A bar and music venue boss said he was 'lucky to be alive' after he had to be resuscitated in the road when a renowned psychotherapist knocked him off his motorbike.

Alan Lorrimer's heart stopped following the smash at Bignells Corner in South Mimms on July 24 last year.

Mr Lorrimer flew through the air when he was struck from behind by 81-year-old Dr Joseph Berke.

Dash cam footage from a lorry showed Dr Berke's black Citroen Picasso slamming into the bike , shortly before 10am, just as the traffic lights were turning green.

Dr Berke failed to stop at the scene but parked up a short distance later on an A1 slip road.

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Dashcam footage shows Mr Lorrimer thrown from his bike. Credit: SWNS

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Mr Lorrimer narrowly avoided being run over by Dr Berke. Credit: SWNS

Mr Lorrimer suffered a heart attack after he was knocked off his bike and was only saved by a passing off-duty firefighter who restarted his heart with CPR in the middle of the road.

He was taken to Royal London Hospital by air ambulance and spent three days in intensive care after suffering a broken shoulder bone, three broken ribs and scarring to his knee.

At Stevenage Magistrates' Court, Dr Berke admitted to driving without due care or attention.

Through his lawyer, US-born author Dr Berke claimed he was trying to find a Kwik Fit and failed to notice there were traffic lights on the roundabout.

Dr Berke, who has lived in London since 1965, and is notable for treating Mary Barnes, a schizophrenic Scottish nurse who later became a famous artist, writer and mystic, was handed a six month driving ban and fines and costs totalling £700.

This was the maximum sentence he could be given.

Warning: Some readers may find the footage distressing. Credit: SWNS

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Alan Lorrimer. Credit: SWNS

In a victim impact statement read out in court this week, Mr Lorrimer, founder and managing director of Piano Works in central London, said: "I was stationary at a red traffic light on a bright sunny morning and the next thing I knew I was lying on my back in the middle of the road of a busy roundabout.

"The pain was excruciating and I couldn’t get up. Suddenly I passed out and started having a heart attack.

"A firefighter called Curtis rushed across and started CPR. The first time he tried there were no vital signs and it was only on the second attempt that I started to breathe again.

"If it hadn’t been for Curtis I honestly believe I would be dead. I feel lucky to be alive.

"The incident has affected me more than I thought. It has made me anxious, affected my confidence and made me feel vulnerable in crowded situations which is not ideal for the live music venue I work in.

"I wake up two or three times a night because of nightmares about the crash. Mostly, it has made me more conscious of my mortality and that I could be killed in an incident that was no fault of my own."

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Mr Lorrimer can be seen being attended to by someone who rushed to his aid. Credit: SWNS

Dr Berke’s insurance company has admitted liability in the civil matter.

Mr Lorrimer's lawyer Laura Swaine, a catastrophic injury specialist at Osbornes Law, said afterwards: "My client is still suffering from the physical and mental scars of the incident that could so easily have ended in a much worse outcome.

"He is relieved that the driver pleaded guilty and now he just wants to get the civil action settled so he can attempt to move on and rebuild his life.”

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Alan Lorrimer. Credit: SWNS

Jonathan Black, mitigating, said: "Although he (Dr Berke) is not here (in court) for the reasons around the pandemic as I have mentioned, he feels terrible about these events.

"Obviously not to take away the trauma that Mr Lorrimer has suffered, he is traumatised that he caused this incident after 50 years of having a clean driving licence.

"After the accident from Dr Berke, he looked for the first place he could stop. He didn't drive off."