Williams Lake reporter recovers after near-fatal bike crash

A Williams Lake reporter is back at work after a bicycle crash that nearly ended her life but still credits the experience as one of the best in her life.

Rebecca Dyok remembers leaving her house in the morning last July, then waking up in hospital where she would spend the next three months.

She was out for a ride along the Williams Lake River Valley Trail with her boyfriend.

They were cycling down Cameron Street when it's believed that her brakes failed.

Unable to stop at the stop sign, Dyok crashed into a fifth-wheel trailer.

"I'm, in a sense, thankful that I don't remember [what happened] because I'm sure it would have been quite traumatizing."

Among her injuries were a broken leg, which almost had to be amputated, a fractured shoulder and injuries to her face.

"I'm so beyond thankful that I have my leg, that it's functional," Dyok said. She now has "quite the scar. It's honestly one of the ugliest legs ever, but it's nothing."

RCMP officer Jeremy Roberts applied a tourniquet to Dyok's leg on the side of the road, which she says likely saved the limb.

After spending three months at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops, she has now recovered and is back to work as a radio reporter with Goat FM in Williams Lake.

Pat Matthews works with Dyok in the news department at The Goat.

He says he was "shocked and amazed" that she returned as soon as she did.

"It's a really good, feel-good story. She's one very fortunate and lucky young lady."

Dyok said she wouldn't change anything about what happened.

"One of the best things I've learned is that sometimes the worst experience of your life can actually be one of the best experiences."

She says she learned a lot about balancing emotions, being grateful for the little things and putting more emphasis on enjoying life.

"The first few weeks when I was in ICU I got so upset. I thought why me, why did this happen?" Dyok said.

After speaking with other patients and nurses it didn't take long for her to change her outlook.

"I learned that I cannot let those feelings overtake my whole day ... and that at the end of the day, you know I could have lost my life."

Not only does she plan to get back on a bike, she's now contemplating skydiving.

With files from Daybreak Kamloops.