Grateful biker was ‘minutes from death’
A motorcyclist from Dunblane who was involved in a horror road smash which almost killed him paid tribute to the quickthinking medics who saved his life.
James Millar, 55, was told he had a one per cent chance of surviving the journey to hospital after the accident on the A85 close to Lix Toll, near Killin.
He suffered two cardiac arrests at the scene and broke his neck, back, leg, arm, collarbone and five ribs. He also suffered a punctured lung – and later had two blood clots in his lung.
He was rushed to Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow by air ambulance after the smash in August 2015, and spent 31 days in high dependency and intensive care units.
But he says had it not been for the actions of the emergency services – and the fact the journey to hospital took just 11 minutes – he wouldn’t be here today.
Mr Millar told the Observer: “I’ve subsequently spoken to the air ambulance and others involved and they gave me a one per cent chance of making it to the hospital. Their response was absolutely rapid – and what they managed to do for me was amazing. They effectively brought the hospital to me. They gave me blood and took over my breathing while I was still lying there.
“I was in a really bad way. I spent two weeks in intensive care. They had to wait for weeks before they fixed my leg as my heart was still too weak for the procedure.
“When I tried to stand up I ended up with two blood clots in my lung – so was back in intensive care again.”
In June 2018, Mr Millar handed over a cheque for £1000 to the Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA) on behalf of Motorcycle Law Scotland (MLS).
He added: “There is what’s called the ‘golden hour’ which is critical to the wellbeing of the victims of road traffic collisions and I know I would not be around today if it were not for services such as those provided by SCAA.
“MLS do a lot of fundraising for SCAA and when I found out I wanted to hand over the cheque to show my appreciation. I also hope that it acts as a reminder to others of how vital their service is.
“I’m standing here right now, but it could have been so very different for me.”
On the Sunday of the accident Mr Millar and his motorcyclist friends had been enjoying some breakfast at Glen Coe after being out on a morning ride.
And it was during the journey back on his two-year-old Triumph Thruxton he almost lost his life.
Mr Millar, who has a son Steven, 31, and step-son Ewan, 33, says that prior to the accident he had been riding his motorcycle since the age of 17 without incident.
However, three years on from the smash he was still recovering and had lost his job as an HGV driver due to the problems he had with his heart.
He added: “It seems I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I’ve suffered from PTSD and being back on the road is something I have had to try and overcome. It’s a long process and I’m doing cardiac rehab, physiotherapy and I’ve got a personal trainer to try and build my fitness back up. I’m not currently in work so I’m spending a lot of my time volunteering with the Stirling Food Train which keeps me busy.”