08-05-2025
Doctor paralysed by bike ‘breaking in two' awarded £4.5m
A doctor who fractured his spine when his new £2,300 bike 'sheared in two' has won £4.5 million damages
Dr Daniel Gordon, 31, was travelling at around 15mph when his new all-terrain gravel bike collapsed beneath him, throwing him to the ground.
The accident in Inverness in August 2020 left Dr Gordon with no use of his lower body despite spinal surgery and months of rehabilitation.
Dr Gordon was seeking £10million in compensation from the insurers behind Planet X, the Yorkshire-based bike company, but settled for a reduced sum before a five-day hearing was due to start this week.
The agreement includes provision for Dr Gordon, who is represented by Stewarts, a London law firm, to return to court for increased damages if further injuries are caused by a spinal cyst.
'Despite a catastrophic and life-changing injury, I've been fortunate enough to be supported by Stewarts in pursuing a claim against Planet X's insurers, the result of which means my future care and accommodation needs can be met,' said Dr Gordon.
'I hope now to be able to move forwards and show that despite this injury, life can still be rewarding and fulfilling.'
Dr Gordon was working as a junior doctor at Raigmore Hospital, Inverness, when the front forks of a Planet X Tempest SRAM Force 1 titanium bike sheared in two on a grass slope.
His compensation claim was initially against Planet X as the seller of the bike, but after the company was declared insolvent in 2023, his lawyers pursued the claim against its insurers, Arch Insurance (UK) Limited and Chubb European Group SE, who initially rejected the doctor's claim.
Planet X marketed the expensive gravel bike as a 'go-anywhere' bicycle, adding that 'the only thing Tempest doesn't have is limits'.
The defendants claimed this was 'marketing puff' and should not have been relied upon by Dr Gordon.
They also claimed the bike was subject to a US standard of classification for bikes, which meant it should not be ridden over any jumps or drops of more than 15cm.
However, there was no mention of this on the company's website or in the manual for the bike.
During previous proceedings, it emerged that testing by the parties' respective experts found that the carbon fibre forks on Dr Gordon's bike were materially thinner and weaker than two exemplar forks provided by the manufacturer.
Since the incident, Dr Gordon has managed to return to his medical career with NHS Scotland and works four days a week as a specialist registrar in respiratory medicine.
Last year, he married his fiancée, Laura Colacino, also a doctor, and honeymooned in Peru. He has taken up hand cycling and completed this year's London Marathon.
