“I still had my helmet on, and they held the phone up to my ear…”
A MAN from Berwick-upon-Tweed has opened up about the moment a passer-by had to hold up the phone to his ear so he could call his wife following a motorbike accident that left him with life-changing injuries.
Philip Heywood was heading to work for the first time since the pandemic back in May 2022 when he was involved in a collision with a car.
Philip said: “I remember it was a beautiful day. I am a contractor and was projecting managing a job for the Scottish Government.
“I was riding on the English side of the border on a road I am familiar with and made a mistake while overtaking a car. I went flying through the air and landed in a ditch on my back.
“I remember just lying there staring at the sky.”
The 54-year-old recalls looking down and noticing that his foot was at a right angle.
Philip said: “I thought to myself, with a leg in that state, I’m not sure if it will be recoverable. I could also see a lump sticking through my jeans, and the lump was seeping blood which was from my bone.
“I remember it all, nothing is a blur. I was lying there watching the clouds go past and time really seemed to slow down before the pain hit me. I felt quite relaxed which must have been the adrenaline.”
Drivers stopped to help Philip, and he asked them to locate his phone to call his wife, Coleen.
Philip said: “I still had my helmet on, and they held the phone up to my ear. I rang her and I thought I am going to have to be calm here.
“I said I have been in an accident, but I am fine, and I am just waiting for the ambulance. I didn’t want to burden her by telling her about my injuries.
“My wife has Parkinson’s disease, and already has a bit to deal with, so I didn’t want to exaggerate that.”
The Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) arrived on scene and told Philip they would need to straighten his leg.
Mr Heywood said: “The team kept me calm and administered painkillers.
“The GNAAS team was so confident – they just knew exactly what they were doing.
“The service is just amazing, and I didn’t realise it was a charity. I kept thinking about what would have happened without it. “
GNAAS flew Philip to the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) in Newcastle where he stayed for three weeks and it was found that he had broken his collar bone, two open fractures to his femurs, and his knee had exploded.
Philip added: “I had two operations while at the RVI and had a cardiac arrest while under the anesthetic for one of them.
“Today, through physio, I can walk with a limp and manage around 1.5 miles.
“I just want to give my sincere thanks to everyone.”
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