Haywards Heath man thanks funeral director after Ditchling Beacon crash

Stuart Farrell-Humphrey, from Haywards Heath, believes he was travelling at 30mph down from Ditchling Beacon when he "flew" off his bike and into Paul Bowley’s stationary car.

The 48-year-old, who suffered a bleed on the brain and broke most of his ribs on his left side, said he remembers “coming to” in the middle of the road, unable to move, and seeing a pair of “immaculate shoes” before Mr Bowley offered his assistance and took him to hospital.

The 48-year-old spent a week in hospital

“I suffered a bilateral traumatic subarachnoid haemorrhage and broke most of the ribs on my left-hand side, of course, complete with a number of cuts, bruises and sprains,” said Mr Farrell-Humphrey.

“If it wasn't for his quick thinking and getting me to the hospital, my outcome may well have looked massively different.”

The father of five had been training for a charity bike ride for the Sussex Cancer Fund, which he has now postponed, when the accident happened on August 5.

The father of five is a keen cyclist

“I’ll usually do 25 to 30 miles about three to four times a week,” he said.

“It was nice and sunny that day and I thought I’d cut it a bit early.

“So I decided to go down Ditchling Beacon and I think I was doing about 30mph and I flew round the corner.

“All the traffic had stopped, they were at a standstill and I had nowhere to go.

“I literally flew into the back of a car.

“I can’t remember too much about the impact.

“I just came to in the middle of the road.

“I couldn’t stand up, I couldn’t move.

“I looked down and there was this chap with really immaculate shoes.

“And that was Paul, he put his hand down and said 'can I help you?'.

“I think he was coming back from a funeral.”

Mr Bowley was with a colleague from P&S Gallagher, which has branches in Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill.

They put Mr Farrell-Humphrey’s bike in a car and took him to the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath.

Director of the Sussex Cancer Fund David Within visiting Mr Farrell-Humphrey in hospital

Mr Farrell-Humphrey was then transferred to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton, where he spent a week recovering from his extensive injuries.

He was recently given the all clear following a CT scan on his brain and is managing his pain with medication.

“When I try and sleep it’s a nightmare,” he said.

“And when I sneeze I’m in a bit of trouble.”

Mr Farrell-Humphrey, who owns Phoenix Media Marketing Ltd, paid tribute to Mr Bowley.

He also thanked his wife Lizzi and the medical teams who looked after him.

Mr Farrell-Humphrey with his wife Lizzi

“Hats off to him, I can’t thank him enough,” he said.

“For someone to do that, they could have just called an ambulance and waited.

“I get a bit teary about it.

“One minute I was planning to do the ride and then the next minute, bang, I’m in hospital.

“And my wife dropped everything. Life is very full as it is and she’s been amazing. I couldn’t have a better wife.

“I would also like to thank the doctors and nurses of Princess Royal who first saw me, the ambulance paramedics that transported me and the Brighton Hospital vascular unit.

“They were awesome.”