Last Friday the 5th of December on my way to work at approx 7:50am a car pulled out of a side road in front of me. I braked as hard as I could so did she, my back tyre started to slide to the right and I hit the side of the car. I am not sure what hit fist but the instant pain in my back even before I hit the ground I could tell I was in big trouble. I landed on my left side with my back almost touching the car and my bike in front of me the Edelux lamp was shining straight in to my eyes. The driver must have got out the passenger seat and came round to me. She asked if I was ok then tried to pull me up I told her to leave me as it was my back. She then went a bit hysterical just shouting for help. Luckily someone came over and told her to call an ambulance. At this point I think I must have passed out for a few seconds I only remember waking up thinking what on earth was going on and where was I soon remembered when I tried to move, I have never felt so much pain. I could just about move my feet so I figured that if I keep still and wait for re ambulance I should be fine. Good job I watch casualty 
. A lady from a nearby shop brought out a blanket and covered me up and I could here people coming up saying they were fist aiders and could they help. My faith in people's kindness is restored. A few minutes later I heard a voice I sort of half recognised and I heard her say she was a doctor, she knelt beside me and asked my name I told her and the first thing she said was how is Sandra (Sandra is my darling wife) I laughed and instantly regretted it. I was now reassured that I was in good hands with our own GP. By this time I had been down for perhaps 25 minutes and starting to get cold the doctor put her coat over me. The doctor rang my wife and told her what had happened. The police then turned up and put a foil blanket over me this did not help and I started to shiver uncontrollably which in turn made the pain in my back worse. Luckily for me my wife then arrived which gave me a boost to get back in control. It was about 55 minutes in and I could hear the ambulance in the distance I knew that I would have to suffer being moved but also knew that I would be in a nice warm ambulance. The crew finally got to me and assessed the situation. Some how the police managed to move the car which was virtually touching my head and the ambulance crew went to work after a few checks they took my helmet off and then cut off yes cut off my prized Deuter airflow bag they then tried to find a brace for my neck but did not have one to fit so the doctor held my neck while the ambulance boys got me on a spinal board then put blocks around my head and taped it all together. Then in to the ambulance and warmth at last .I had been laying on the wet cold road for over an hour. One of the police men got in the ambulance with me and my wife rang work to tell them I may be late, oh and could the boss come out and collect my bike 
1 hour 50 after the accident we got to A&E on the way the police officer cautioned me and asked some questions which I thought odd, he came in to A&E with me where I was seen straight away no waiting for me. I was checked over then to my horror they cut my jacket off followed by the very special merino wool jersey the kids had bought me then my near new bib longs this is where the horror shifted to the poor nurse who realised us cyclist go commando. I was lucky she had some awfully big scissors which could have chopped something off with ease. They started pumping me full of morphine which was most unplesent until it started to work and the pain went away. I then went for about a hundred x rays and nearly wet myself it took so long. I was so glad my wife was with me to help me aim in to the bottle those poor young nurses would have been traumatised.
Eventually the x rays were ready and I got worried when the doctor came back looking very concerned. He was not 100% sure but he thought I had broken my back. I got really worried for my wife but she was fine. I had to then go for a CT scan which did show that I had a fracture and compression to the L1 vertebrae. He then shocked me when he said we had in his opinion two options. 1 to operate and insert a plate or 2 fit a body brace. He said he was sending me to the orthopaedic ward where I would be seen by a consultant probably on Monday. Luckily for me the consultant came in early Saturday to see me he looked at all the pictures and scans and decided surgery would be too dangerous and a brace too restrictive. As the vertebrae is so well supported he has put me on a course of pain killers and Oramorphe to control the pain followed by physio to mobilise. I have still got a painfull few weeks ahead of me but am thankful to all the fantastic people that helped me in the last few days from the lady that covered me with that blanket to the paramedics, hospital staff and the lovely lady that brings the tea round for me in a baby cup so I can drink it laying at no more than 30 degrees. THANK YOU ALL 
I will need to get in touch with the police to get the drivers details to pass over to the CTC legal team and then think what to do with the bike. I am told it does not look too bad but do not think I could trust the full carbon fork to be safe. After all 2 or 3 months time when I can ride again I would not want it to fail doing 40 mph down hill and end up paralysed or dead. What would you do?
. A lady from a nearby shop brought out a blanket and covered me up and I could here people coming up saying they were fist aiders and could they help. My faith in people's kindness is restored. A few minutes later I heard a voice I sort of half recognised and I heard her say she was a doctor, she knelt beside me and asked my name I told her and the first thing she said was how is Sandra (Sandra is my darling wife) I laughed and instantly regretted it. I was now reassured that I was in good hands with our own GP. By this time I had been down for perhaps 25 minutes and starting to get cold the doctor put her coat over me. The doctor rang my wife and told her what had happened. The police then turned up and put a foil blanket over me this did not help and I started to shiver uncontrollably which in turn made the pain in my back worse. Luckily for me my wife then arrived which gave me a boost to get back in control. It was about 55 minutes in and I could hear the ambulance in the distance I knew that I would have to suffer being moved but also knew that I would be in a nice warm ambulance. The crew finally got to me and assessed the situation. Some how the police managed to move the car which was virtually touching my head and the ambulance crew went to work after a few checks they took my helmet off and then cut off yes cut off my prized Deuter airflow bag they then tried to find a brace for my neck but did not have one to fit so the doctor held my neck while the ambulance boys got me on a spinal board then put blocks around my head and taped it all together. Then in to the ambulance and warmth at last .I had been laying on the wet cold road for over an hour. One of the police men got in the ambulance with me and my wife rang work to tell them I may be late, oh and could the boss come out and collect my bike 1 hour 50 after the accident we got to A&E on the way the police officer cautioned me and asked some questions which I thought odd, he came in to A&E with me where I was seen straight away no waiting for me. I was checked over then to my horror they cut my jacket off followed by the very special merino wool jersey the kids had bought me then my near new bib longs this is where the horror shifted to the poor nurse who realised us cyclist go commando. I was lucky she had some awfully big scissors which could have chopped something off with ease. They started pumping me full of morphine which was most unplesent until it started to work and the pain went away. I then went for about a hundred x rays and nearly wet myself it took so long. I was so glad my wife was with me to help me aim in to the bottle those poor young nurses would have been traumatised.
Eventually the x rays were ready and I got worried when the doctor came back looking very concerned. He was not 100% sure but he thought I had broken my back. I got really worried for my wife but she was fine. I had to then go for a CT scan which did show that I had a fracture and compression to the L1 vertebrae. He then shocked me when he said we had in his opinion two options. 1 to operate and insert a plate or 2 fit a body brace. He said he was sending me to the orthopaedic ward where I would be seen by a consultant probably on Monday. Luckily for me the consultant came in early Saturday to see me
he looked at all the pictures and scans and decided surgery would be too dangerous and a brace too restrictive. As the vertebrae is so well supported he has put me on a course of pain killers and Oramorphe to control the pain followed by physio to mobilise. I have still got a painfull few weeks ahead of me but am thankful to all the fantastic people that helped me in the last few days from the lady that covered me with that blanket to the paramedics, hospital staff and the lovely lady that brings the tea round for me in a baby cup so I can drink it laying at no more than 30 degrees. THANK YOU ALL I will need to get in touch with the police to get the drivers details to pass over to the CTC legal team and then think what to do with the bike. I am told it does not look too bad but do not think I could trust the full carbon fork to be safe. After all 2 or 3 months time when I can ride again I would not want it to fail doing 40 mph down hill and end up paralysed or dead. What would you do?
