Mountain Biker’s Neck Sliced by Barbed Wire Strung Across Trail in Alberta, According to Reports

A mountain biker’s neck was sliced open by a string of barbed wire that was tied across a mountain bike trail at West Bragg Creek Provincial Park in Alberta, multiple sources report. According to CBC.ca, the rider’s neck was sliced open from side-to-side, “more than half a centimetre deep in places.” Update July 11, 2017, 10:25am MDT: Reports …

A mountain biker’s neck was sliced open by a string of barbed wire that was tied across a mountain bike trail at West Bragg Creek Provincial Park in Alberta, multiple sources report. According to CBC.ca, the rider’s neck was sliced open from side-to-side, “more than half a centimetre deep in places.”

Update July 11, 2017, 10:25am MDT: Reports of a Mountain Biker Clotheslined by a Barbed Wire Booby Trap Met with Suspicion from Local Alberta Riders

The rider, Stelios Psaroudakis, says he believes the barbed wire was strung up intentionally as a booby trap. It was attached to a tree on either side of the trail, strung across at neck height, and located at the bottom of a hill and around a corner.

“They’re malicious. They’re trying to kill somebody. This is like attempted murder,” he said. “If it was like … an inch higher, it would have taken my head off.”

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According to the report, when Psaroudakis hit the the wire, it clotheslined him and threw him backwards off his bike. His friend, riding about 15 meters behind him, reported seeing his head snap all the way back. When his friend rode up to him, “he was crying. . .because he thought I was dead.” Psaroudakis also suffered a badly bruised back, internal bleeding, and a lacerated liver, from landing on a rock.

They went to the emergency room as fast as possible, leaving his bike behind at the scene. The next day, the $8,000 Specialized Stumpjumper FSR was gone.

According to Canada Police Report:

The Cochrane RCMP are asking anyone with information about these events to call the Cochrane Detachment at 403-932-2211. If you want to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers by phone at 1.800.222.8477 (TIPS), by internet at www.tipsubmit.com, or by SMS (check your local Crime Stoppers [www.crimestoppers.ab.ca] for instructions on how). You do not have to reveal your identity to Crime Stoppers, and if you provide information to Crime Stoppers that leads to an arrest(s), the recovery of stolen property, and/or a seizure of illicit drugs, you may be eligible for a cash reward.

Update at 9:25am MDT on Tuesday, July 25, 2017:

Alberta’s “Barbed Liar” Charged with Fraud, Mischief – Remains Defiant