A 66-year-old cyclist had a quarter of his skull removed after crashing into the debris of a fly-tipped shed on a country road in Essex, leaving him with no memory of his own family when he eventually woke from a three-week coma.
Colin Appleton came off his bike near Brentwood after his tyre was punctured by a nail protruding from a dismantled, asbestos-riddled shed that had been dumped at the roadside. He was airlifted to hospital in a life-threatening condition, where doctors gave him only a ten per cent chance of survival. He remained unconscious for three weeks and spent a total of seven months in hospital before being discharged to continue his recovery at home.
The grandfather has been unable to work since the accident and had his driving licence revoked by the DVLA, leaving him without the independence he relied on for decades. “When I came round, I had no memories – nothing at all,” Appleton said. “I had no memories with my family or with my kids, I weren’t even sure what their names were.” Reflecting on the loss of his licence, he added: “I don’t think I’m going to get my licence back. I wanted to work at least another five years and I’m gutted I can’t drive. I’ve got no way of getting round apart from the bus or on the train and so I haven’t got my independence.”
Appleton, who has driven for more than forty years without incident, said he had been determined to see those responsible held accountable. “I wanted to see justice done,” he said. “I’ve been driving for forty odd years – I’m a good driver. I’ve never fly tipped or even dropped a bit of rubbish out my car window.”
Tree surgeon Craig Frewin, 36, was sentenced to 16 months in prison in April this year for causing a danger to road users, after the judge said he had fly-tipped the shed “deliberately and cynically.” Frewin wept as the sentence was handed down.
