British actor Orlando Bloom apologised to a scooter rider who was almost killed in a road accident by writing him an autograph.

The Lord of the Rings heart-throb was driving in London on Monday morning (17 Apr) when he reportedly pulled out in front of swimming instructor Slawomir Szydlowski, who was riding his motorcycle.

Swimming instructor Szydlowski, 28, says, "It's only good luck that I'm here to tell the tale. He can't have looked in his mirrors. I flew off and hit the ground hard, rolling three times.

If there'd been a car coming the other way, I'd be dead." When an ambulance arrived to whisk Szydlowski, who suffered deep cuts and internal bleeding, to hospital,

Bloom jumped in the back and scribbled a note saying, 'Sorry mate!' and signed it. Szydlowski adds, "We both had to give breath tests. He did ring to check I was all right."