Personal News: the day I was hit by a car on my bicycle and survived to tell the tale

It’s something of a cliché, “I’m lucky to be alive,” but on this occasion it is true. Cycling back from Worcester on Saturday, 4th May, 2024, I was hit by a car that (according to the police) was travelling at 40mph – a rear end shunt in effect. To use the expression used repeatedly in the Post Office enquiry ‘I don’t recall anything.’

I remember cycling out of Gloucester city centre but nothing after that until I was in an ambulance and a medic was asking me who I was. It was a blur until I was taken into Trauma in Gloucester Royal Hospital and came round as the doctors were checking me over. Broken ribs, fractured collar bone, fractured neck and gashes on my head which needed stitches – and bruising just about everywhere – plus a very bashed in ankle. But after scans (very interesting to be the subject of all these inspections) apparently nothing too serious – just a telling off from Linda for not wearing a helmet or she would divorce me. And to take it easy for the next six weeks – advice from the medical staff.

My son Ashley brought Linda up from Somerset and the duo were a huge comfort – and Ashley popped around to Asda to buy me some clothes as the paramedics had cut my favourite bike jacket, sweatshirt and hoodie to pieces in order to dress my wounds. I was out for around a couple of hours or more and I have no recollection of the drama although this might be partly due to morphine applied at the accident scene.

My thanks go to Linda and Ashley who later took me home – but to the Police who rescued all of belongings scattered across the A38 – and to the ambulance crew who patched me up and took me to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital. I am also very grateful to the team of doctors and medical folk who x-rayed me, scanned me in a strange horizontal machine, stitched my head back to something resembling normal and dressed my wounds. Highly professional and a tribute to the NHS – and particularly impressive as being a Saturday night they were also dealing with drunk men whose social graces and manners are somewhat lacking.

Also a huge thanks to the physio of off duty policeman who stopped and treated my wounds before the ambulance arrived. The driver – Christian Gospel singer – did stop and gave her insurance details to the police when they arrived. However two weeks later her car a white Hyundai Ix20 registration number GL12 MJK failed its MOT on its brakes – which may explain why it did not brake and there were no skid marks according to the police.

At this stage the police have decided not to proscecute the driver as there is no dashcam footage or witnesses other than the statement made by the driver. Sadly I can’t recall anything so I have made an appeal to motorists in Gloucester through local FaceBook groups for information as there was traffic around.

Suffice it to say Ashley and Linda took me home via the police station to collect my bashed in bicycle – it was an evening where having a supportive family is a blessing.

I was on a training ride for my planned cycle ride from Land’s End to John O’Groats in aid of getting fit, losing weight and raising cash for four charities at the end of June. The charities are:

In Bath as I am the editor of Bath Voice Newspaper and news website they are the Bath Food Bank and also Bath Mentoring Plus who mentor young people with problems – while in Axbridge where I live the fundraise is for Cheddar Foodbank and the Axbridge September Blackberry Carnival – a lovely afternoon family procession through the streets when the fun fair is in the Square.

With around 8 weeks to go before I set off for Land’s End I plan to stick to my plan – but if healing slows down my preparations, I may put it back a month, but I will do it so keep on contributing to the fund raising. The links are:

Axbridge: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/harry-mottram…

Bath: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfun…/harry-mottram-Bath…

I have donated £50 to the hospital’s charity https://www.gloshospitals.nhs.uk/charity/ as a small thank you – if you could chip into my fundraising listed above that would be fabulous. Rest assured I will complete the LEJOG as it is known – and Linda will be pleased to know I will wear a helmet in future.

Thank you, love Harry.

Update: Just to let you know I am on the mend after my near death experience on the A38. Thank you to Linda for patching me up and Ashley for the rescue and the brilliant staff at Gloucester Royal Hospital for treating my extensive injuries. The NHS rocks. Photos of Cheddar Reservoir will be delayed for a few days. But my cycle ride from Land’s End to John O’Groats has been put back to August. Thank you for the kind messages. (B/W photo due to a rather bloodied head.)

Pictured: Linda and Ashley at the hospital.