A Thamesmead biker is lucky to be alive after he dodged a collapsed footbridge on the M20.

Part-time school bus driver, Jim Shaw, 73, suffered three broken ribs after a digger, carried on the back of a lorry, struck the bridge on Saturday (August 27).

The grandfather-of-three was heading home from a visit to a bikers' cafe in Maidstone and cruising at about 65mph when he was forced to take evasive action.


The video was taken at the time of the crash and shows the extent of damage across the M20 (c.) @Fadeogunro / PA

Speaking from his hospital bed, he said: "I didn't get a lot of time.

"One minute the bridge was there and the next it wasn't.

"It all happened so fast.

"Initially all I saw was one end of the bridge come down.

"As the bridge came down, I threw the bike on the ground, and I ended up just clearing it.

"I was lucky.

"Everyone now keeps asking me to suggest their Lottery numbers."

Mr Shaw said his wife Doreen, 68, only found out he had been taken to hospital in Tunbridge Wells after she rang him to ask him to bring the washing in.

"I told her, 'I won't be able to do that'," he said.

"And she said, 'why not?'

"I said it's because I'm in hospital."

Mr Shaw said he is unsure whether his Yamaha MT-07 bike is still roadworthy, but the drama has not put him off riding.

"It's just one of those things," he said, "How often does a bridge fall down?

"It has certainly given the insurance company something to think about."

The collapse sparked hours of traffic chaos on one of the busiest weekends of the year. 

The M20 completely reopened 24 hours after the digger smash.