What had just occured was a terrible collision between a bike and a truck - hardly an even contest. Steve Crenfeldt was that cyclist and while he lives to tell another tale, he certainly wont be back on the bike soon.

Steve was cycling in a pack with four other men preparing for the upcoming Ironman competition. Having already cycled about 60kms that morning, the pack were cooling-down, riding single file along Layman Road when the accident occurred. Steve was riding at the rear of the pack when his front tyre clipped the back wheel of the bike in front causing him to slide sideways on to the path of an overtaking truck. Steve was exceptionally lucky in that he suffered no head injury or spinal cord damage - he is already on the road to recovery.

Speaking from the trauma ward at Royal Perth Hospital last Monday, Steve provided an update on his condition.

“(I have) several broken bones in my right foot… The rest of my right leg is fine, but my upper leg where the skin grafts have come from, is sore.

I needed skin grafts on my left leg, from my hip to my knee, right around the whole leg. These have taken 95 per cent, so hopefully they will continue to grow and heal. I broke my pelvis in two places, one of which was my sacrum. When this broke, my left leg went 2.5 cm upward into the hip socket. I am currently in traction, only able to raise my upper body 30 degrees as we wait for my left leg to slowly release it back down to where it should be.”

Injured cyclist: Steve Crenfeldt - his injuries were extensive, but thankfully and incredibly, not life threatening.