A CYCLIST was spun 'like he was in a tumble drier' after he was dragged under a truck while riding to work.

Jo Thewlis

A CYCLIST was spun 'like he was in a tumble drier' after he was dragged under a truck while riding to work.

Christopher Askew, 49, was spat out under the rear axle of the Mercedes lorry after the accident at the Paper Mill Lane roundabout at Claydon.

Mr Askew of York Crescent, Claydon, was riding to work as a store man at Suffolk County Council's highways depot in Great Blakenham around 7am last Wednesday morning when the lorry pulled out in front of him.

Mr Askew's wife, Frances, 48, said her husband can remember the whole incident.

“He said it was like being in a tumble drier,” she said. “He is a lucky man to be alive.

“He thought he was going to die.”

Horrified witnesses described seeing father-of-two Mr Askew's body flung from the rear of the vehicle.

Amazingly, Mr Askew was able to stand and talk briefly to police after the crash and was comforted by at least two passers-by until paramedics could reach him.

He was taken to Ipswich Hospital suffering a fractured pelvis, three broken ribs, a punctured lung and a broken collar bone.

Mrs Askew said: “I am just so grateful he's alive. Driving to hospital was the worst journey of my life. I thought he was going to die.”

The driver of the lorry, Gintautas Stunzenas, 40, from Lithuania, pleaded guilty to careless driving at South East Suffolk Magistrates' Court last Thursday.

He was fined �240, charged �100 in court fees and had his licence endorsed with five penalty points.

Mrs Askew, speaking yesterday, said: “Chris feels quite angry towards the driver but he's reasonably happy with the verdict.

“I'm not upset because these things can happen in a heartbeat.”

Mr Askew, who has worked at the county council depot for the past 32 years, is now vowing to return home and get back on his bike once again.

Mrs Askew has personally visited one of the people who helped her husband while the emergency services were called to thank them for their kindness.

“Their help meant the world to him,” she said. “There are some nice people out there.”