A MOTORCYCLIST who came face to face with death when his bike crashed and burst into flames has met the air ambulance crew who flew to his rescue.

Dick Allaker had to be dragged clear from the flaming wreckage of his bike which collided with a car on the A167 at Thinford roundabout, near Spennymoor, in County Durham, on August 12 last year.

The welder from Pittington broke both of his legs and was left with a shattered pelvis, broken back, arm, ribs, nerve damage and internal injuries.

The Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) flew the 53-year-old to James Cook University Hospital, in Middlesbrough, where he arrived in a critical condition and was placed in an induced coma for two and a half weeks.

“Without getting to hospital so quickly, I would not have survived,” said Mr Allaker, on meeting paramedics Andy Mawson and Mark Cotgrave who treated him at the scene. “I wanted to thank everyone for what they had done. It was absolutely amazing to be able to shake their hand.

“I’ve never had a crash where I’ve needed an ambulance in 40 years of biking, and then all of a sudden I’m relying on all of these people around to help me.

“You never think it’s going to happen to you but I’ve been left feeling very humble from the experience.”

On the Injury Severity Scale - an established medical score which identifies 15 as a major trauma and 75 as unsurvivable – Mr Allaker was given 57.

Mr Mawson said: “A score like Dick’s would suggest that the patient is unlikely to survive. He is a very lucky man.”

Mr Allaker, who met the team with his fiancée Kathryn Moore, cannot yet walk unaided.

However, he has bought a 900CC Yamaha motorbike as he hopes his mobility will improve in the future so he can get back on a bike again.

In November Mr Allaker met and thanked two passersby, Adam Tomlinson and Peter Senior, who pulled him to safety.

His soon-to-be wife has already raised £1,000 for GNAAS and she will take part in the Great North Run in September for the charity.

A keen biker herself, Miss Moore said: “Going to see the aircrew was about putting the final pieces of the jigsaw together and being able to meet all the people who saved him. They are invaluable.”

To support Miss Moore’s fundraising visit: justgiving.com/Kathryn-Moore3