A family involved in a Commonwealth Games cycling crash say they came “close to a total disaster” that could have “seriously injured or killed” their two young children. In the final lap of a qualifying race for the men’s scratch race on Sunday, a high-speed collision involving several riders sent England’s Matt Walls hurtling over the barriers and into the crowd on his bike. The incident led to calls from Sir Chris Hoy and Dame Laura Kenny for improvements to track safety, with Hoy saying it was a “disgrace” that there were no protective screens on the grounds. Walsh flew into the front two rows of the stands, where Hugh Colvin sat with his two youngest children, aged five and seven, and some family friends. “It all happened so incredibly fast at the speed the cyclists were going,” Mr Colvin told BBC Sport. “You can see the trajectory of the bike, it went through, it grazed my daughter’s shoulder and one of the pictures you can see is obviously under the wheel. “I was facing the other way because I had turned my head, but looking back at the pictures, it must have been inches, millimeters from our heads and apparently close enough to graze my daughter.” He added that where Walsh’s bike landed was in the two seats where his five-year-old son and his friend’s son were sitting, before they moved in line to get a better view. For Hugh’s wife Laura, who was not at the rink, it has sunk in in recent days how much worse it could have been. “What has been very difficult for us to wrap our heads around is being able to see from the photographs taken of the incident how close it came to being a complete disaster,” he said. “And how close our two youngest children came to being seriously injured or killed. And that’s been the main thing we’ve had to think about in the last few days.” Contrary to an early statement by organizers that no members of the public needed hospital treatment, a friend who attended the event with the Colvins is awaiting surgery for a serious hand injury. “He suffered a fractured bone which the hospital described as a stab wound,” Ms Colvin said. “It’s been very difficult for him, he’s still waiting for surgery. In addition to the soft tissue and muscle injury, he has a partially severed tendon in his hand, so it’s the start of a long road to recovery for him.” They said the three children were deeply concerned about the condition of the three cyclists – Walls, the Isle of Man’s Matt Bostock and Canada’s Derek Gee – who were taken to hospital after the crash. On Monday, Walsh made a video call to Colvin’s daughter, which they said was a “huge step forward” in helping her come to terms with what she had seen. The Colvins praised the quick response of volunteers, paramedics and team coaches who helped them in the aftermath of the crash. However, the family want the incident to spark a review of vehicle safety, to give them reassurance that “no family is ever going to be in our situation”. They said they were “completely unaware” that a cyclist had ever flown off the track before. “If we had known for one moment that there was a risk of a bicycle with a grown man at that speed coming into contact with my seven-year-old daughter, my family would never have been there,” Ms Colvin said. ‘It could have been a lot worse’ – details shared about Walls’ cycling crash Bostock, who still hopes to be involved in Sunday’s road race, told BBC Sport: “Something has to be done because it goes down as a horrible accident, but it has happened before. “I don’t know how many horrific accidents become a normal accident. I dread to think if it was worse. It should be a proactive decision to try to make it safer before a terrible accident happens.” A spokesman for Birmingham 2022 said they were in regular contact with the Colvin family and apologized for any upset caused by the initial wording of their statement. They said “a full and detailed investigation of the accident is already underway and we will pass our findings on to the appropriate parties.” Shaun Dawson, CEO of the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, said the site complies with international regulations and that such an accident has never happened there before. He added: “We appreciate that this has been a harrowing experience for those involved and offer our sincere wishes to all involved.”
