Livingston cyclist Josh Quigley whose skull was fractured in crash will fly home this week

A round-the-world cyclist who survived a serious crash in the US in December will fly home to Livingston tomorrow.

Josh Quigley, 27, suffered a fractured skull and pelvis, 10 broken ribs and a punctured lung when he was hit by a car travelling at 70 mph.

Mr Quigley said he was ‘lucky to be alive’ after the accident, which happened in Flat, Texas, on December 21.

It was thought that due to his punctured lung he would not be able to fly home until at least mid-February.

However the lung healed sooner than expected and Mr Quigley is due to return to Scotland on Thursday January 23.

He will fly from Austin, Texas, to Glasgow Airport via London, accompanied by an insurance company doctor.

Mr Quigley said on social media that the crash and subsequent recovery had been one of the best experiences of his life, and that he was ‘so excited’ to get home and start training again.

Speaking from his hospital bed he said: “I’ll arrive in London on Friday morning, and then I think the flight gets in to Glasgow airport at 4.30pm, so should be home for dinner on Friday night!

“It’s going to be so amazing... I’m just so excited to get home.”

“This has been such an incredible experience [...] just being in hospital and rehab for four weeks, and obviously the crash and the injuries… it’s just… wow.

“It might seem like a mental thing to say, but it’s absolutely been one of the best experiences of my life.”

Mr Quigley said he will devote himself to cycling training as soon as he gets home.

“I couldn’t be more clear on the path and direction that I’m going to take my life in,” he said.

“This experience with the car crash has just really reminded me how much I love cycling, and I’m so excited for the future, and everything that’s going to come.

“I’m going to get back to Scotland and all I’m going to be doing is just training, training, training.

“By the time this recovery is done I’m going to be fitter than I was when I got hit. Think about that - fitter after the accident than before it, that is superhuman. Happy days.”

Mr Quigley was just 2,000 miles short of his 18,000 round-the-world target when he was hit by a car travelling 70 mph.

The driver, a 60-year-old woman, was not charged as the crash investigation found that it was an accident.

Mr Quigley set off on the trip from Edinburgh in April 2019.

The crash is one of a series of setbacks faced the cyclist since April, including having to fly home to get a new passport after his old one was ruined by sweat, his bike being stolen outside a hostel in London, and having to change his route as his water bottles kept freezing in the US winter.

Mr Quigley began cycling after seeing Sir Chris Hoy speak in Edinburgh, and has spoken about how the sport has helped him with depression and alcohol abuse.