A Wirral man prayed for his life as he flew through the air after being flung off his bike in an accident.
Chris McDonald, 36, was cycling along Gorsey Lane, Wallasey to pick up a present for a friend when the rear tire of his bike blew on Monday night.
North West Ambulance Service confirmed to the ECHO they were called to the scene at 11.27pm on Monday, August 23. They sent a rapid response vehicle and took one male patient in his 30s to hospital.
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Speaking of the seconds he spent in the air, Chris told the ECHO : "I was just hoping and praying that I'd open my eyes afterwards. Everything was kind of just a blur."
Chris, from Birkenhead, was 'dazed' when he came to, and didn't realise the scale of his injuries until he tried to move.
He told the ECHO: "Pain was just absolutely everywhere in me, especially my arms. I didn't realise I'd done anything serious to my arms. I thought I was just a bit banged and bruised until I went to move my right arm.
"It felt like someone had snapped my arm."
People rushed to help Chris, while a young man and woman called an ambulance.
Once the rapid response vehicle arrived, a woman and her teenage son fetched a bottle of water so Chris could take pain relief.
Unable to fit the bike in the emergency vehicle, a woman took Chris' bike in for safekeeping until a bike repair shop can collect it.
Chris is thankful for their help.
He said: "They didn't have to come out to offer any help at all, but I'm just very thankful and grateful that there are still people out there willing to go above and beyond for other people.
"Especially after the last 18 months of all this Covid stuff, it's nice to see people still willing to offer a hand when people are in need."
It will take a couple of months for Chris' arms to heal, he said. This means he has to take a few weeks off work, having started a new job only last week. But he is aware the story could have been very different.
Chris continued: "I was worried that if it wasn't my arms, then I could have died."
He is now warning people to be more careful and to check their bikes regularly in case there is something wrong.
His accident has made Chris determined to not take life for granted.
He told the ECHO : "There are a lot of things before the accident that I probably wanted to change, but I think my accident has woken me up a bit and pushed me more now to make sure that I make those changes and don't take life for granted and don't take people for granted.
"Because obviously now, two fractured arms, can't do nothing for myself. You don't realise how much you rely on people until you actually need to rely on them and there are actually people there.
"So I'm very grateful that I've got such an amazing mum and family that will help me."
