We start today with footage of a cyclist falling over his handlebars and cracking his head open after crashing into a power box on a pavement. It’s not a great look…

The incident occurred last Tuesday in Stafford at around 7pm. Local resident Justin Livermore, who captured the footage on his home security camera, told Stoke-on-Trent Live, the cyclist “paid the price” for not wearing a helmet by cutting his head open and reportedly being taken to A&E.  “You rarely see people with lights or helmets on around here,” he added.

Comments on both the original article and the Facebook post were similarly unsympathetic, with the latter attracting more than 4500 reactions and 1000 comments.

“No sympathy should not be on the pavement or racing at speed past pedestrians – not wearing a helmet too sums him up,” wrote one commenter.

“Put a helmet on you helmet,” wrote Eric Cartmann.

“I’m not sure a helmet was the issue here, just a helmet riding the bike🤣 maybe get glasses first 🤣” said Matthew Criddle.

As shown in the video, the collision with the power box came as the cyclist passed two pedestrians at high speed on the pavement, who then came to his assistance after the crash. And several commenters noted how “lucky”, for want of a better word, it was that the cyclist injured only himself. 

Shuggy May described his own head-cracking experience, “Cracked my head open like an egg when i was 14 fractured skull etc still have issues in my late 30s but still a keen cyclist and always wear a helmet…don’t care what people think safety over vanity all day long…(idiot shouldn’t have been on the pavement also)”

A cracked head, blood on the street, we really are starting today with a story ripe for this time of year.