International rescue for injured rider (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

International rescue for injured rider

MOTORCYCLIST Dave Hammond had to be airlifted to hospital with a serious back injury after an accident during his Paris-Dakar race challenge.

Dave of South Cerney dropped from the top of a sand dune in what racers dub the "death stage" of the contest in Mauritania.

He was later flown from Africa to a hospital near Paris where doctors operated on crushed vertebrae. He also suffered a broken collar bone and dislocated both shoulders.

At one stage of the rally, Dave was in 16th position and after an earlier accident, he was still in 20th place after bravely getting back on to his bike. He was just a day away from completing the gruelling 10,000 kilometre course from France to Dakar in Senegal, when his second accident happened.

His wife Paula and his mother have flown to Paris to be with him. His sister Trish Hammond, who runs Peter Hammond Motorcycles with him in Cirencester, said: "Dave is gutted because he had almost finished the race. It is very sad when he was doing so well.

"There had been more rain in the desert than there had been in 18 years and the dunes were solid like concrete. He knew the conditions were bad and rode accordingly.

"He went over a dune and dropped on to the hard surface. He lost feeling around his middle and the top of his legs so the medics sent him by helicopter to Dakar for an x-ray. When they realised he had crushed vertebrae, he was flown to Paris.

"The doctors in France think the rally riders are heroes, so I know he is getting the best treatment. Although his back is damaged, thank goodness his spinal cord was not severed."

Trish said she felt upbeat about his prognosis which is that he has a 70 percent chance of making a full recovery.

But it may take six to eight months for him to recover and he could be in France for several weeks.

Dave's crew - Martyn Maisey of Malmesbury and John Cooper of Brimscombe are flying home this week.

The Paris-Dakar rally sees 250 bikes, cars and trucks competing across challenging terrain.

Last year Dave was the first British rider home and in 21st place overall.