Brain injury man wants to give something back
Jul 22, 2013
A Dumfries man who suffered a serious head injury in a car crash is taking to the road on his bike to raise charity cash.
by Sandy Kilpatrick, Dumfries & Galloway Standard
A Dumfries man who suffered a serious head injury in a car crash is taking to the road on his bike to raise charity cash.
James Carrick, 44, from Georgetown, was a passenger in a car hit by a van in 1991.
He had slipped out of his seatbelt for a moment to pick up a lighter when the van ploughed into the car.
James smashed his face against the dashboard and spent six weeks in a coma at the Southern General hospital in Glasgow.
And even 22 years later, the Georgetown man still has flashbacks of the smash.
He said: “It was like I was in a nightmare.
“When I woke from the coma I was in a wheelchair, my jaws were wired up and I couldn’t walk.
“When I tried to get up I broke my hip, thankfully I was in the right place when that happened.”
It took patriotic James, who is never seen without a kilt, years to gradually recover from the trauma.
Now he wants to raise cash for brain charity Headway and Dumfries Infirmary by undertaking a sponsored cycle from Dumfries to Carlisle.
He said: “I had to learn how to walk again and I was in speech therapy for a year.
“My left side of my body isn’t as strong as my right. I used to enjoy hill walking and fishing but I can’t do them any more because it’s too difficult to balance. Cycling is one of the things I still can do.
“It’s been difficult sometimes. Because of my brain injury my speech is slow and people just assume I’m drunk but I don’t let it bother me.”
James added: “I’ve recovered enough now to do this challenge. I have the confidence again to be back on the road. I’m just waiting for a good day to do it this summer.
“I feel that somebody did something good for me and I’m just passing it on.”
If you’d like to sponsor James’ trek you can do so by calling him on 07511905267. Sponsors sheets will be available at Headway House, Afton Drive, Summerhill.
by Sandy Kilpatrick, Dumfries & Galloway Standard
Midsteeple, High Street
Dumfries DG1 2BH
t: 01387 257770
e: info@dgvoice.co.uk
Dumfries DG1 2BH
t: 01387 257770
e: info@dgvoice.co.uk
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