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Sir Richard Branson Involved In Potentially Fatal Bike Crash

Sir Richard Branson Involved In Potentially Fatal Bike Crash

He's lucky he was wearing his helmet!

George Pavlou

George Pavlou

Featured image credit: Virgin

Sir Richard Branson has revealed all about the terrifying moment he thought he was going to die in a high-speed bike crash this week.

Holidaying on the British Virgin Islands with his family, the Virgin tycoon was cycling with his children Holly and Sam when the horrific incident occurred on Monday.

The 66-year-old was rushed to hospital in Miami, Florida, where they found he was suffering from torn ligaments and a cracked cheek.


Credit: Virgin

Writing in his blog for Virgin.com, he explained: "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."


Credit: Virgin

Branson, worth an estimated £4billion, said the fact he was wearing a helmet almost certainly saved his life and that his bike went flying off the cliff.

He added: "I really couldn't believe I was alive, let alone not paralysed."


Credit: Virgin

It is amazing Sir Richard hasn't been killed already given the long list of accidents involving the business tycoon.

Five years ago there was a huge fire at his £75 million house on Necker Island. Six months ago he was bitten by a shark while swimming with stingrays in the Cayman Islands and, on that same trip, he smashed his head into a glass door while shopping with his wife.


Credit: Virgin

Someone needs to put a study together to see if clumsiness correlates with wealth. Because there's something going on here...

In all seriousness, though, we wish Sir Richard a speedy recovery. This accident serves as a reminder why it's so important to wear helmets when riding a bike. This shit could happen to anybody.

Featured Image Credit: