Ciarán Cannon on being hit by an SUV: ‘I won’t know if surgery has worked until I finish rehab’

Last month the Fine Gael TD Ciarán Cannon took on the Herculean task of cycling 600km, from Mizen Head to Malin Head, in 24 hours, in aid of the children's charity Hand in Hand. Just as impressive as the fact that he and his fellow cyclists met the challenge was the fact that they arrived unharmed, given how common cycling scrapes seem to be becoming.

But Cannon’s fortune was short-lived: two weeks later he was knocked off his bicycle by a vehicle, suffering a serious injury that will put him out of action for some time to come.

"I was cycling through Moycullen village, heading towards Clifden, on Friday, July 2nd, at about 6pm, when the driver of an SUV collided with my right side and I ended up seriously injured on the road," he says. "Thankfully, a friendly bystander called the emergency services, and an ambulance arrived shortly after."

The most difficult part is the fact that I won't know how successful the surgery has been, or what level of strength and flexibility I will return to, until I reach the end of my rehabilitation programme

The former minister of state went into the operating theatre the following morning. “I had surgery on the Saturday morning to try to repair a very serious tibial plateau fracture, with surgeons using bone grafts, plates and screws to reassemble my knee joint.

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“I was told that I can’t put any weight on my right leg for the next three months and it will be 18 to 24 months before I’m back to full strength. But the most difficult part is the fact that I won’t know how successful the surgery has been, or what level of strength and flexibility I will return to, until I reach the end of my rehabilitation programme.”

Being told that he can’t walk, let alone cycle, for the foreseeable future was a huge blow for the Galway TD – and he says it is time for cyclists to be given the same respect as other road users.

"I have been cycling on our roads for over 40 years, and in that time, one might assume that they have become safer for cyclists, but that is just not the case," he says. "The reality is that the rural roads around the country are particularly dangerous, and, if you look at recent data, the most dangerous place you can be on a bike in Ireland right now is a rural road on a Sunday afternoon, as it is the place and time where most of our serious accidents take place.

“Cyclists are still treated like unwelcome interlopers on our roads rather than legitimate road users in their own right. There are repeated requests for us to cycle in single file, despite it being more dangerous to do so, just so that motorists are not inconvenienced.

“We are encouraged to wear high-vis clothing in order to make ourselves more visible to motorists, instead of motorists being encouraged to be more vigilant in looking out for us. This is called victim blaming, and it has to stop. There should be no hierarchy of road users: we all deserve to choose our own mode of transport and to be able to travel safely, whatever mode we choose...

“All that we ask is for a safe space on our roads and to know that we don’t run a risk of serious injury or death when we use our bikes. We should have a specific section of our driver-training programme focusing on cyclist safety, training motorists to be constantly vigilant, always on the lookout for vulnerable road users and acting accordingly when they encounter them.

“I believe that An Gardai Síochána should create a dedicated portal for the submission of video footage by all road users and, in particular, cyclists. This has been done very successfully in the UK and could easily be done here if we had the will.”

My advice to all cyclists is to be hypervigilant at all times and be on the lookout for drivers who simply don't see you. In any collision with a two-tonne metal box, a cyclist is always going to be the vulnerable one

Cannon is hopeful that he will be able to cycle again before too long. “I had a visit with my surgeon and physiotherapist last week, and they tell me that I’m doing really well in recovery,” he says. “It has been a few weeks since the accident and subsequent surgery, and I am already getting a lot of flexibility in the knee joint, which bodes well for the future. However, I am still not supposed to put any weight on it for about three months, while the bone heals and fuses, and I have to be careful to make sure to continue with physio, so that I don’t lose too much muscle mass.

“It’s important to note that all of us who cycle on Irish roads do so because we love riding our bikes; there is no better feeling. We know that it can be unsafe, and we do all that we can to protect ourselves. But my advice to all cyclists is to be hypervigilant at all times and be on the lookout for drivers who simply don’t see you, whether it is because they are distracted or careless, or both. In any collision with a two-tonne metal box, a cyclist is always going to be the vulnerable one.

“But I would also encourage people, young and old, to stay cycling, and not to be ground down by fear. The lifelong benefits of cycling hugely outweigh the risks. I hope to be back on my bike as soon as possible.”