Cyclist determined to rebuild life after crash

Niraj Haria is no longer able to walk and is reliant on a wheelchair

A cyclist who was left unable to walk after a car mounted a kerb and hit him has spoken of his determination to rebuild his life.

Niraj Haria, from Hove, East Sussex, sustained a broken spine and ribs and a brain injury when a Land Rover hit him in Southwick in May 2020.

The 54-year-old is no longer able to walk and is reliant on a wheelchair.

Mr Haria said the last four years had been a "real challenge" and the impact of his injuries had been "profound".

He said “Surgery couldn’t correct the damage and I began to realise that I might not recover everything I’d physically lost.

"It’s been difficult for all of us to acknowledge and accept this new reality."

Mr Haria was in intensive care under sedation in hospital for a month.

He said: "I went from being a heathy and active man, with a career and the peak of my physical fitness, to being unemployed, disabled and a full-time wheelchair user."

Niraj Haria has set up an association for disabled Brighton & Hove Albion fans

Since his injury, the Brighton & Hove Albion fan has co-founded the Seagulls Disability Supporters Association (DSA) to promote the interests of disabled fans and encourage attendance at games.

He said: “I’m now hopeful about making a difference in what I do, to improve other people’s lives and my own.

"Seagulls DSA has given me an outlet to keep busy and help others."

Mr Haria has acquired a specially-converted golf chair to enable him to return to playing golf competitively.

He said: "I’m seeing the road ahead with renewed hope and new confidence and looking forward to what the next stage of my life will bring.”

Mr Haria's lawyers, Irwin Mitchell, have secured him interim payments which have enabled him to access the treatment and support necessary to aid in his recovery.

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