Richard Branson crashes bike and sees ‘life flash before his eyes’

BRITISH billionaire Richard Branson had a narrow escape when he flew off his bike and crashed upside down on the road while cycling around the British Virgin Islands.

The man behind the Virgin brand, recently embroiled in a bizarre spat with Jeremy Corbyn over seat availability on a Newcastle-bound train, cracked his cheekbone and tore some shoulder ligaments after ploughing into a speed bump. 

The fall took place on Virgin Gorda, which is just south of Branson’s personal Necker Island lair.

“I really thought I was going to die,” said the flashy entrepreneur with a flair for exaggeration, “fortunately my shoulder and cheek took the brunt of the impact, and I was wearing a helmet that saved my life.”

Branson was flown to a private hospital in Miami for treatment and has blogged about how the incident was just the latest in “many brushes with death, not least in my ballooning adventures.” 

The 66-year-old crossed the Atlantic in a hot air balloon in 1987, and earlier this year was nipped by a stingray on the wrist, a story lapped up by the tabloids after he pointed out that rays are related to the shark family.