A paralysed Raigmore Hospital doctor is suing the makers of his gravel bike for £10 million after it allegedly “failed” – causing him to crash and suffer a life-changing injury.
The eight-figure claim is being brought against insurers of the now-defunct firm that supplied Dr Daniel Gordon with his £2,300 all-terrain bike.
It’s claimed it broke apart as he was riding it in August 2020.
The front forks of the Planet X Tempest SRAM Force 1 titanium bike “sheared in two” as the junior medic rode on a grass slope.
It led to a crash that left Dr Gordon with a life-changing injury from the waist down.
Inverness doctor Daniel Gordon ‘dependent on a wheelchair for the rest of his life’
Lawyers from the international injury team at law firm Stewarts this week revealed Dr Gordon legal bid for £10m in compensation.
“He has been left with no function in his legs and will be dependent on a wheelchair for the rest of his life,” a statement on their website read.
The law firm noted how the gravel bike was described by the manufacturer as a: “Flowingly fast and comfortably confident titanium gravel bike that gives you the freedom to ride wherever you want”.
It added that photos on the website showed the model being ridden in rocky and mountainous terrain.
Raigmore Hospital doctor wants bike crash compensation for ‘financial losses and expenses’
But in August 2020, Dr Gordon was reportedly riding the newly purchased bike on a “grassy slope” at around 15mph, when it reportedly broke apart.
Julian Chamberlayne head of international injury at Stewarts said: “It is a great testament to Dr Gordon’s character that he is doing his very best to adapt to life with a spinal cord injury, including returning to work as an NHS doctor”.
Mr Chamberlayne added that the requested compensation would cover the “financial losses and expenses Dr Gordon is likely to incur in the future as a result of the life-changing injury he sustained”.
A spokesman for Arch Insurance told The Press and Journal it was company policy not to comment on individual cases.
“As a matter of company policy, we do not comment on legal matters or specific client claims,” a spokesman for Chubb added.