PUB managers Caroline and Kevin Macdivitt have described their lucky escape which saw them survive a horror smash when they were knocked off their bikes by a van.

On Wednesday, September 10, the couple set off to deliver money collected at their pub, the Carter’s Rest, in Wroughton, to a funeral home in Royal Wotton Bassett.

The collection was made in memory of their late friend, Lisa Barnes.

But before they reached their destination, a van hit Kevin, before colliding with Caroline, near the Sally Pussey Inn on the A3102.

Kevin was airlifted to Southmead Hospital near Bristol while Caroline was taken to hospital by ambulance.

The father-of-four broke his back, collarbone, a bone in his neck and twisted his ankle.

He was also diagnosed with blood on the brain and suffered a cut to his head so deep, it sliced his scalp down to the skull. He received 15 stitches on a muscle and 21 on his scalp and was released from hospital this Wednesday.

Caroline had an even luckier escape and left hospital within two days after suffering a broken back, eye socket and cheekbone.

Despite, or perhaps because of, the brutality of the collision, they have barely any recollection of the incident and only vague memories of their journey to Bristol; something they are both thankful for.

“We were just cycling along single file - I was in the front and Kevin was behind me -when the van hit us from behind,” said Caroline, 48.

“I remember the light of a van and that going past me and a blank.

“I remember, vaguely, waking up in the ambulance.

“We were very lucky.

“I was in a lot of pain and I still am. Kevin took the brunt of the van. I’m so glad my mind blacked it all out.”

Kevin, 57, said: “I woke up on the way to the helicopter on the stretcher.

“I said to the bloke there ‘Is this really happening?’ and he said ‘I’m afraid so’. And I blacked out again. Next, I woke up in Southmead on the stretcher.

“I can’t remember going into A&E. Everybody says they can’t understand how well we are doing and how we managed to survive a 50-mile-an-hour crash.

“If I hadn’t taken the full impact it would have been worse for Caroline.

“Recovery is going to take seven or eight weeks. I’m still in pain and I’ve got to sit down after 10 minutes of walking.”

The couple were not wearing helmets when they were hit, as they believed they may have choked on them in case of an accident.

“Miracles do happen,” said Caroline.

“We had a guardian angel obviously. We cycle often and it was a nice day, we thought we would cycle.

“Normally we do it on cycle paths but there was no other way to Bassett.”

Kevin, an eye melanoma survivor, added: “We have been fortunate to survive it. It makes you look at what goes on in your life. People have been hit with less speed and lost their lives. The hospital were really surprised of the injuries because we were hit at that speed.

“It could have been far worse.”

Crash investigators were at the scene of the incident for several hours after the crash but the investigations are continuing.

Witnesses can contact police on 101.

The driver is understood to have been uninjured and was not arrested.

The accident has forced Kevin to pull out of Prospect Hospice’s Strictly-style competition, Let’s Dance, and he is now hoping kind fundraisers will sign up to the challenge in his place, which he had entered in memory of his daughter-in-law Natasha who died of cervical cancer at Prospect Hospice.

To register visit www.prospect-hospice.net/fundraising-events/lets-dance