A LIFE-long cyclist from Warwick has thanked the air ambulance for helping him get back on his bike months after a devastating accident
Seventy-five year-old John Murphy credits the Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance with saving his life after he suffered multiple serious injuries after coming off his bike.
John has been racing since his teenage years and continues to ride with the Kenilworth Wheelers Cycling Club. Just two days before the incident, he had completed a 55-mile road race in Loughborough. But on August 13 last year, what began as a routine club ride through the countryside quickly turned dangerous.
As the group descended Walton Lane in Warwickshire, John hit a deep pothole at around 25 to 30 miles per hour. The impact threw him from his bike, leaving him with a broken collarbone, six fractured ribs, and a neck fracture.
With no ambulance immediately available, his friends were preparing to drive him to hospital themselves when the sound of rotor blades cut through the air. The WNAA crew landed nearby and delivered urgent care at the scene.
Dr Stuart Maitland-Knibb and critical care paramedic Matt Stringfellow administered advanced pain relief before transferring John to University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire.
John spent five nights in hospital before beginning his long road to recovery. Several months later, he finally returned to cycling.
John said: “It was only 20 miles, but it felt incredible. I can only repeat my thanks for all the help I was given. I never ever thought I’d be indebted to the air ambulance.”
