A South Shields biker speaks in horror as a car rolls over his body after he was knocked down UK News

Mark McCourt had just seconds to react when he collided with a car while driving along a country road near Middleton-in-Teesdale, County Durham, in April from last year. The 39-year-old said he tried to drive around the car but they collided, throwing him off his bike, over the bonnet and skidding along the road.

As Mark lay conscious face down on the road, the car continued to move in his direction and rolled onto his stomach, crushing his pelvic area and the force flipping him onto his back.

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“I was driving and I could see a white car at a crossroads in front of me,” Mark said.

“I suddenly saw that he was starting to come out. All I thought about was please don’t hit me.

“I had about 15 meters to react. The front of the car hit the bike, I hit the bonnet and I kept going down the road.

“I felt the hard knock on my left side and was awake as the left front and rear wheels of the car rolled over my pelvis. I don’t think the driver realized he had me crashed and he thought I was where my bike was.

“I was screaming in pain and tried to get up but couldn’t move.”

Mark was airlifted to the Major Trauma Center at James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, where specialist medical staff operated on him. He had broken his pelvis, left leg, knee, ribs and a fractured vertebrate, as well as damaged internal organs, including his urethra, which is the tube that allows urine to exit the body.

The former marine engineer underwent several operations, including emergency surgery two days after his stay in hospital when his chest and neck swelled, causing him difficulty breathing.

Mark was temporarily paralyzed by the incident and left hospital after nearly four weeks, once he was able to sit up out of bed. He had to stay in a medical bed in his living room and use a wheelchair to go to the toilet.

Mark added: “I’m so lucky to have the support around me. My fiancée Maria was amazing because I couldn’t get out of bed on my own.

“She had to help me go to the bathroom and wash myself. If I had been single, I would have had to live with my parents and ask my mother to do that, which is not expected when we are in our thirties.

“When things are taken away from you, you appreciate the little things like a shower and cleaning your own teeth.”

It took Mark 12 weeks before he could put weight on his feet and walk for the first time. Now, a year later, Mark has had seven operations and is receiving specialist treatment in London for his damaged bladder and urethra.

He is undergoing physiotherapy for his pelvic area and walks with a limp due to weakness in his left leg.

Mark said: “It’s been a long journey and I haven’t finished it yet. Infections and setbacks depress you.

“When people look at me now, compared to a year ago, they are amazed at the progress I have made. But although the scars and bruises are gone and I am walking again, my life is not still not the same.

“I still have trouble going to the toilet. I am awaiting reconstruction work on my bladder and urethra and I have nerve damage in my pelvic area.

“People don’t see the psychological impact of something like that either. I still have night terrors about it and I’ve had PTSD, which I’ve sought help for.”

Mark, a former marine engineer who has spent most of his life working on tankers, was about to start his “dream job” as an ROV pilot two days after the crash. However, due to his injuries and the risk of bleeding, he was told he could no longer work at sea.

Now Mark has teams up with thetrauma team who treated him at te James Cook University Hospital will launchDay One Trauma Support at James Cook, a charity that supports patients and families. Day One provides a social worker alongside NHS staff on the ward to support some of the North East’s most seriously injured people and their families facing physical, emotional and financial challenges.

“Although what happened to me was horrific, I was lucky to have the support of my family around me to pull me through,” Mark said.

“I received excellent care from the hospital staff, but when a major physical trauma happens to you, there are so many questions going through your mind and you don’t know where to turn. It’s fantastic that day one is here to help people like me and my family navigate the system, and I look forward to giving back and using my experience to help others in the North East.

Lucy…