Accident victim Ben Remfrey jokes Guernsey 'more dangerous than Libya'

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Ben Remfrey
Image caption,

Ben Remfrey said he was extremely fortunate not to be more seriously injured by his own actions

A bomb disposal expert who survived hostile conditions in Libya and Iraq admits he is "fortunate" to survive stepping in front of a bus in Guernsey.

Former British soldier Ben Remfrey returned from Libya last month because of heightening tensions in the country.

But in an "unguarded moment" he was hit by a bus at the Bridge in St Sampson.

"Clearly Guernsey is more dangerous than Libya, Afghanistan or Iraq so I'll probably be safer if I go back out there," he told the BBC.

Mr Remfrey, who was returning to his parked car at the time of the incident on Wednesday, said he was "extremely lucky" to have survived the impact without serious injuries.

"I had loads of things on my mind - trying to get the project in Libya back up and running and spending time with family before I went back out," he added.

The impact smashed the windscreen of the bus, which was not in service, and left Mr Remfrey with a bruised lung, bruised ribs, a broken hand, broken collar bones, sore knees, sore ankles, lots of abrasions and cuts.

Image caption,

Ben Remfrey said it was a reminder not to be complacent in any situation

He said: "It threw me a sufficient distance whereby the driver had time to brake and stop because he actually stopped on my toes.

"I'm extremely fortunate for something which was completely my fault,

"I've worked in some of the world's most hazardous environments and I've been fortunate to come through unscathed.

"It just so happened something happened to me on the Bridge, fortunately I got away with it... whenever you drop you guard you can be hurt."

He also apologised to those stuck in traffic due to the incident and thanked the emergency services and those who attended to him before they arrived.

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