After a bicycle crash, some motorcyclists stopped to help

A photojournalist was stuck, injured and without cell service, after he crashed into a boulder on his bicycle in Scotland. Three motorcyclists stopped to help.

SCOTT DETROW, HOST:

Time now for "My Unsung Hero," our series from the team at the Hidden Brain podcast. "My Unsung Hero" tells the stories of people whose kindness left a lasting impression on someone else.

Today's story comes from photojournalist and educator Gary Knight. He spent decades photographing wars and conflicts around the world.

Knight is also an avid cyclist, and a few years ago, he went on a biking trip to Scotland. He was cycling on a remote mountain road when a camper van drifted into his lane.

He swerved to avoid it and crashed into a boulder. His shoulder was badly injured, and he realized he had no cell service, so he stood on the side of the road alone, hoping someone would stop.

GARY KNIGHT: And then after a few minutes, three motorcycles came down the road, and these were the motorcyclists that I passed earlier in the day, and we've been waving to each other. The first two started to slow down, and the third one, he stopped his motorbike and he asked me what had happened and then said, look, you know, sit down, and we're going to check you out.

And he explains - his name's Martin (ph). He explained that he and his friends, Max (ph) and Anita (ph), were all trained paramedics, and they, just the week before, finished all of their training.

So, you know, I mean, I couldn't have wished for more, right?

And so they sat me down, wrapped me up in a space blanket. Anita then sort of undid my shirt, checked me out, did all the tests to see if I had concussion.

They then took out bandages, strapped me up, immobilized my arm and sat me down. Martin had a phone that worked, and he called the 911, the emergency services in England.

And then Max, Martin, and Anita stayed with me until the helicopter arrived. So I'm hugely, hugely grateful for them.

And, you know, just talking about them makes me very emotional. Sorry.

It's ironic 'cause I've had a very dramatic and violent career. You know, I've photographed wars for 20 years, and closest I ever came to dying was on my bike.

And, you know, I felt very alone when I came off the bike. And having three strangers, you know, stop at the side of the road and take care of me was an incredible act of kindness.

I hope I have the opportunity to do the same thing for somebody else one day.

(SOUNDBITE OF ATOMICA MUSIC'S "FIRST KISS")

DETROW: Gary Knight lives in Salem, Massachusetts. He is the co-founder and executive director of The VII Foundation, which provides free training to visual journalists from the Global South. You can find more stories of unsung heroes at hiddenbrain.org.

(SOUNDBITE OF ATOMICA MUSIC'S "FIRST KISS")

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