Sam Ford-Powell, 23, from Whitehaven, was riding his bike to his friend’s house, and travelling on the A596 near Siddick, when the road surface changed, causing him to be thrown over his handlebars.

Recalling what happened Sam said: “I was going round a corner, went to overtake a car, and the bike started to wobble like it normally does there. I managed to stabilise the bike, but less than a second later, the tyres crossed onto a different section of tarmac. As soon as they did, the bike threw me over the handlebars.

“The initial impact was to my head, then my helmet flew off, and then me and the helmet were sliding along the floor.”

The Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) attended the scene of the incident, which occurred on 4 May 2025, and worked alongside the North West Ambulance Service to assess and treat Sam.

His mother Vikki Ford-Powell, 52, was gardening at home when she heard the news about her son.

She said: “He’s a good driver so I wasn’t really worried about him going out. He was only going to Maryport and it was a nice sunny day, and then about 2pm-ish I got a friend request on Facebook, and I nearly ignored it, but I recognised the dog.

“It turned out to be the partner of the friend Sam was going to, and after I accepted the request, his friend rang immediately and said “he didn’t get here, he always gets here on time, and I know there’s an air ambulance on the road.”

Vikki rang 999 and after providing the registration of Sam’s bike, she was informed that he came off his bike, and the air ambulance was in attendance.

Sam had split his head open, split his jaw in two, crushed the base of his skull, and had stable fractures around his neck and spine, as well as a lot of road rash.

GNAAS paramedic Iain Nellis, who responded to the scene, said: “Sam had suffered facial and head injuries and required a general anaesthetic. The facial fractures included the bones around Sam’s eye socket; he had bleeding behind the eye which was crushing it against the broken bones of the socket.

“To release the pressure and try to save Sams sight we performed a procedure called a lateral canthotomy. It’s a relatively simple procedure where we make incisions and cut ligaments that allow the eye to move forwards within the socket, reduce the pressure and hopefully save the patient’s sight.”

Sam was airlifted to Royal Preston Hospital for further treatment and when Vikki and his dad Ken arrived at the hospital, they were told their son’s injuries were life-threatening.

Vikki said: “For the next seven days I just sat beside his bed and every time the staff came in they said he was really poorly. I said I know that I just need you to tell me if he is getting better.”

Sam spent around a month in hospital, where he unfortunately suffered multiple brain bleeds and strokes, and pneumonia.

Upon hearing the news of his incident, members of the motorcycle club Liar’s Dice, based in Carlisle, where he is now secretary, rallied around him and his family. The club provided ongoing support throughout Sam’s recovery, including fundraising, and he also received support from his friends in Bangladesh, where he is originally from.

The funds were used to buy a wheelchair and help fix Sam’s tooth which had been split in the crash, and the rest was donated to GNAAS.

Sam was able to stand without aids after four months and began walking a few steps fairly soon after that.

It took him around nine months to walk properly again, and he credits his German Shepherd, who was already his assistance dog before the incident, with being a “massive help” throughout his recovery.

In appreciation of GNAAS, Vikki has signed up to donate to the charity on a monthly basis and also raised more than £1,000 from taking part in walking challenges, including virtually walking the length of Hadrian’s Wall Path, which is 84 miles, and walking 21 miles from Coniston to Barrow with her daughter Jess.

Sam and Vikki recently visited GNAAS’ base in Langwathby, Penrith and met paramedic Iain to thank him for his help

Iain said: “It was genuinely great to see Sam looking so well and chat to him about our common love of motorbikes.”

Vikki added: “I don’t really have words to say how thankful and grateful I am because Sam wouldn’t be here without them at all. They 100% saved his life.”