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news
road.cc newsLabour councillor seriously injured after bike brakes cut deliberately
A Labour councillor was badly injured after his bike was sabotaged and his brakes cut.
Police are investigating the crime which left the 22 year old with serious wounds when he hit a lamppost at the bottom of a hill near his home at 30mph.
Joe Day said that he was in "the worst pain he has ever experienced”, and endured surgery and a stay in hospital.
His finger was split to the bone in what police say was a ‘deliberate act’.
Joe, a former Manchester University physics student and TV quiz show University Challenge contestant, told the Telegraph: "The skin was hanging off it like a banana peel, looking at my finger made me queasy.
"It was split up and you could see the bone. I was distraught and shaken and losing a lot of blood from the finger wound.”
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He added: "The people who did this might think it is a prank and will just cause a little bump or knock, but if you get up to speed you can seriously hurt yourself or other road users.
"There are other ways of having fun without putting people in serious danger."
Joe got on his bike at 1am on Wednesday August 19th when he finished his night shift at Asda, in Bideford, Devon.
He was perturbed to find a carrot wedged in his saddle but did not notice the damage to his brakes before he embarked on the 1.5 mile journey home.
Joe said that when he tried to brake: "I didn't know what to do, whether to bail out or try and ride the storm. This all happened in 30 seconds."
He broke his wrist, peeled the flesh back from his middle finger, chipped a bone in his finger and hit his head.
An expert who examined the bike following the crash, confirmed the brakes had been disconnected.
Despite being a local councillor, Joe said he did not think he had been deliberately targetted.
He said: "I am a Bideford town councillor - but I haven't done anything controversial yet. I think it was just random, untargeted.
"I want this to be a warning to other people, do check your brakes before you get on your bike, before you pick up speed, and wear helmets."
A spokesperson for Devon and Cornwall Police asked witnesses to call 101, quoting crime reference no. CR/057888/15.
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31 comments
I've had brakes disconnected before when I've left my bike parked, which luckily I've spotted. Also had a quick release undone, which was particularly sickening as I had a child trailer attached to my bike at the time. Again, fortunately I spotted it before I set off, but you've got to wonder about the sort of people who would do that.
If someone cut the brakes out your car that would be classed as attempted murder, surely. Why should it be any different for a bicycle, which usually gets classed as a "prank" ... oh, yeah it's because we're only cyclists
This guy was lucky he wasn't killed by the sounds of it.
Probably because you're far more likely to die in a car with no brakes than a bike with no brakes.
No! More likely to damage property. Don't forget that, in this country, damage to property is regarded as more serious than damage to a human being.
The occupant of the car is quite safe provided they don't panic.
Yes and no. Damage to property is more expensive than most damage to people, as we are lucky enough to live in a country with free healthcare.
I wonder if he drives a motor vehicle and doesn't check the brakes in that before setting off either.
Anyway, surely this is some sort of GBH or something? Hope there police take it seriously before someone else gets hurt.
I'm struggling to believe this story. There are more details of the incident in the local newspaper here;
http://www.northdevonjournal.co.uk/Bideford-cyclist-s-finger-peels-like-...
If you check out the locations of Asda and Pitt Lane, where Mr Day came a cropper, it means he had ridden almost the entire 1.5 miles to his home ... apparently without applying his brakes even once.
I wonder if a compensation claim against Asda, supposedly for the actions of one of their employees, is likely to be forthcoming?
but we as a group have to call for these things. No one can seriously believe that to cut someone's brakes is not a serious matter and is much more than a slap on the wrist.
Surprising that he didnt use the break in the sationary position.seems like a natural thing to do to me.
Surprising that he didnt use the break in the sationary position.seems like a natural thing to do to me.
A bit like the routine in a car that most serious drivers do, and which is by law required from bus, and truck drivers - the daily walk-round check.
I find that instinctively I bounce the bike and flick the brake when I get it out to ride, after a rather close call with a bike after a service call at the LBS.
I checked in the bike to have a front wheel sorted, grabbed it and set off back to the office. riding down a hill that got steeper later on, the lights changed and I went to stop, but all I had to stop with was stamping back, and I was doing 15-20mph at the time, so that really needed a bit of front brake to feather the speed. Fortunately I managed to hold it and slow down steadily but overshot the lights, and filtered in with the traffic which had the green.
When the shop put the wheel back in they forgot to hook the cable back on to the straddle wire! and I had not spotted that.
Somebody did this to me once, and luckily I was on a fixed gear, which provided other stopping means.
Such an act is just pure, pure evil.
indeed they do not and if that happened to me down the three major descents or not then with my helmet on I think I would be dead and over the side of the hills/mountains
The police manage to get in, "it not a prank" remark. Which will be quickly followed by them doing .....nothing, to show that in fact they do consider it to be just that.
Having sustained extensive damage to his hand and wrist, he exhorts all bike riders to wear helmets...?
Are we supposed to wear them on our hands or something?
It also said he hit his head
It was also reported that he hit his head. One assumes he was not wearing a helmet, but after this he thinks it's probably a good idea... just in case.
Lets not go down another Helmet route, this story is not about that but the irresponsible action of someone that could have killed him.
Agreed, but it's annoying that he's telling everyone to wear a "magic hat". "Magic hats" have got nothing to do with some psycho cutting his brake cables.
If you read the report properly, it says he hit his head. Maybe his helmet saved him from a more serious injury?
I wear cycling mitts whenever I cycle, whenever I've crashed my hands have always damaged my hands.
Sick! I have had a tyre slashed but at least that's something you discover before you set out.
I wonder if there's CCTV overlooking the bike parking?
Sick and quite frightening.
This should be investigated as attempted murder.
Check brakes and tyres before setting off - takes 4 seconds.
Seconded. That said, according to the TV crime dramas (so it must be true) cutting the brakes on a car is treated VERY seriously so why would disconnected bike brakes just be dealt with as an act of vandalism.
Is it being dealt with by police as an act of vandalism? The article says police are merely investigating.
you bloody should not have to.
For me that is attempted murder, simple as.
Imagine having your brakes failing before say a 10% descent on bends at 65kph or more ...
Luckily it sounds like the guy got lucky in not having more serious injuries or death.
Yeah, but if we asked you, you'd say that farting in a crowded lift was attempted murder.
so cutting the brakes of any any vehicle is only designed to injure someone at best at worse it will kill them.
Same as putting wire across tracks at head height, it is not funny, it is not a joke and if caught these people have to face years in jail.
Well... yes you should. Natural wear and tear can affect brakes and tyres.
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