Richard Branson Bloodied and Bruised in Bike Accident: ‘I Really Thought I Was Going to Die’ (Photos)

“I was being hurled over the handlebars and my life was literally flashing before my eyes,” the Virgin Group founder writes in a blog post

Richard Branson bike accident
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Virgin Group founder Richard Branson thought he was going to die after a bike accident on the British Virgin Islands.

The billionaire wrote a blog post on Virgin’s website, explaining that he was heading downhill when it got really dark and he hit a “sleeping policeman” hump in the road.

“The next thing I knew, I was being hurled over the handlebars and my life was literally flashing before my eyes,” he wrote. “I really thought I was going to die.”

His helmet protected him, although his shoulder and cheek took most of the impact, with his knee and chin severely cut as well. The bike, he says, went flying off the cliff. The since-recovered bike is completely destroyed.

“As I landed, once I realized I was alive, I began testing my movement,” Brandon added. “I really couldn’t believe I was alive, let alone not paralyzed.”

Traveling to Miami for x-rays and scans, Branson’s injuries surmounted to a cracked cheek and “some torn ligaments,” and therefore still hopes to complete the Virgin Strive Challenge fundraising event next month — a challenge he was initially training for when he fell.

Branson said that the crash happened on the fifth anniversary of the Necker Island fire in August 2011 that destroyed his home.

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