Bike crash victim’s praise for air medics

A MAN left paralysed below his right knee after he was thrown off his motorbike at 60mph is to appear on Helicopter ER tonight.

John Rae, 27, was riding down the A167 in North Yorkshire with a friend when his motorbike collided with a car towing a caravan on a stretch of winding road. He was catapulted into the air.

Mr Rae, from Newcastle, said: “We went to Richmond for a spot of breakfast but it was too busy.

“I remember leaving Richmond and going over the zebra crossing towards Reeth and then I crashed seven miles further down and don’t remember how I got there.

“I lost 20 minutes before the accident and the next thing I remember I was waking up in resus.”

A first aid- trained teacher on a school minibus stopped at the scene to help and called emergency services.

She removed part of Mr Rae’s helmet to help him breathe and open his airway, which helped to save his life.

Yorkshire Air Ambulance was dispatched and due to his critical condition, Mr Rae was flown to James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough.

Tests revealed he had broken his femur and vertebrae, while nerve damage left him paralysed from below his right knee.

He spent three weeks in hospital being operated on and a further three weeks in rehab.

Mr Rae, who was newly married, had to postpone his honeymoon to learn to walk again.

He gave up his job as a taxi driver to focus on his recovery but has since been able to start a new job in January.

He said: “The air ambulance did a fantastic job. They were very professional and I couldn’t have asked for a better team. It’s remarkable what they do.”

The episode, on the Really channel tonight at 10pm, also features a serious head injury in Keighley and a heart attack in Ryedale.