Richard Branson had a near-experience while away on the British Virgin Isles.
The Virgin Media creator had been training for the Virgin Strive Challenge on the island of Virgin Gorda, and was cycling down a hill when he hit a ‘sleeping policeman’ hump in the road head on.
The entrepreneur wrote on his blog in detail the horrific event and revealed that he thought he was going to die.
“The next thing I knew, I was being hurled over the handlebars and my life was literally flashing before my eyes. My cheek has been badly damaged and my knee, chin, shoulder and body severely cut.”
The Londoner admitted that he thought he was going to die, but fortunately – the only permanent damage was done to his bike.
“My life was literally flashing before my eyes,” he wrote on the Virgin Media blog.
“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, and I was wearing a helmet that saved my life.
“My bike went flying off the cliff and disappeared. We’ve since recovered the crumpled bicycle, completely destroyed.
“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.”
Despite the scary ordeal, Richard was still able to find the humour in it all.
“Coincidentally, the first person to arrive on the scene was my assistant Helen, who had just returned from holiday,” he continued.
“She was wondering who was lying prostrate on the road.
“I was so glad to be alive that I quickly was able to summon my sense of humour, and said to her: ‘I’m alive! At least you’ve still got a job!’
“Over the years I’ve had many brushes with death, not least in my ballooning adventures,” he also admitted.
“In the documentary Don’t Look Down, which we’re releasing soon, my co-pilot Per Lindstrand quotes Napoleon: ‘I know he’s a good general, but is he lucky?’
“He says I have certainly been lucky – I wouldn’t disagree!”
