'I wasn't scared to get back on my bike after crash'

This time last year, Harry Pyett was lying in a hospital bed having broken his thigh and collarbone after being flung over the handlebars of his £3,000 motorbike.

The 20-year-old, from Ipswich, had crashed his Lexmoto LXS 125 after skidding on a section of gravel on a bend along the B1078 in Hemingstone, Suffolk.

Immobilised and in agony, he was stranded in the middle of the road and at the mercy of oncoming traffic, until two off-duty doctors and a nurse rushed to his aid.

During a week at Ipswich Hospital, he underwent surgery to repair his leg, with doctors having to use a titanium rod to realign the bone.

After returning home to begin a lengthy period of recovery, he was heavily reliant on crutches but acknowledged he was "very lucky" to be able to walk at all.

Despite surviving such a bad crash, all Harry could think about was getting back on the bike.

"All I wanted to do was to just get back on my bike," he said.

"It was summer, so I was missing out on basically everything, so I was really down in the dumps about it as I couldn't walk and I couldn't do anything.

"Then my mentality changed and my main focus was just to get better, so I was feeling kind of motivated."

Despite the severity of the ordeal - which happened on Easter Monday - Harry was back on the road just two months later.

"It was just the best feeling ever and I was so happy just to get back on it, I was thrilled and happy, it was amazing.

"When I got back on my bike it was still a little bit painful, because obviously your legs are a bit bent, but it wasn't as painful as walking on it was."

He continued: "I was never really scared to get back on the bike, but if I was, then it would've been very important to get over it, get back on it, and start from the beginning again."

Harry also had to attend physiotherapy sessions and do strengthening exercises in the gym to help his return to walking.

Harry had been wearing a crash helmet and leather jacket, but cargo trousers and trainers instead of protective trousers and boots.

In the UK, a helmet is the only item of safety clothing that must be worn while riding a motorbike, and statistics show doing so can help prevent fatal injuries by 37%.

According to government data, in 2023, 315 motorcyclists were killed in Britain, while more than 5,400 were reported to have been seriously injured.

Rebecca Guy, from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, has said wearing protective clothing minimises the risk of serious injuries.

It's something Harry has taken on board.

Unlike before, whenever he goes out on a ride, he is kitted out head to toe in protective gear, much to the relief of mum Victoria Pyett.

"At first, I wanted to wrap him in cotton wool, and I've actually only just relaxed a little bit," the 46-year-old said.

"When he got back on the bike I had to hold back my fear, but he is a big boy and I'm actually proud of the way he's got over it and got back on it.

"But he will openly say the crash was his fault and it has humbled him - he doesn't think he's Valentino Rossi any more."

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