Apology after paralysed cyclist receives repairs bill
A council has apologised for demanding damages from a cyclist left paralysed when he hit some iron railings and fell 15ft (4.5m) on to his head.
Ben Foulds, 18, impaled himself on a railing and suffered a broken back in the accident on Old Sticklepath Hill, Barnstaple.
His family said they were astonished to receive a letter demanding payment for the cost of repairing the railings.
Devon County Council has apologised, saying the letter was a mistake.
"This letter should not have been sent," a council spokesman said. "We will not be asking the family to pay for the damage.
"We apologise to them for the concern and distress that this may have caused them."
The spokesman said the authority had not been aware of the circumstances of the incident when a standard letter was sent to the family.
Mr Foulds, from King Edward Street, Barnstaple, continues to receive treatment at a hospital near Salisbury more than four months after the accident.