A doctor who broke his spine and became paralysed after his brand-new bike fell apart while going down a hill is suing for £10 million compensation.
Dr Daniel Gordon, 30, suffered life-changing injuries when the forks of his £2,300 all-terrain gravel bike ‘sheared in two’ as he rode through the grounds of the hospital where his girlfriend worked in Inverness, Scotland, in July 2020.
The keen cyclist, who was working as a junior doctor at Raigmore Hospital, was only travelling at around 15mph before the bike collapsed beneath him, throwing him to the ground.
He underwent spinal surgery and then months of rehabilitation, but devastating spinal injuries have left him paralysed, with no use of his lower body, making him dependant on a wheelchair.
He is now fighting for £10 million in compensation from the insurers behind the Sheffield-based bike designers, builders and sellers Planet X who sold him the bike. They deny that it was defective or that any defect caused the accident.
Dr Daniel Gordon (pictured), 30, broke his spine and became paralysed after his brand-new bike fell apart while going down a hill is suing for £10 million compensation
He suffered life-changing injuries when the forks of his £2,300 all-terrain gravel bike ‘sheared in two’ as he rode through the grounds of the hospital where his girlfriend worked in Inverness, Scotland, in July 2020
Dr Gordon is now fighting for £10 million in compensation from the insurers behind the Sheffield-based bike designers, builders and sellers Planet X who sold him the bike
According to claim documents, Dr Gordon grew up in England but moved to Scotland to pursue his medical training in 2018, working as a junior doctor at Raigmore Hospital, in Inverness.
He is a keen and experienced on and off-road cyclist and in July 2020 purchased from the company a £2,300 Planet X Tempest SRAM Force 1 titanium gravel bike.
Dr Gordon’s barrister, Nathan Tavares KC, said in his claim: ‘On the evening of 20th August 2020, the claimant took the bike out on its first proper test ride since purchasing it.
‘The bike appeared to the claimant to be properly set up and without any obvious defect or safety issue.
‘The claimant commenced his journey on the A82 Glenurquhurt Road in Inverness and travelled north along the edge of the Caledonian canal before branching off to New Craigs Hospital.
‘The bike was not fitted with any bags or luggage. The claimant wore a helmet.
‘Upon leaving the hospital location at around 9pm, he rode the bike down a grassy slope situated off a track running through the hospital grounds known as New Craigs Forresters.
‘In the course of descending the grass slope at a speed of about 25 km per hour (15.5 mph), which is terrain and a speed the claimant will say ought to have been well within the capabilities of the bike, the carbon fibre front forks suddenly and without warning sheared in two at the base of the steerer tube, causing the front wheel of the bike to collapse rearwards.
‘This resulted in the claimant falling forwards heavily, impacting the ground whereupon he sustained severe life changing injuries.’
According to claim documents, Dr Gordon grew up in England but moved to Scotland to pursue his medical training in 2018, working as a junior doctor at Raigmore Hospital, in Inverness
He is a keen and experienced on and off-road cyclist and in July 2020 purchased from the company a £2,300 Planet X Tempest SRAM Force 1 titanium gravel bike (pictured)
He was initially treated at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness before he was transferred to the Scottish Spinal Injuries Centre at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Glasgow.
After vowing that his life was ‘not over,’ Dr Gordon has gone on to forge a new future as a disabled athlete, competing in para-triathlons, while resuming his studies.
Mr Tavares said: ‘At the time of the accident, the claimant was a Foundation Year 2 doctor at Raigmore Hospital, Inverness,’ his barrister says.
‘He lived with his Italian partner, now his fiancée, who is also a trainee doctor.
‘In February 2021 they moved to more suitable wheel-chair accessible ground floor accommodation. He subsequently returned to his medical training and now works 80% of full time.
‘His career options in medicine are now severely curtailed and he is significantly handicapped on the labour market.
‘The claimant and his partner have not yet decided in which country they will live and pursue their medical careers once they completed their training..’
His lawyers blame Planet X Limited for supplying a ‘defective’ bike to Dr Gordon, which his barristers claims had ‘dangerously weak front forks.’
Planet X’s marketing for the bike stated: ‘Tempest is our flowingly fast and comfortably confident titanium gravel bike that gives you the freedom to ride wherever you want.
‘Light yet tirelessly tough frame, powerful disc brakes, large volume tyres, tubeless-ready wheels and a full bike packing fixture list. The only thing Tempest doesn’t have is limits.’
Dr Gordon underwent spinal surgery and then months of rehabilitation, but devastating spinal injuries have left him paralysed, with no use of his lower body, making him dependant on a wheelchair
The barrister continued: ‘Gravel bikes are intended to be go-anywhere bikes equally at home on rough terrain as on the road.
‘The claimant will say that particularly given the purpose for which the bike was marketed, the front forks should not have failed in the circumstances in which the bike was being used by him.
‘Alternatively, there should have been clear and effective instructions or warnings about its unsuitability for such use.’
‘Planet X failed to institute or to operate, any or any adequate system of checking or testing the safety of the bikes it produced and in particular the safety of the front forks, including in the head-set and frame they were incorporated with.
‘The claimant notes in particular that the forks were not wholly made of carbon fibre and weaker glass fibres were used in structural areas of the of the forks.’
Planet X went into administration earlier this year, but Dr Gordon has pursued his claim against the company by suing its two insurers, Arch Insurance (UK) Limited and Chubb European Group SE.
In a joint defence submitted by law firms representing the two companies, they deny that Planet X was responsible for the failure of Dr Gordon’s bike.
The forks had been designed to the relevant standards, had been ‘appropriately tested’ and were inspected by Planet X before being dispatched to Dr Gordon.
‘The defendants understand that there had been no complaints to Planet X or incidents referred to Planet X similar to that made by the claimant in respect of the said forks,’ they say.
The insurers say they are still investigating the damage caused to the bike, but in the meantime deny that it was defective or that any defect caused the accident.
‘Planet X purchased the forks from a reputable supplier and there was evidence of the testing of the relevant products to appropriate standards, on which matters Planet X reasonably relied,’ they say.
The forks were manufactured by a Chinese company which supplies ‘the said forks’ to ‘many brands of bicycle in the UK and elsewhere’ Planet X lawyers say.
According to Dr Gordon’s particulars of claim, his claim is ‘likely to be in the order of £10 million.’
The case has not yet reached court.