of the impact, and I was wearing a helmet … We’ve since recovered the crumpled bicycle, completely destroyed. My cheek has been badly damaged and my knee, chin, shoulder and body severely cut.’
His assistant Helen was the first to find the injured tycoon lying on the road. When he saw her, he quipped: ‘I’m alive. At least you’ve still got a job!’
Sir Richard was training with his children Holly, 34, and Sam, 30, for the Virgin Strive Challenge a month- long endurance event across the Alps next month. Par- ticipants will run, row, cycle, hike and climb for 1,200 miles in an bid to raise £1.5 million for charity.
The billionaire still hopes to take part – and, proving that his promotional skills remain firmly intact after the accident, he published a blog post on his firm’s website, using news of his crash to publicise the challenge.
After mentioning it in the first sentence, he later urges readers to ‘head over to the Virgin Strive Chal- lenge [webpage] to learn more’. Sir Richard added: ‘My biggest hardship is having to drink tea out of a straw … 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. At least I’m practising what I preach, though a little too literally.’
The accident took place on the fifth anniversary of the fire that ruined his house on Necker Island.