Rob Hope was riding his motorbike when he was involved in a serious collision that left him fighting for his life.
The 43-year-old from Brampton, was riding his motorbike near Aspatria when he was involved in a collision with a van. Rob was seriously injured and was administered both blood and plasma on the roadside by our doctor and paramedic team.
The incident
Rob was riding his motorbike on the A596 between Aspatria and Prospect when he collided with a van on 4 May 2018.
Both the North West Ambulance Service and the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) arrived at the scene to assess Rob’s injuries.
The aftermath
Rob had a fractured tibia, smashed knee, femur, and hip, and a completely smashed arm.
The GNAAS doctor-led team administered both blood and plasma to Rob before airlifting him to the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) in Newcastle.
“I remember being taken to the RVI and then stabilised to see if I’d survive the night basically, because I wasn’t expected to live. So luckily enough I got there just in time,” said Rob.
The recovery
Rob spent five weeks in hospital and had plastic surgery on his leg to help heal his wounds, while his arm had to be amputated.
“I knew from when I crashed it was gone, you could tell just by the position it was in, where I thought it was it was completely different.” said Rob. “I’ve got many, many years of recovery ahead of me, lots of surgeries. I won’t be beaten by it, so bring it on.”
Fundraising
Rob visited the GNAAS base at Langwathby and met Dr Theo Weston and paramedic Terry Sharpe who treated him and thanked them for saving his life.
“Donating to the air ambulance is vital. I’m living proof I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the charity. Even the surgeons in the hospital have said I should be dead, I should have died on that tarmac. So I owe my life to the air ambulance,” said Rob.
Rob is part of the Freemasons and has supported GNAAS in the past. Since the incident his employer Crown Promotional Packaging has donated more than £1,000 to the charity.
Robs story
Help us help more people like Rob
Without your support, we would not have been able to respond in Rob’s hour of need. Please consider making a donation today.