Danish man suffers permanent brain injury after cycling accident without helmet

A 29-year-old Danish man is urging cyclists to wear helmets after a 2022 accident left him with permanent brain damage, reports DR. Max Randall, then 25, crashed into a shopping cart while distracted by his phone—his unhelmeted head striking the curb with life-altering consequences.

Randall spent 14 days in a coma following emergency surgery for a severe brain injury that caused swelling. Upon waking, he struggled to recognise friends and faced a year of rehabilitation to relearn basic functions like walking and speaking. Today, chronic headaches and fatigue limit his work as a hairdresser to 22 hours a week in a flexible job arrangement—a stark contrast to his pre-accident life as a self-employed salon owner.

“When I woke from the coma, I couldn’t tell my friends apart. That’s when I realised something was terribly wrong,” Randall told DR. He described the accident’s most profound impact as an “identity crisis,” forcing him to adapt to a drastically changed life.

Denmark’s Council for Safe Traffic reports that 2,500 cyclists annually suffer neck or head injuries severe enough to require emergency care. Despite record helmet use, 45% of Danish cyclists still ride unprotected. Randall’s message is unequivocal: “Wear the helmet. You never think it’ll happen to you, but accidents can be caused by others too. We wear seatbelts in cars—why not helmets on bikes?”

His injuries now require him to limit conversation with clients to avoid triggering debilitating headaches. “I have to tell customers upfront that we can’t talk as much as they might expect at a hairdresser,” he explained.

Randall hopes his story will prompt more cyclists to prioritise safety, emphasising that even a single distraction—like checking a phone—can have irreversible consequences.