'Indiana Jones' cyclist survives being dragged under lorry for half a kilometre

A cyclist in Canada has spoken of how he was dragged beneath an articulated lorry for half a kilometre, holding onto its brake line, in an incident likened to a scene from an Indiana Jones movie.

Ladislav Cumpelik of Saanich, British Columbia, sustained cuts, bruises and broken ribs in the incident yesterday, but a police officer says it is a “miracle” he survived his ordeal, reports CBC, which likened the incident to a scene from an Indiana Jones movie.

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The cyclist was riding down a steep hill on his way to work when an articulated lorry with a flatbed trailer pulled out in front of him. The 37-year-old braked hard but ended up sliding underneath the lorry.

He said: "My front tyre went from underneath me, I started skidding on my back and behind, and I noticed I didn't have enough speed to go underneath the truck and through to the other side."

There was only one thing he could do: "I grabbed on to his brake line and held on tight and started screaming.

"A lot of stuff was going through my brain,” he said. “Is this my last journey? And I was just screaming at the top of my lungs ... I had a death grip on."

According to police, after dragging the cyclist for around half a kilometre at a speed of 50 kilometres an hour, the lorry stopped when a driver who had seen what had happened pulled up alongside it, shouting and beeping his horn.

Police Constable Paul Cain said: "I've been doing this job for over 27 years and that was the first time I have ever seen anything like that.”

Mr Cumpelik, who is recovering from his injuries in hospital, added: "It was a thrill ride, I'm glad I didn't have to pay for it. It was certainly an interesting journey. But I don't wish it on anybody."