Man who nearly died in crash to cycle 957 miles

Stuart Humphrey, from Haywards Heath, had a near fatal accident two years ago

A man from West Sussex who nearly died after colliding with a hearse on a bike ride is preparing to cycle 957 miles (1,540km) for charity.

Stuart Humphrey, from Haywards Heath, had a near fatal accident two years ago but is getting back on the saddle on Sunday in the London-Edinburgh-London bike ride to raise money for the charity Sussex Cancer Fund.

He was rushed to hospital by the hearse driver after the crash and remembers saying to him that "if I didn't make it to hospital, he could at least fast track me to the morgue!".

Mr Humphrey is hoping to raise £1 for every mile he cycles during the event, which takes place over five days.

'So much pain'

Mr Humphrey was involved in the serious cycling accident in 2023.

While cycling down Ditchling Beacon, the traffic had stopped and he rode straight into the back of a hearse.

When he came around, he could neither stand nor breathe properly and the hearse driver rushed him to hospital in the back of his vehicle.

He joked: "It would have been funny if I hadn't been in so much pain.

"I can look back now and laugh, but there was an empty coffin in the hearse, and I half wondered if I might end up in it."

Stuart's friend Cliff Ketteridge died of a brain tumour in 2021

Mr Humphrey is raising money for the charity in aid of his friend, Cliff Ketteridge, who died of a brain tumour in 2021.

He added: "Sussex Cancer Fund helped Cliff and his wife Dawn in so many ways.

"They're a small charity but they do so much, including funding key research and helping to equip hospitals with vital equipment."