Doctor paralysed after bike’s front forks ‘sheared in two’

UK

A doctor left paralysed from the waist down after his bike’s front forks “sheared in two” is seeking £10m in compensation.

Dr Daniel Gordon, a junior doctor in Scotland, was riding down a grassy slope when his new bike’s carbon forks broke and caused him to crash in August 2020.

Dr Gordon suffered life-changing spinal cord injuries.

He has no function in his legs and is now dependent on a wheelchair, according to his lawyers.

The manufacturers of the £2,300 Planet X Tempest SRAM Force 1 titanium bike became insolvent earlier this year.

Dr Gordon is pursuing his claim against the bike firm’s two insurers, Arch Insurance (UK) Limited and Chubb European Group SE.

Both companies were contacted for comment.

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Acting on behalf of Dr Gordon, legal firm Stewarts said the front forks had failed and “sheared in two”.

Dr Gordon was working at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness at the time of the crash and has since moved to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.

Julian Chamberlayne, partner and head of aviation and international injury at Stewarts, said: “It is a great testament to Dr Gordon’s character that he is doing his very best to adapt to life with a spinal cord injury, including returning to work as an NHS doctor.

“The compensation claimed will cover the financial losses and expenses that Dr Gordon is likely to incur in the future as a result of the life-changing injury he sustained.”