Cyclist left partially paralysed after crashing with van at 30mph

Aberdeenshire cyclist, Alan Smith, was left paralysed after a horrific cycling accident, after crashing into a van at 30 mph, near Ellon last summer.

The well-known, experienced, and prominent local cyclist was out on a training run on his time trial bike near Ellon when the catastrophic accident changed his life.

The 51-year-old suffered life-threatening injuries, including breaking his back in five places, fracturing his neck in four places, puncturing his lungs, fracturing his rib cage, and fracturing his skull.

He was in an induced coma for three weeks and is sadly paralysed from the waist down, and after spending six months in a Glasgow hospital, he’s now recovering back home in Ellon.

His family are adjusting to their new normal, and this weekend Alan goes from ride to race organiser as he sets off cyclists on a local road race that he’s organised himself.