ORIGINAL ARTICLE: How a Turban ‘saved’ a Sikh Cyclist’s Life
A Sikh cyclist has revealed that his turban “saved his life” by absorbing the impact after he fell off his bike and slid under an oncoming car.
Jagdeep Singh had been cycling with a friend along a country road in High Wycombe when they turned down a steep hill towards a blind corner.
The 44-year-old applied the brakes as a 4×4 car came around the corner at speed. Mr Singh slid down the hill and came off his bike.
He said his turban “absorbed the impact” of his head hitting the ground and “saved” his life.
Mr Singh recalled: “I sharply applied my brakes which caused my rear wheel to slide underneath me, and I skidded further down the hill.
“I collided with the on-coming car and my right leg broke the impact of the fall by smashing against the car bumper.
“The back of my head hit and scraped along the ground for a good three to four metres before I collided with the car.
“I am sure that if I had not been wearing my turban then I would have ended up with a serious head injury.”
The Sikh cyclist shattered his shinbone and ankle after falling feet-first into the car, leaving him with arthritis but an uninjured head.
Mr Singh continued: “My friend, Manjit, who was cycling with me is a doctor and I was lucky he was there – my body was going into shock.
“He called the emergency services and the air ambulance doctor came and administered morphine.”
His friend told him: “You shouldn’t even be alive by the way you went under that car – I was getting ready to tell your mum you weren’t going to wake up.”
Mr Singh added: “It was the closest I’ve come to a near-death experience.”
Mr Singh was taken to Wexham Park, Slough, for a CT scan after the accident on December 21, 2019.
He said: “It was only afterwards I saw my turban was muddy at the back but intact.
“Afterwards, when I pieced it all together, I realised it would have been much worse if I hadn’t been wearing it.”
This comes after scientists at Imperial College London revealed that the style and thickness of turbans can offer various protection against head injuries.
Researchers used crash test dummy heads to test five different turbans, distinguished by two wrapping styles and two different fabrics.
Comparing their findings with cycle helmets and bare heads, they found the style and thickness of turbans do affect the risk of serious head injury.
Although Mr Singh was not part of the study, he said it was “encouraging” to see it done following his own crash.
He said: “Sikhs are now exempt from wearing helmets on motorcycles, building sites as well as riding horses.
“When Sikhs were fighting to get this right in the 1970s, they spoke of how the turbans protected the head in the wars.”
“The turban I wear is a UK style of turban – but I want to learn how to do the traditional style that allows for even more protection as it will allow me to continue to follow my faith and protect myself.
“It was a horrific accident and I’ve surprised myself that I’m still walking around and able to do the things I can do.”
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