Chris Powell
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Type of Incident: Mountain bike
accident
Date of Incident: April 26, 2009
Time: 6pm
Location: Bisley,
When
a brass band decided to raise money for the Surrey Air Ambulance, they could
never have imagined that one of their members would need its help so soon.
But
that’s just what happened when cornet player Chris Powell fell off his mountain
bike and broke his neck.
He
was enjoying a Sunday evening ride along a dirt track near his home in Bisley,
He
was training for a 50-mile charity bike ride when his forks suddenly snapped,
hurling him over the handlebars.
Chris
was knocked unconscious and had to be airlifted to the nearby
X-rays
carried out at
He
said: “From what people have told me I am very, very lucky. A lot of people
don’t walk away so I think I came off rather lightly.
“I
was trying to keep fit but ended up with a broken neck. It’s not something I
would ever have imagined that I would suffer.
“When
the doctor told me how bad my injury was, my natural reaction was to nod and he
said, ‘No, don’t do that, you’ve broken your neck!’
“I
don’t remember anything about the actual accident or being flown to hospital.
It all seemed like a bit of a dream or a nightmare I should say.
“It
was only the second time I had been in a helicopter, the first was when I was a
kid, so it’s a shame I can’t remember anything about it.
“But
the thing that sticks in my head is lying in the ward with this contraption
around my neck, not being able to move.”
Chris
also suffered a de-gloved bottom lip and a dislodged tooth following his
accident in April, 2009, and spent a week in hospital.
It
ruled him out of playing for the Friary Guildford Band which had nominated the
Surrey Air Ambulance as its charity of the year just four months earlier.
But
just before Christmas that year, Chris picked up his cornet again and helped
raise £1,500 for the charity by playing carols at Debenhams in
He
was reunited with the crew who saved him when he visited their base at Dunsfold
to thank them for saving his life.
He
said: “You don’t realise the air ambulance exists until you have to use it.
“I
wanted to visit the base to see if it jogged any memories of people I had seen
that day but it didn’t. I just thanked the crew for being there and doing the
job they do.
“It’s
an excellent service and I was surprised that it was self-funding. I just
assumed it was part of the NHS.
“Obviously,
for me it was a good thing to have but I never expected to be using it within
four months of our band deciding to raise money for them.
“Now
I feel I have repaid my dues or at least helped towards the cost of the
service.”
Chris,
a project manager for Transport for
He
was planning to sue the manufacturers of his bike for compensation over an
alleged design fault.
He
added: “It had quite an impact on my life through missing work, especially as I
hadn’t had a day off sick for five years prior to this.
“It
has not put me off cycling because I can’t remember it. If I could remember the
pain I was in, I probably wouldn’t get back on a bike.”
Chris
and fellow members of the Friary Guildford Band took time out from their
rehearsals to hand over their cheque to Surrey Air Ambulance pilot Steve Wood.
“Thanks
to their quick response, Chris’s recovery was faster than it might otherwise
have been.”
