Our Impact Patient Stories “My whole world came unstuck when I was hit by a car” - Josh's Story Josh Smith was visiting his cousin when he was involved in a motorcycle incident where he suffered multiple traumatic injuries, including a severe head trauma. Our team arrived on scene to help him before he was flown to Southmead Hospital. Josh kindly shares his story, including his difficult journey of recovery. A Normal Family Day That Changed Everything It all started on the morning of Sunday 3rd of September 2023. My family and I had just got back from the Manx Grand Prix (as I’m an amateur motorcycle road racer). My daughter was going to her nan’s for the day and my fiancée and I were heading to my dad’s house for a BBQ. I had just dropped my daughter off and arrived at my dad’s when my cousin rang, asking if I could pop over and help him with his race bike. I asked my dad if I could take his motorcycle, as it was already out, and he said yes. I left my fiancée with my dad, hopped on his motorcycle and went to my cousin’s house in Easton (Wells). After helping him with his bike for a while I noticed that I had a few missed calls from my partner. I had been at my cousins for too long – it was time to go! A Life‑Threatening Collision on the A371 I left my cousin’s house at around 13:30 and was not two miles down the road before my whole world came unstuck when I was hit by a car. I went from 50mph to zero in seconds, resulting in a severe head trauma injury, as well as a fractured collarbone, broken ribs, arm (top and bottom), wrist, fingers, a damaged pelvis and a fractured spine. Critical Care at the Roadside and a Flight to Major Trauma Centre I left my cousin’s house at around 13:30 and was not two miles down the road before my whole world came unstuck when I was hit by a car. I went from 50mph to zero in seconds, resulting in a severe head trauma injury, as well as a fractured collarbone, broken ribs, arm (top and bottom), wrist, fingers, a damaged pelvis and a fractured spine. All of this was unfolding while my partner was waiting at my dad’s house for me to start the BBQ. The first she heard was when she saw a Facebook post about an accident on the A371. My dad told her to go and see if she could find out more, but just as she was getting into her car, a police car pulled up outside… her heart sank. She said the police officer was there for no time at all before the air ambulance helicopter flew over the house heading towards Bristol (Southmead Hospital) with me in it. Weeks in Intensive Care and the Start of Recovery Thankfully, Dr James Keegan and the rest of the air ambulance team reached me in time and got me to hospital – if they hadn’t, my story could have ended very differently. I spent one month in Southmead Hospital, with two weeks on the Intensive Care Unit. I was then transferred to Royal United Hospital, Bath, where I spent another month on the Helena Ward, before finally being moved to Frenchay Brain Injury Unit, where I began coming to terms with what had happened. At that point, I just wanted to go home as I hadn’t seen my daughter in six weeks, so it was all becoming very hard for me. Meeting the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance Crew Who Saved My Life My recovery journey so far has involved intense physio sessions at the Hobbs Rehabilitation Intensive Neurotherapy Centre in Bristol, as well as lots of appointments with different doctors and specialists around the UK. My life is slowly getting back to normal – or as close as it will ever be! DSAA’s Patient and Family Liaison Team are great. Kirsty Caswell recently arranged a visit to the airbase to meet James again and see the helicopter that flew me to hospital that day. My daughter absolutely loved it, and I had the chance to say how thankful I was that they were there. Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance do a fantastic job and helped me to see my family again. For that, I will always be eternally grateful. The DSAA team who attended [patient name]’s incident were: James, Michelle, Paul and James. View from the Crew: James, Critical Care Doctor We got to Josh shortly after the incident and he was showing signs of significant head, chest and arm injuries. We were able to provide an anaesthetic at the roadside to protect his brain and put him onto a ventilator to make his breathing safe. We flew him immediately to the major trauma centre in Bristol where he could receive the care he needed from the specialist teams in trauma care and neurosurgery. It was fantastic to see him making such good progress when he kindly visited us at the airbase recently. View from the Crew: Kirsty, Patient and Family Liaison Nurse Team Manager Josh has made a remarkable recovery from a very serious incident where he suffered life-threatening injuries. Supporting him in his recovery is a pleasure, as he is an inspiration to so many other trauma patients with his dedication to his rehabilitation, which is still on-going two years later. Next: Mandy's story Manage Cookie Preferences