Colin Appleton, a cyclist, suffered life-changing injuries after crashing into fly-tipped rubbish on a country lane in 2024. He had part of his skull removed and spent weeks in a coma, given only a 10% chance of survival. When he woke, he did not recognise his own children.
Accident and Injuries
Appeared on ITV's Good Morning Britain, presenters Kate Garraway and Ranvir Singh explained that Colin hit an old asbestos shed that had been dumped on the road. He suffered severe head injuries, and surgeons removed a quarter of his skull to save his life.
Colin, a former double-glazing service engineer, said: "When I first woke up, I didn't recognise my kids. I didn't even know they were my kids. But slowly but surely, it all started fitting in."
Family's Experience
One of his daughters described the incident: Colin went over some wood with a nail that punctured his tyre, causing him to go over the handlebars. She received a call that he had been airlifted to a London hospital. He had two bleeds on the brain and required massive surgery. She said: "We had to take it day by day. He was brought out of the coma... he couldn't talk, he couldn't speak. We would have to get him to squeeze our hands."
Call for Stricter Penalties
The person who fly-tipped was convicted, but Colin and his family are calling for fly-tippers who cause accidents to be banned from driving and required to retake driving tests. Colin's daughter noted: "My dad has lost his driving licence due to his injuries, whereas the guy that fly tipped has had nothing done with his licence... So once he served his time, he can go back to his normal life, whereas my dad's life will never be the same."
Recovery
Colin has had reconstructive surgery. When asked how he is doing, he replied: "I can't believe how good I am, considering what little chance I had to start off with." Good Morning Britain airs on ITV from 6am.
