A GARAGE owner who suffered devastating injuries in a road accident just minutes after setting off on a charity motorcycle ride has thanked those who saved his life and staff who kept his business going.
Peter Boyes, 63, is battling back to health after nearly seven weeks in hospital after suffering critical injuries in the crash on June 15.
He was airlifted to hospital with injuries including a broken pelvis, a broken left arm, broken ribs, punctured lungs and blood spots on the brain and was unconscious for about six days.
Mr Boyes is now back at his home in Kilham and although he is confined to a wheelchair for at least another month, he is recovering well from his injuries and hopes to be back at work by the end of next month.
He has no doubt he was lucky to survive and thanked everyone who helped him, both on the day of the accident and since.
“I know I am lucky to be alive – my wife was told to prepare for the worst,” he said.
Mr Boyes was on the first leg of a 4,500-mile charity ride from Kilham to Mount Olympia in Greece when the accident happened.
He had hoped to raise around £4,000 for Kings Mill School in Driffield but he had travelled only about 10 miles towards the ferry at Hull when his Triumph Tiger 800 motorcycle was involved in a collision with a silver VW Golf on the B1248 at Kilnwick crossroads.
Mr Boyes says he can remember nothing about the day of the accident but understands an ambulance on its way to another job was diverted to the scene and he was in Hull Royal Infirmary within 90 minutes. He says a doctor or paramedic specialising in trauma went with him in the ambulance and he believes he owes his life to the quick response of everyone who went to his aid, including health workers, police and hospital staff.
“There may have been other people at the scene that I don’t know anything about. The intensive care team and nursing staff at Hull Royal Infirmary were absolutely fabulous. I know the NHS gets a lot of criticism but they were absolutely fantastic,” he said.
Mr Boyes said he is disappointed that he did not raise the thousands of pounds he had hoped for the school. But he said some people had already paid their sponsorship and he has raised between £400 and £500.
He is very grateful to everyone who has supported him, including his brother, Martin, foreman Ian Hillaby and all the staff at his garage in Kilham, which he says could have been forced to close if it has not been for the way they all rallied round.
“I am very grateful to be alive and to everyone who has helped. I have had about 100 get well cards, and a constant stream of people to see me – it is just fabulous,” he said.
Mr Boyes, a motorcyclist for 47 years, says his bike was written off in the accident and he has no plans to get back in the saddle. But he still intends to raise money for the school when he is fully recovered.