Photojournalist Gary Knight has spent decades covering some of the world's most intractable conflicts. He has photographed wars in Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq. But the closest he came to dying was a few years ago, on his bike.
Knight is an avid cyclist, and in 2022, he went on a biking trip to Scotland. One day, he was speeding down a winding, single-track road when a Volkswagen camper van drifted into his lane.
"When I came around this corner, it appeared, and it was on my side of the road. And traveling at that speed, I had nowhere to go. There was no room on the road. I had to come off," Knight recalled.
"So I then flew off the road and off the side of the hill and flew into a granite boulder," Knight said.
He hit his head hard and badly injured his shoulder. The friends he was riding with had unknowingly passed him after the crash, and when he tried to call them, he realized he had no cell service. So he stood on the side of the road, injured and alone, hoping someone would stop.
After a few minutes, three motorcycles came down the road. He remembered them from earlier in the day, when they had waved at each other in passing.
"The first two started to slow down. And the third one, he stopped his motorbike," Knight recalled.
"And he asked me what had happened. And then he said, 'Look, sit down. We're gonna check you out.'"
The man told Knight that his name was Martin, and he said that he and his friends, Max and Anita, were all trained paramedics. They had just finished their training a week before.
"So, I couldn't have wished for more, right?" Knight said.
"They sat me down and wrapped me up in a space blanket. Anita then undid my shirt, checked me out and did all the tests to see if I had a concussion. They then took out bandages, strapped me up, and immobilized my arm."
Martin had a working phone and called emergency services. Then the three of them stayed with him until a medical helicopter arrived.
Knight is still deeply moved when he recalls their generosity and how they helped him that day.
"I felt very alone when I came off the bike," Knight said, his voice breaking with emotion.
"And having three strangers stop at the side of the road and take care of me — it was an incredible act of kindness. And I hope I have the opportunity to do the same thing for somebody else one day."
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