A CYCLIST who came within a millimetre of severing his spinal cord after a freak incident at Gisburn Forest Hub, Gisburn, is set to appear on Helicopter ER next week.

Dale Newman, from Southport, was cycling with friends at the park, popular with cyclists, walkers and horse riders, on August 25, last year, when the tyres of his mountain bike skidded on the grass and he plunged into a ditch.

“I don’t remember how I lost control. My friend didn’t see the accident either as he was a good 30 seconds behind me, he just found me lying there”, said Dale.

Dale’s friend Andy attempted to call emergency services, but due to the remote area where Dale had his accident, there was no mobile phone signal.

Andy walked Dale to a nearby barn where they found a group of cyclists, including an off duty midwife who looked after Dale while Andy went to find a signal and was able to guide the medics to their location.

The Yorkshire Air Ambulance was dispatched and after assessing Dale’s serious injuries, they decided to fly him to the nearest major trauma centre at Preston Royal Infirmary.

Tests revealed that Dale had severely fractured his neck - he had split his C1 and C2 and crushed a number of his thoracic vertebraes. He had fractured his sternum, collar bone and also bruised his heart, and was just one millimetre away from severing his spinal cord, which would have left him paralysed.

Dale was in hospital for 11 days and his recovery has been a slow and painful process, but he is now back at work and almost fully recovered.

“I’m incredibly lucky that I’m going to make a full recovery, and I’ve taken a decision to use that drive and do everything I can in life now”, he said.

The episode, which airs on Channel Really at 9pm on Monday, June 8 also features a high speed crash that led to a long battle to release a badly injured young driver, and a patient repeatedly punched in the chest after his rare heart condition forces the crew to deliver a bizarre treatment.

Helicopter ER is made by York-based Air Television which has won five Royal Television Society awards for their work on the compelling series. Missed episodes can be viewed for free on D Play: https://www.dplay.co.uk/show/helicopter-er

Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) serves five million people across Yorkshire and carries out more than 1,500 missions every year.

The charity operates two, state-of-the-art Airbus H145 helicopters and needs to raise £12,000 every day to keep saving lives.

Gisburn Forest Hub has reopened, although the cafe, bike hire, and play areas remain closed.