Richard Branson in horror crash as photos reveal extent of Virgin tycoon's injuries
DAREDEVIL billionaire Richard Branson has suffered shocking injuries after a horror bicycle accident.
The entrepreneur flew off his bike after hitting a pothole in Virgin Gorda.
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The Virgin Founder said he needed treatment for severe lacerations on his elbow and a hematoma on his hip.
Branson posted a photo of himself after the crash on Instagram.
He wrote: “I had a big fall while cycling in Virgin Gorda a while ago!
“I hit a pothole and had a hard crash, which resulted in a new hematoma on my hip and a nasty cut on the elbow, but amazingly nothing broke.
“We were cycling with Alex Wilson, who fell behind me, but luckily he was fine too.
“I consider myself very lucky and grateful that I have kept myself active and healthy.
“The brave may not live forever, but the prudent don't live at all!”
This is not the first bicycle accident involving Branson in the Virgin Islands.
In 2018 he was afraid he had broken his back after flying off his bike during a charity race.
It will come after 2016, Sir Richard said feared he would die after being struck headfirst ended up on the road at high speed during a bicycle accident.
He was cycling with his two adult children in the British Virgin Islands when disaster struck.
The accident-prone Virgin boss – who escaped a collision with a deadly stingray just months before the 2016 crash – said he honestly thought he would finally run out of lives.
He revealed: “I went cycling on Virgin Gorda with Holly and Sam as part of my training for the Virgin Strive Challenge.
“I was driving down a hill towards Leverick Bay when it suddenly got very dark and I managed to hit a 'sleeping policeman' bump in the road.
“The next thing I knew I was thrown over the steering wheel and my life literally flashed before my eyes.”
After the crash, Richard was rushed to Miami for x-rays and scans, which revealed he had suffered a cracked cheek and some torn ligaments.
NEAR MISSES
The hapless billionaire has counted 76 near-death experiences in his life, starting in 1972, when a fishing boat sank during his honeymoon with his first wife.
According to his biography, he crash-landed in a field in 1976 after accidentally taking off in an ultralight aircraft and “had no idea” how to fly it.
And in 1984, the engine exploded during Virgin Atlantic's first test flight.
While skydiving in 1986, he accidentally pulled the wrong cord and fell through the air before the instructor managed to pull off the spare cord and save his life.
Sir Richard has also had near misses with hot air balloons, wing walked on a Virgin Atlantic plane and jumped from the Palms Casino in Las Vegas.