About 4.13pm Friday 29 October 2021 Ambulance Tasmania and Tasmania Police were advised that there had been a serious crash involving a mountain bike rider in the vicinity of the St Helens Mountain Bike Trail Head on Flagstaff Road, St Helens.

On arrival it was found that a 67-year-old male from the states north west had received life threating injuries as a result of crashing his mountain bike while descending a technical part of the track. This person was identified as an experienced rider and was wearing appropriate safety gear at the time of the crash.

Despite the combined efforts of members of the public, who were close by at the time of the crash and emergency services personnel, the male could not be saved and died from the injuries received.

With summer approaching and the emergence of mountain bike trails as a recreational sport in Tasmania, this tragic incident is a timely reminder to us all to ensure that, if you choose to ride tracks in any part of the state, you follow the simple rules of always wearing appropriate safety gear, always riding with others and to ride within your capabilities.