Tributes have been paid to a cyclist who died falling off his bike when two cats fighting got under his wheels.
Christian Reeves, 52, from Rugby, died in hospital on Sunday August 4.
Writing on a fundraising website, his son Dominic said: “Whilst on his way to work on Tuesday 30th July, early in the morning, two cats ran in-front of dad's bicycle, which led to him falling off his bike and sustaining a serious head injury.
“When paramedics attended Dad, he was sedated and then airlifted to Walsgrave Hospital (UHCW) in Coventry. From then, he fought a very hard battle, but put up the most valorous, determined and loving fight imaginable.”
CCTV from a nearby garage reportedly showed two fighting cats cut across his path.
Dominic said his dad, whose friends knew him as “Lurch”, was a “loving, caring, funny, big personality, life of the party man”.
The family set out to raise £5,000 for his funeral but soon surpassed that amount.
Dominic added: “I am truly lost for words. The amount of love and support, and the exposure dad's story has recieved, truly in awe.”
The family are also encouraging other cyclists to take with Dominic telling The Birmingham Mail his dad had not been wearing a helmet at the time of the accident.
He told the newspaper: "It's tough to say because I want my dad back, but his injuries could have been lessened or he could have been completely fine if he was wearing a helmet. So wear a bloody helmet."
Earlier this year, celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay issued a plea for cyclists to wear helmets after he had a bad accident on his bike.
The presenter and restaurant owner, 57, who fronts the Kitchen Nightmares programme, shared photos of his torn clothes and crushed helmet while biking in Connecticut in the US.
In an Instagram video, he showed a purple bruise which appeared to cover a significant portion of his chest.
He said: “I don’t care how short the journey is. I don’t care… these helmets cost money, but they’re crucial, even with a kid’s short journey, they’ve got to wear a helmet now.
“I’m lucky to be standing here. I’m in pain. It’s been a brutal week. And I’m sort of getting through it.”
