Billionaire Richard Branson Cheats Death In Bike Crash

A bloodied Richard Branson after the crash (Virgin)

Sir Richard Branson said he thought he was ‘going to die’ when he was involved in a horror bike crash.

The 66-year-old was left with a cracked cheek, torn ligaments and big cuts to his face after falling from his bike in the British Virgin Islands.

He said his life was saved because he was wearing a helmet.

Branson was training for a charity event (Virgin)

The accident came on the fifth anniversary of the blaze at his home on his luxury Caribbean Neckar island, which caught fire after being struck by lightning.

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Branson was rushed to hospital in Miami after the bike accident, which happened when he was training with his children Holly and Sam for a fundraising challenge next month.

The billionaire was rushed to a Florida hospital (Virgin)

‘I really thought I was going to die. I went flying head-first towards the concrete road,’ said Branson.

‘But fortunately my shoulder and cheek took the brunt of the impact, and I was wearing a helmet that saved my life.

‘My bike went flying off the cliff and disappeared. We’ve since recovered the crumpled bicycle, completely destroyed.“

‘My cheek has been badly damaged and my knee, chin, shoulder and body severely cut.”

Branson said he was thought was going to die at the time of the crash (Virgin)

It is his latest brush with danger.

Just a few months ago, Branson was bitten by a shark while diving off the Cayman Islands.

Branson was also pictured wearing a neck brace (Virgin)

The event he was training for was the Virgin Strive Challenge, which will see around 250 people take part on a 2,000-km hike, marathon and mountain bike trip from the base of the Matterhorn, to the summit of Mt Etna in Sicily.

The crash happened on Wednesday night.