Chef Gordon Ramsey has been one of TV’s favorite polarizing chefs for the past two decades. He’s known for his abrasive nature in series like Kitchen Nightmares and MasterChef, which have led many to be surprised to see his gentle, caring side on MasterChef Junior. Overall, Chef Ramsey has become a major voice in the world of food and reality television, and he very recently experienced a brush with death that now has him feeling nothing but gratitude.
Last week, Chef Ramsey was reportedly in a biking accident that left him with incredibly serious injuries. After the incident, he was hospitalized for several days and is still in the process of healing. In a Father’s Day social media post, he shared more about what happened and, more importantly, what saved his life. “I’m doing ok and did not break any bones or suffer any major injuries, but I am a bit bruised up, looking like a purple potato,” he states in the caption of his Instagram post. He also showed photos of the severe bruising he’s still dealing with from the accident and thanked the doctors who helped him after the accident.
Gordon Ramsey Stresses the Importance of Wearing A Helmet After His Accident
The biggest message Chef Ramsey wanted to get across in his post was the importance of wearing a helmet. He states in the caption under the post, “I’m thankful for all the doctors, nurses, and staff at Lawerence + Memorial Hospital in New London who looked after me and checked me out, but most thankful for my helmet that saved my life.” He also shared a before and after photo to emphasize the serious nature of the incident, as he had taken a picture before he went out that day. His helmet was severely cracked, and his riding clothes were very ripped up. “I’m in pain. It’s been a brutal week. And I’m sort of getting through it. But I cannot tell you the importance of wearing a helmet,” he shared while showing just how extensive his bruising is.
Chef Ramsey is right to share his warning about the dangers of not wearing a helmet. The statistics on bike-related deaths related to not wearing a helmet support the validity of his experience. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, studies done between 2018 and 2019 found that nearly 1700 people died from brain injuries due to not wearing a helmet. The study went on to say that those 1700 deaths represented 62% of all the biking-related deaths in that time frame. The National Transportation Safety Board also found in their own studies that wearing a helmet reduced the likelihood of a head injury by nearly 50% and reduced the likelihood of a serious head injury by 60%. With numbers like these, it’s hard to imagine why anyone wouldn’t want to wear a helmet, and yet, the numbers also still show that people don’t want to wear them.
Another government study found that only 18% of bike riders actually wear their helmets. The primary reasons for this are, for the most part, for aesthetic purposes. There is still a large contingency of people who, despite the statistics, believe that helmets don’t actually do much. Several studies have shown that walking on the street is even more dangerous than riding a bike without a helmet, but the problem with that argument is that it’s based on national statistics of the entire population, not just those who ride bikes. Only 32% percent of Americans in 2018 were bike riders, so it makes absolute sense that walking on the street has led to more deaths than not wearing a helmet when 68% of the country isn’t even riding a bike. Chef Ramsey was correct in sharing his story and urging people to wear helmets. His life and countless others were saved because of it.
Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars airs every Wednesday on FOX and can be streamed on Hulu.
