Garda awarded €19k over bicycle training accident

A GARDA who was instructed to topple over on a mountain bike as part of a training procedure and then broke his left collarbone has been awarded €19,000 in damages at Cork Circuit Court.

Garda John Long, Bishopstown garda station, Cork, signed up for the garda mountain bike training programme because he was a keen cyclist and felt cycling would be an advantage in his work as a community garda.

Garda Long said he had a bicycle for 30 years and never had an accident before the day of the training exercise on May 21, 2007.