Mountain-bike-mad teen Riley Blundell ‘braked too late’ before his foot became caught in his clip-in pedal, causing him to topple off the ramp
Teen’s bike crash caught on camera
An adrenaline junkie teen was caught on camera screaming as he plummeted off a 12ft ramp while practising a bike stunt with friends – landing on his head. Mountain-bike-mad teen Riley Blundell was out with friends on a trail in Todmorden, West Yorkshire, on November 1 last year when a trick went horribly wrong.
The 15-year-old planned to come to a halt at the end of the ramp, practising what speed would be required for successful tricks in the future. But the schoolboy admitted he ‘braked too late’ before his foot became caught in his clip-in pedal, causing him to plummet 12ft to the ground and land on his head.
Shocking footage shows Riley struggling to maintain his balance before helplessly falling to the ground below. Riley’s mum Sarah Blundell was out for breakfast with her husband and two other children when she received a call to say her son had fallen off his bike.
The 44-year-old paramedic rushed to the park to find Riley had landed directly onto his head and suffered multiple injuries including a fractured spine and lacerated liver. Riley was rushed to hospital where he was placed in critical care for a week and is due to undergo surgery.
The mum-of-three credits Riley’s full-face helmet and safety vest for helping save her son’s life – and is reminding other bike-riders of the importance of wearing protective gear. Sarah, who lives in Todmorden, West Yorkshire, said: “Riley loves mountain biking. He’s been doing it for about four years, he’s out every single day doing it.
“He’s always been really good at wearing his safety kit – it’s a non-negotiable for us. He was with his friends on the trails and me, my husband, and my other two children were out having breakfast somewhere. We got a phone call and were told Riley had fallen.”
Riley said: “Usually you stop at the very end, but I remember coming up to (the end of the ramp) and pressing my brakes. But because it was wet and I was on wood, I noticed my wheels were starting to slip. I think I just started braking too late. I tried taking my feet out but couldn’t get my foot out the pedal. I just remember putting my hands forward and being in pain.”
After landing directly on his head, Riley fell unconscious for 30 seconds before his mum rushed to his side and drove him to Royal Oldham Hospital in Oldham, Greater Manchester. The teen was then transferred to Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital due to the extent of his injuries that included a laceration of his liver, bruising on his lungs and spleen, a broken left wrist and right elbow, a fractured spine and internal bleeding.
Riley, who is still in hospital, has undergone an embolisation to stop his internal bleeding, as well as having a drain into his liver and is due to have another drain into his chest to remove the fluid from his lungs. Sarah said: “When we arrived there, he just looked like death warmed up, he was really pale. He’d fallen about 12ft and landed on his head, he’d been unconscious for about 30 seconds.
“It was awful. Going over the incident, you think, ‘did I do things right? Should I have done things differently?’ It all plays through your mind. I was shocked at the extent of the injuries. I’ve watched him race before and seen what looked like more horrific crashes and they come away with just a bruise or broken arm.
“Without the safety kit, he could’ve quite easily died. I’ve seen in my role, people falling from less height than 12ft and things have not panned out that well. That helmet saved his life and, if not, stopped life-changing injuries. Wearing proper gear could save your life.”