Scottish pensioner Ron Johnston was cycling to the gym for his daily workout three weeks ago when his bike hit an oil slick and he was catapulted into the air, breaking his knee and shoulder when he hit the ground.
“I noticed a slick of about six metres of what I presumed must have been water ahead of me. I didn’t think too much of it as there was a lot of traffic but when I was on it, I immediately knew I didn’t stand a chance,” 63-year-old Mr Johnston told The Sunday Times.
“Once the tyres touched the oil, I was thrown to the side of the road,” he said. Mr Johnston sustained a broken shoulder, a broken knee, cuts and bruises.
He decided to settle in Malta permanently five years ago and leads a very active lifestyle, cycling regularly from his apartment in Sliema to San Ġwann through the valley and stopping at the gym.
“I know almost all the potholes in the road leading to the gym – the problem is that sometimes you can’t really swerve to miss them because the roads are so narrow,” he said.
But on September 7, no amount of obstacle knowledge could prevent the accident. While cycling down Elija Zammit Street in Paceville, close to the old post office, he hit a huge patch of engine oil and came off his bike.
“I remember thinking I had done something wrong but I was in denial,” Mr Johnston said. He was helped by people from a nearby restaurant who offered to call an ambulance, but he refused and insisted on walking, using his bike as a crutch.
“I got up, leaned on to my bike, hobbled for 20 metres and saw that it was hopeless,” Mr Johnston said.
He spotted a warden close by and asked if he would accompany him to the hotel. Hobbling on his bike, Mr Johnston was helped by staff who accompanied him to hospital.
After being X-rayed, Mr Johnston was told his left leg was broken in two places. “Because of wear and tear caused by road and marathon running in years gone by, I had a hip replacement.”
His leg was placed in a brace, and has to remain in place for around six weeks. It takes him a good hour-and-a-half every morning to get ready.
However, his outlook on life remains positive. “I’ve adapted and it’s getting better – I can walk outside with a crutch and I’m keeping as optimistic and positive as possible.”
Mr Johnston appealed for more care when driving.
“People were just driving over that patch of oil and no one stopped to do anything – the slick should have been seen to.”
Ironically, it was not the sunken drains and the constant potholes that caused the accident.
“I can’t even count the number of near misses I have had – buses and cars drive so close to you – some drivers are on their phones and others don’t observe what they are doing.”