“I’m so lucky to be alive.”
A motorcyclist whose bike crashed under a moving lorry before bursting into flames has relived his amazing escape.
Fire engulfed both vehicles and the heat was so intense it burned a crater in the road. But miraculously John McIntosh survived with only broken bones, while the truck driver was shocked but unhurt.
John, who has just celebrated the 40th birthday he almost didn’t live to see, said: “I am lucky to be alive. When you look at the burned-out remains of the bike and the truck it’s just hard to believe anyone could have walked away.”
John, from Fyvie in Aberdeenshire, fractured his arm, ankle and leg, as well as a rib, in the June smash on an unclassified country road east of his workplace at ice cream manufacturers Mackies in Rothienorman.
The skin covering his knee was also ripped back exposing the bone.
John was rushed by ambulance to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary where he underwent surgery and his broken bones were placed in plaster casts. After a week, John, a hygiene supervisor, was allowed home.
He has just had the casts removed and only now feels able to speak about his ordeal.
He said: “I was on my way to work when it happened. I wouldn’t usually take the bike but I was re-doing the brakes on my car, so that day I did. The foliage at the roadside had grown because of the warm weather and visibility around corners wasn’t great.
“As soon as I was round the corner, it was a case of ‘whoa, truck’. I didn’t get time to think. I pointed my bike down the edge of the truck and hoped for the best.
“I bounced off the side then hit the ground. As I lay there I saw my bike wedged under the cab of the lorry and a little orange glow. Then it started exploding.
“The truck driver came to help me and I told him we had to get out of there. It all happened so fast, I can’t remember how I got away. I knew we were in great danger. It only took minutes from the impact to the bike bursting into flames. All you could hear were things popping and the roar of the fire.”
John, an experienced motorcyclist, had bought the dream bike, a Yamaha TDM 850cc, three weeks before the accident for £1,500.
He said: “Obviously I’m disappointed about the bike, but it’s more important that both the truck driver and I are OK although he was very shaken- up.”
On his 40th birthday in July, John’s brother Iain, 38, who shares the same birthday, threw him a surprise party at his house near Turriff. John said: “It was great. My family and pals were there. I really enjoyed it.”
And he says his dog, Levi, brings him joy every day. “He is really good for me,” said John.
“He is a demanding dog and needs two good walks each day, which was a bit of a challenge but we got round that when I got a mobility scooter. He will be great for me when I start physiotherapy and will give me a good reason to get out and walking properly again.”
John plans to go back to work, where he will initially take on light duties. And he hopes to get back on a motorbike as soon as he has regained his strength.
He said: “I certainly plan to be riding motorbikes again but am taking each day as it comes.”
Enjoy the convenience of having The Sunday Post delivered as a digital ePaper straight to your smartphone, tablet or computer.
Subscribe for only £5.49 a month and enjoy all the benefits of the printed paper as a digital replica.
Subscribe