Dan Walker has hit back at naysayers who have insisted that bike helmets “aren’t important" following a recent cycling accident.
The TV presenter revealed that his bicycle crash with a car in Sheffield on Monday left him “battered and bruised”, but that wearing a helmet saved his life.
While there was an outpouring of support from fans, Walker, 45, has said some have gone against widely-known safety advice by telling him that wearing head protection wasn’t necessary.
After checking out of hospital, the Channel 5 presenter tweeted: “It’s odd to get lectured by people telling me that bike helmets aren’t important...
“The emergency services at the scene yesterday told me I probably wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t wearing one.
Walker continued: “Funny old world! I hope you’re having a good Tuesday. Soup through a straw for lunch.”
One fan echoed the sentiment, tweeting under the post: “I can’t believe the mentality about helmets. Why on earth wouldn’t you wear one!
“I know several people who only survived accidents by wearing a helmet. Glad you are on the mend!”
While another wrote: “Came off my bike years ago, split the helmet down the back – that would’ve been my skull. Lucky to only come away with a concussion and a scrape on my side.”
Following Walker’s accident, he was replaced on Monday’s Channel 5 News by Tessa Chapman, who wished him well.
Many of his former Strictly Come Dancing co-stars, including Rose Ayling-Ellis, Tom Fletcher, John Whaite and judge Motsi Mabuse, also shared their well-wishes.
Walker, who used to work on BBC Breakfast, had been rushed to hospital on Monday and said he was “amazed" to have not broken any bones.
“The helmet I was wearing saved my life today so, if you’re on a bike, get one on your head," he tweeted.
He also posted photos from inside a Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) vehicle alongside two members of staff.
He said he had been “blown away by all the lovely messages” he had received.
