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@pigfarmer
John here. Apologies for the delay, but no computer at home so using a friends. The guy riding with him out to Easts, best i could do with the photo, don't know how to get it straight up.
I was about 5 meters behind him, there was no traffic in our lane so we were riding down the middle of the lane. The car just indicated and moved across the raod as Paul was coming up on him. I saw the car moving but assumed he would just give enough room, instead he just carried on. Paul slammed on the brakes - front too hard and flipped over the bars. He hit the car with his back and planted the tarmac with his face!
I dropped the bike and ran to him. A pool of blood surrounding his head, face ripped to sh*t and he was pretty drowsy. I told him to stay still and physically had to hold him down to stop him getting up. He said "John, I'm going to the pub!". Astonishing stuff!
Anyway, as you heard the ambulance, etc turned up. The paramedics started cutting his Assos jacket. The boy started to get enraged. But when it came to his vintage Russian velodrome shirt I heard him tell the paramedics there was no way in hell they were cutting that.
Anyway, I had to deal with the cops whilst he was taken to A&E, bout an hour and a half later I finally got there. All braced up on a casualty bed, blood all over him wasn't a pretty sight. I asked him how he was feeling, any pain and he told me he was fine. A few minutes later the casualty nurse asked him if he was still in pain and wanted some more morphine. "Oh yes, it all still really hurts, I'd love more morphine". Whilst getting injected he turns to me smiles and winks at me. He then proceeded to say the same thing everytime he was asked! By the end of it he was just laying on the bed laughing away to himself.
Anyway the damage was such:
fractured cheekbone
fractured jaw
fractured vertabrae(sic)
split liver (from the impact)
facial lasserations
and the very distinct possibility that he's broken his wrist (he told me this yesterday when I went down to see him.
Good news is he should be absolutely fine. No surgery is going to be performed. The doctor couldn't beleive he hadn't shattered his bones due to his age, so good news.
For those interested he is at the Royal London Hospital (Whitechapel), near the tube station. He's in Harrison Ward and his name is Paul Rowntree. Visiting hours are 1400 to 1900hrs if anyone fancies saying hello. He will DEFINATELY be in there untill saturday afternoon at the earliest. I'm on my way down in an hour or so, got the cards from last night.
Talk of next Thursdays drinks being moved to the White Horse, Parsons Green close to him just as a one off were in the air last night, but I'll leave that to Murtle to organise...