Mountain biker left paralysed from the chest down after crashing head-first on expert course sues for £200,000

By ADAM POGRUND, REPORTER and SARAH LIMBRICK Published: 00:01, 23 June 2026 | Updated: 00:07, 23 June 2026 A mountain biker who was paralysed from the chest down after being confronted with an unexpected jump on a course in Bedfordshire is suing for damages of more than £200,000. Dominic Pearson, 39, from Thetford, Norfolk, is claiming compensation from Chicksands Bike Park C.I.C after the 'traumatic' accident on the Snake Run on January 9, 2022. Mr Pearson, a former army mechanic, was an experienced mountain biker who enjoyed riding trails without jumps, which he avoided by using alternative routes called chicken runs, and had never jumped a 'gap jump'. But he found himself confronted by a gap jump on an expert trail called the Snake Run, rather than an advanced one, as he came round a blind bend and instinctively braked when he saw the jump. The keen biker rolled over the first hump, went over the handlebars, and hit the second hump head first, fracturing a vertebra and four ribs, and is now completely paralysed from the chest down. He also suffered other fractures, lung contusions, and psychological injury and spent months in a rehabilitation facility at the Princess Royal Spinal Centre in Sheffield. The mechanic said the injuries turned his 'world upside down' and his lifestyle was 'completely changed'. Mr Pearson studied engineering at the Open University while working as a full time vehicle mechanic in the army from 2008 to 2016. Dominic Pearson,a keen mountain biker, was paralysed from the chest down after being confronted with an unexpected jump on a course in Bedfordshire The 39-year-old - who has since learnt to drive - is now claiming £200,000 compensation from Chicksands Bike Park C.I.C after the acciden on January 9, 2022 The keen biker rolled over the first hump, went over the handlebars, and hit the second hump head first, fracturing a vertebra and four ribs, and is now completely paralysed from the chest down He is seeking provisional damages allowing him to return to court to seek more compensation if his condition worsens and he develops more spinal complications. He accuses the park owners of negligence, saying they failed to take care to see that he would be reasonably safe using Chicksands and the gap jump, failed to ensure that riders did not unwittingly move from one grade of trail to another. He also accuses them of failing to provide a trail map marking the locations and difficulty level of the various trails, and failed to display clear signs for routes with jumps and notice of chicken runs so riders could avoid gap jumps. The company failed to carry out an adequate risk assessment of the bike park, which was last risk assessed 13 years earlier, he says, and failed to take steps to improve lines of sight to the jump, make the bend less sharp so visibility was enhanced, or provide a warning sign. Mr Pearson was head of an inspection department in the army which saw him in charge of a team of six, who were responsible for ensuring more than 100 vehicles were functional and roadworthy for military standards. He stepped down from his full-time role and became an army reserve mechanic in 2016 as he took up work at luxury British sports cars manufacturer Lotus in Norfolk. A keen athlete, Mr Pearson is a member of the Armed Forces Para-Ski Team - and travelled with the British delegation to the Invictus Games in Dusseldorf in 2023. He can now drive. He claims a risk assessment would have shown that a rider unfamiliar with the trail would not have seen the true nature of the gap jump until about 4.3m before the first hump. His liability expert Mr Barton visited the park on August 16, 2023 and was given a trail map which showed that blue and red runs which could be 'rolled over' but black and pro runs were not, and there was a large sign replicating the trail map. Mr Barton specialises in providing and managing adventure activities and mountain biking. Mr Pearson says when he visited the park he was not asked if this was his first visit to Chicksands, given any guidance about the trails, or shown a trail map, documents filed at London's High Court say. After the accident he was treated at Addenbrookes Hospital, where he needed surgery, and later at Sheffield spinal unit. The claim was issued by Jonathan Flattery of Express Solicitors. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. 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