Star of ‘Eight Basque Surnames’ releases video of horrific bike crash

Spanish actor Dani Rovira, the star of smash hit comedy Eight Basque Surnames, has released via Instagram a video of a horrific cycling accident in which he and a trainer were involved. The 38-year-old was taking part in a charity challenge two years ago when the incident occurred, and was being filmed as part of a documentary aimed at raising the profile of Rett syndrome, a rare postnatal neurological disorder that occurs almost exclusively in girls.

When the accident happened, Rovira, trainer Martín Giacchetta and firefighter Germán Torres were completing an 11-stage route between Barcelona and Rome, where they were due to meet with Pope Francis.

We are still here because it wasn’t our time to go. Let’s respect one another on the roads

In the footage released by the actor via his Instagram account, Rovira and Giacchetta are seen cycling along a road in France while being filmed by a colleague from a vehicle that is driving alongside them. All of a sudden another vehicle appears from behind and smashes into the cyclists, sending them crashing into the windscreen. Amazingly, the pair were left unhurt.

The video is accompanied by the words of Rovira himself. “We are still here because it wasn’t our time to go. Let’s respect one another on the roads.” The actor also made reference to the incident in a recent interview published by the Spanish newspaper ABC. “We know how it happened because it was caught on camera,” he explained. “I was in shock that whole day, I wasn’t afraid – that came the next day when I had to get back on the bike.”

On Tuesday, Rovira shared a live video via Instagram in which he shared more details of the incident, and called for “maximum respect for cyclists, who are risking their lives.” He added: “We were lucky but there are a lot of families that are left devastated by someone getting distracted.”

English version by Simon Hunter.