The relationship between cyclists and fellow road users can often be sour, with both parties pointing the finger at one another. However, sometimes the relationship is exemplary and we are reminded of the dangers the road presents for all its users.
In a completely selfless act, 32-year-old Chris Toon made a split second decision to avoid a group of around 12 cyclists, choosing instead to crash into a ditch, which punctured both his lungs and has since left him paralysed with 30 broken bones.
The music teacher from Derbyshire lost control of his motorbike rounding a blind bend. With his back wheel skidding, Toon was presented with 12 cyclists approaching in the opposite direction.
Toon instantly veered away from the riders, hitting a hedge, and fell 30 feet through rocks and branches. Once he had come to a stop, the biker realised he could no longer feel his legs.
In an interview with the Nottingham Post, who reported the story on Sunday, Toon described the moment he realised he was going to crash.
'I was coming up to a blind bend so I slowed down but as I slowed down my back wheel skidded and it started to fish tail,' he said.
'As I got round the corner there were about 12 cyclists there in front of me so I decided in about a second because that was all I had, to go into the ditch.
'I couldn’t feel my legs and I actually felt my back snap when I was falling down.'
Now on the road to recovery, Toon is being kept at the Sheffield Spinal Rehabilitation Unit. A crowd funding page has been established to help fund a specialist wheelchair, vital for Toon once he is discharged from hospital.
The cyclists involved in the incident were keen to thank Toon after the crash, realising how lucky they had been.
They have even subsequently contacted the keen musician, making sure he had use of his arms so he could play his beloved saxophone.
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