'It was either my leg or my life'

Keith Taylor lost his left leg following his motorcycle crash

A motorcyclist who spent two months in hospital after landing 185ft (about 55m) away from his bike in a crash has relived the moments that saved his life.

Keith Taylor was airlifted to hospital following the early-hours collision with a car near his south Norfolk home, and the severity of the injuries to his left leg meant surgeons had to amputate it above the knee.

Mr Taylor had been riding motorbikes for more than 30 years, but his passion nearly proved fatal.

He was given blood transfusions at the scene, and Mr Taylor recalls: "They told me it was either my leg or my life."

It happened on the A143 near Needham on Thursday, 17 February 2022, shortly after 05:30 GMT, which was Mr Taylor's usual time to leave home.

He was 59 at the time and working as a machine operator.

"I can remember the whole accident," he said. "My arm and leg were caught in the wheels of my motorbike."

The East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA) crew sent to the scene sedated Mr Taylor and gave him pain relief so they could work on his leg, but the damage was too severe.

But following the crash, he learned to walk again during four and a half months in a rehabilitation centre.

"They told me I'd never walk again," Mr Taylor explained. "It was very emotional. I was in tears when I took my first steps."

Keith Taylor with critical care paramedic Rod Wells

With the left side of his body taking the brunt of the traumatic impact of the crash, he was unable to continue in his job.

The car driver, a man in his early 40s, was sentenced in July 2023 to three years in prison after admitting causing serious injury by dangerous driving. He was also banned from driving for five years.

Mr Taylor, now 63, no longer rides motorcycles but has recently been able to retake his driving test.

He is sharing his story to raise awareness of the crucial donations required to keep the air ambulance running.

"The EAAA crew said they used almost every piece of equipment they carried on the helicopter to save my life," he said.

"If it wasn't for the air ambulance and the charity's supporters who fund this life-saving service, I wouldn't have made it."

The EAAA, which covers Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk, says each incident it is called to costs an average of £4,250.

Critical care paramedic Rod Wells, who was part of the crew that tended to Mr Taylor, said: "It's a privilege to do the job that we do, but it's thanks to kind donations and fundraising from the communities that we serve that critically injured and unwell people can have the best possible chance of survival.

"Lives, like Keith's, can be saved."