A motorcyclist who lost his leg following a horror crash with a motorhome on the A9 in the Black Isle is continuing his recovery nearly four years after almost losing his life.
Andy Rudge was travelling north to Wick on the A9 Inverness to Thurso road on July 25, 2019.
The 44-year-old was planning to complete the NC500, however, his trip came to an abrupt end at the B9169 Culbokie junction.
He was rushed to Raigmore Hospital in a serious condition before being placed in a medically induced coma and flown by plane to Aberdeen three days later.
He suffered major internal injuries, more than 20 broken bones, and nerve damage, before having his right leg amputated.
Almost four years on, Mr Rudge says daily life remains a “graft”.
A long road to recovery
The businessman, who lives in Warrington, says the last thing he remembers is filling up his motorbike with petrol in Aviemore, more than 39 miles from where the crash happened.
“I actually thought I was only just outside of Aviemore when I had the accident. I didn’t realise I was more than 30 miles away until recently,” Mr Rudge added.
“Following the crash, I just remember lying face down in the gravel and I was asking them to cut my leathers off because I was sweating. It was the hottest day of the year.
“The next thing I knew I was in the hospital and my business partner and my brother were there. That was six-and-a-half hours later.
“The lady said to me, I had a kinked carotid artery and I was moving about apparently so they had to put me in a coma.
“I had loads of mad vivid dreams and then I woke up in Aberdeen.”
He added: “I couldn’t move at first. It took me four to five months to be able to move. I couldn’t talk for the first four months because of my tracheostomy.
“I had to communicate by miming and trying to get everyone to lip-read what you’re saying is quite frustrating. All I could move was my left foot.”
Hours of surgery and years of recovery
To date, he has undergone 77 hours of surgery, with further procedures on the horizon.
Following a stint at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, he was transferred to Aintree University Hospital in Liverpool to be closer to his family.
When Covid struck in early 2020, Mr Rudge was receiving treatment at a rehabilitation centre in Sheffield.
Another 12 weeks later, his leg was amputated after complications. Mr Rudge says losing his leg was a huge adjustment. However, he remains thankful to just be alive.
“There was a time when there were three or four different surgical consultants in the room and they devised this plan of what they were going to do just before Covid started,” Mr Rudge said.
“I said to them, ‘I trust you all because you do this day in and day out,’ and they all looked at each other and said, ‘No Andrew, most people like you end up in the morgue.’
“Every day is a graft. It’s been hard as I was quite an active guy before.”
Helmet praised for saving life
Mr Rudge says his helmet, a £700 Shoei helmet, went a long way towards saving his life,
He said: “I do believe the helmet saved my life. I have still got the helmet. It has got chunks out of it and scratches all over it but structurally it’s still got its integrity. That’s what’s allowed me to carry on knowing what day it is.”
Despite having his life turned completely upside down, he is urging others, who find themselves in a similar situation, to fight on.
Mr Rudge added: “It’s absolutely not the end of the world but it is not going to happen overnight. You have got to want to do it.
“Every single day I get up, I have a shower and put clean clothes on, even if I don’t want to get up.
“People will help you. It is not a world where people won’t help you, but first you have to want to help yourself.”
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