A cyclist in California had a nasty crash as he rode on a descent towards the coastal town of Sausalito when a deer jumped out in front of him, leaving him with no time to react.

Silas Patlove captured the incident, which took place on Alexander Avenue, on his Fly6 camera attached to his handlebars and posted the video to YouTube.

He said: “Although I don't remember it, I landed on my back, and hit the back of my Giro helmet, which probably saved me from serious brain injury.

“Although I had a mild concussion with a bit of memory loss around the event, I am very grateful to have escaped feeling only a little banged up.

“I cannot speak to the deer's injuries. Also, thank you very much to the folks who stopped to help.”

The clip would no doubt have been a contender for our Top 10 Videos of 2014 round-up had that not already been published – you can watch those here.