While on a training cycle run with his children, Sir Richard Branson narrowly escaped death in a high-speed bike crash at his private residence of Necker Island.
The 66-year-old Virgin tycoon recently revealed on Virgin’s website how he feared for his life after the crash in the British Virgin Islands left him with torn ligaments and a cracked cheek. “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,” Branson recalled.
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He continued: “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.”
Branson, who is worth around $5 billion, believes that wearing a helmet saved his life as his bicycle went flying off the cliff. “I really couldn’t believe I was alive, let alone not paralyzed.”
Helen Clarke, Branson’s assistant, was the first to arrive upon the scene. Branson claims he told her, “I’m alive! At least you’ve still got a job.”
After the accident, Branson was taken to Miami for treatment. He was somehow able to escape the accident without any major injuries. “My biggest hardship is having to drink tea out of a straw. Oh, and being called elephant man by a six-year-old.”
Branson also stated, “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 practicing what I preach – though a little too literally!”
We wish Sir Richard Branson a speedy recovery!
[H/T Daily Mail, Virgin]
