Shropshire cyclist, 80, seriously injured on death road

Tony Hewson, 80, a former professional cyclist and English teacher, was left unconscious with a serious head injury after a collision with a car on Friday.

The accident happened on the B4368 Corvedale Road, near Craven Arms, where John Edmund Searle, 59, was killed in October 2012.

Motorists Pamela Willocks, 50, and Russel Davies, 54, were cleared of causing Mr Searle's death by dangerous driving on Monday.

Mr Searle, of Craven Arms, was fatally injured when he was first knocked from his bike and then hit by a van and another car.

The trial was ongoing at the time of Mr Hewson's accident, which happened in similar circumstances as he was clipped by a car wing mirror, his daughter Justine said.

Ms Hewson, 45, said she had travelled from Berkshire to Seifton, near Craven Arms, to be with her father who has been released from hospital.

She said: "He has been cycling all his life. He won the Tour of Britain in the 1950s, and has ridden in the Tour de France.

He died after a traffic accident on one of Shropshire's most picturesque roads, which meanders through the Corvedale, near Craven Arms.

He was out riding his bike, enjoying the best of Shropshire's beautiful countryside, when a tragic incident took his life.

Mr Searle passed away two years ago, though the road on which he suffered critical injuries remains popular with cyclists. The passage of time, however, has not made it any safer. Within the past week, a former Tour of Britain-winning cyclist Tony Hewson, 80, was left unconscious with a serious head injury after a collision with a car.

Now there have been renewed appeals to make the road safer. The Corvedale has a notorious reputation and there have been numerous fatal accidents through the years. As an increasing number of people take to the roads on bicycles, more must be done to ensure their safety.

"He was on a training ride and was returning home at about 3.30pm, coming out of Diddlebury.

"He was hit by a black Audi and he was knocked into the road, unconscious for a time.

"The ambulance arrived after 45 minutes and he was taken to Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.

"He had a serious head injury as well as whiplash and cuts and bruises. He had a bleed on the brain and we feared the worst.

"But thankfully by some miracle he's rallied and he's back home in a battered and bruised state, recovering the best he can.

"He's extremely lucky to be alive."

She said he may owe his life to the fast action of those at the scene, particularly neighbour John Caine, a volunteer First Responder with West Midlands Ambulance Service who happens to live next to where the accident happened.

"He was off duty at the time and in the garden," she said, "He was lying in the road holding my dad's neck in place when the ambulance arrived. My dad was went into shock and was extremely cold and he wrapped him up and stopped hypothermia. His knowledge was invaluable really."

Mr Caine, 48, who looks after farm animal casualties in his day job, said: "I saw the traffic slow down very quickly and went out to have a look, and saw him on the roadside. I checked him all over and made sure his neck was secured. I could tell the helmet had been damaged.

"Once the paramedic arrived I got warm towels while we waited for a spinal board."

Ms Hewson said the road was treacherous and the family would like to see more signs warning motorists to look out for cyclists, as well as making drivers more aware of cyclists in general.

"It's an extremely dangerous road. Not only push bikes, but motorbikes and cars have been involved in accidents there," she said.

"It's very twisty and bendy and we want to raise awareness for all road users - it is a designated cycle route, it really should be a safe place, not a death trap," she said.