Ben Fogle reveals he ‘almost died’ in terrifying road crash as he issues desperate plea after his two children also came close to injury
Ben Fogle has revealed he ‘almost died’ this week after almost being hit by a van near his home in the village of Fawley, outside Henley, Oxfordshire.
The TV adventurer, 50, said it was ‘ironic’ the incident had not happened during one of his trips to the jungle or desert, before claiming his two children had also come close to injury due to the area’s current speed limit of 60 mph. .
In a long Instagram post, he explained the recall of the terrifying incident that happened during a walk with one of his six dogs, where the vehicle narrowly missed the beloved pet.
Ben, who shares son Ludo, 15, and 13-year-old daughter Iona, with wife Marina, made a desperate plea to reduce the current speed, saying it was “common sense” before a fatality occurred.
He wrote: ‘I almost died yesterday. Not on Everest or in a remote jungle. Not on a sea or in a desert, but on a small single track outside my home in rural Oxfordshire.
Ben Fogle, 50, has revealed he ‘almost died’ this week after almost being hit by a van near his home in the village of Fawley, outside Henley, Oxfordshire.
The TV adventurer said it was ‘ironic’ it hadn’t happened during one of his trips to the jungle or desert (pictured in the Scottish Highlands)
He went on to claim that his two children had also come close to injury due to the area’s current speed limit of 60mph (LR) Iona, 13, Ludo 15,
‘Given the things I’ve done and the risks I’ve taken, it feels a bit ironic that my own near-death experience should happen so close to home. Let me explain…’
‘We live in a beautiful little village outside Henley. It is home to several hundred people. We have a church, a cricket pitch and a village green as well as a community hall.
“We used to have a village pub until it was bought by a developer, then ‘mysteriously’ burnt down, and was razed to the ground within a day (sound familiar?), I digress.
He continued: ‘Ours is an idyllic little community with children, dogs, horses, farmers and a thriving social community.
‘A single tramway winds its way through this happy little village. We have no sidewalks, which means the road is our sidewalk, footpath and bridleway.
‘We share it with cyclists, dogs, walkers, children, tractors, cars and delivery drivers. Incredibly enough. Almost unbelievable. It also happens to be the national speed limit.
‘You can drive 60 miles an hour through the heart of our little village. You can run over my daughter on her horse or the dogs on their walk at 60mph!!!!
Going on to say: ‘While my daughter rides her pony along the road because it’s the only way to reach the fewer and fewer bridleways, delivery drivers drive around blind corners at the legal 60km/h to meet delivery time targets for the home.
In a lengthy post, he explained how the incident occurred during a walk with one of his six dogs, with the vehicle narrowly missing the beloved pet
Ben, who shares his children with wife Marina, made a desperate plea to reduce the current speed, saying it was “common sense” before a fatality occurred
a long post he wrote: ‘I almost died yesterday. Not on Everest or in a remote jungle. Not on a sea or in a desert, but on a small single track outside my home in rural Oxfordshire
‘While my son rides his bike with the dogs, day-trippers blindly follow the sat-nav and 60km/h speed limit career along the single-lane pavement, excuse the road.
‘The only way I can reach the restricted footpaths is on the same single lane road which I have to share with 60mph delivery drivers, which brings me back to my near death experience…
‘I ran along the road with my dog by my side. I don’t run along the road because I want to run on the road, but most of the land is private. I run along the road because it is the only way to reach the fewer and fewer paths and bridleways.
‘A delivery driver, driving at the perfectly legal but obviously dangerous 100 km/h, ran around one of the many blind bends, threw on his breaks and skidded to a stop just a few meters from me and my dog.
He continued: ‘My life flashed before my eyes. Just as it had when my boat capsized in the Atlantic and when my oxygen tank exploded on Everest, but it was on a dog walk outside my home.
He then captioned the post saying a member of Buckinghamshire Council’s cabinet for transport guidance has said the speed limit had been ‘set against “department transport guidance””
Prior to conclusion no changes would be made until there was a serious accident (Village of Henley pictured)
And now I imagine my children walking along the same sidewalk, sorry, road. I love living here in this rural idyll, but I will not die because our local council does not see fit to implement a 20km/h limit for a community that is as dependent on the road as our pavement.
‘We have imposed 20 km/h in places that already have pavements. I’m a risk taker, so I don’t say that lightly. Someone will be killed in our village. Both my children have had near misses in high speed traffic.
Before you add: ‘We are not alone. There are countless other small villages out there that also live with 60 mph speed limits through the heart of their communities. It’s common sense. Our local council member has tried without success. Please help us before we lose anyone.’
He then captions the post saying that a member of Buckinghamshire Council’s cabinet for transport guidance has said the speed limit had been ‘set against “departmental transport guidance”‘.
Before conclusion, no changes would be made until there was a serious accident.
MailOnline has contacted Buckinghamshire Council for comment.