A BIKE shop owner who lent a bike to a driver who got stuck behind an accident on his way to a hospital appointment is being heaped with praise.

Carrington Road/Flixton Road, in Urmston, came to a standstill yesterday afternoon after an elderly pedestrian was knocked down near to the junction of Church Road at around noon.

The road was closed in both directions as emergency services attended to the woman, who was in her 70s.

That Tiny Bike Shop, in Carrington Road, had taken in the shaken witness who had rang for the ambulance and gave him a cup of tea, when a man suddenly burst into the shop in a panic.

He explained that he was stuck in the traffic building up behind the road closure and desperately needed to get to a hospital appointment at Trafford General.

He asked if he could borrow a bike and owner Darren Lea-grime obliged.

“He came in in such a flap, like he was going to have a heart attack,” said Darren.

“I said he could take one of the bikes out the front, he wanted to give me a deposit but I didn’t even care, I just said go and get to your appointment.”

After insisting on leaving a deposit, the man was sent on his way with a £125 bike, with the stickers still on, and a lock to make sure it was still there when he got out of the appointment.

A few hours later, the man returned with the bike and lock in tow.

And the good deed didn’t go unnoticed.

The incident was published on social media – Darren believes a customer must have saw what had happened – and word spread fast.

“I forgot all about it, I didn’t even tell my wife when I got home,” said Darren.

“I turned on Facebook last night, I got loads of notifications, everybody was talking about it.”

And Darren has been getting floods of kind phone calls and messages from customers and strangers.

“It’s nice for the shop, we have only been opened seven months,” said Darren. “But I just hope the woman is ok.”

The lady who was knocked down was taken to Salford Royal Hospital with head and wrist injuries. Her injuries were described as serious but are not believed to be life-threatening.

The man who Darren helped out set the combination code of the lock. If you are this man, contact Darren on 0161 637 3160 or click here for That Tiny Bike Shop’s Facebook page.