Sheep breaks cyclist's neck

Aug 16 2012 By Jackie Grant

CHARITY cyclist Simon  Kirk broke his neck in a freak training accident when he collided with a sheep.

Simon was left unconscious and covered in blood after the collision during preparation for a Lands  End to John O Groats challenge.

The former Dumfries man, who  now lives in Ayr, suffered horrific  injuries when he ploughed into  the rogue sheep while training  with best pal Richard Smith.

Simon, 39, told the Standard:  Richard initially thought that I  might be dead because I was unconscious on the ground for 30 to 40 seconds.

With no mobile phone signal,  and Simon lying unconscious on the ground, Richard was relieved when a  couple passing in their car  stopped and took them to Ayr Hospital.

But Simon had to be transferred to the spinal injuries unit  at the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow where tests revealed he had two fractures in his neck.

He had also broken his jaw in the collision on a remote road in  Ayrshire.

Simon recalled: I was riding at some speed and the sheep looked  up and saw me but, instead of  hurdling the barrier, it ran into it  and with the combination of the  speed I was going, coupled with  the downhill road, there was no  chance of me not hitting it.

I think the carbon fork in the bike must have gone but unlike most cycle crashes I didn't fall  over the handlebars as I might  actually have landed on the  sheep.

I remember feeling my face full of blood but, apart from that, my memory is vague.

Simon was in training to raise cash for charity after his  wife Ruth, also from Dumfries,  spent a year undergoing tough treatment for breast cancer.

He said: The reason we were  taking part in the challenge was to raise money for Ayrshire Cancer  Support and Macmillan Cancer  Support and I was inspired by Ruth. When she was going  through treatment, she was hardly ever down and barely missed a day of work.

Simon will now have to wear a neck brace for the next three  months in a bid to recover from his injuries.

Ruth, whose parents live in Amisfield, said: Simon and I both went to Dumfries High School and we married at Hetland Hall in 2005.

My parents live in Amisfield  and Simons in Georgetown. We  moved to Ayr a few years ago but  try to see our family as often as we can with our five-year-old  daughter Anna.

They were invaluable to us while I was receiving my treatment for cancer.

My mum, Simon's mum and  my auntie and uncle took it in  turns to take me to Glasgow for treatment and made sure I was never on my own.

To be told I was free of treatment one day and then for Simon  to have this accident the next, it  just seemed like one drama after  another and its turned out to be  a tough year and a half.

Richard will still be taking  part in the cycle in September.  To donate to the fundraising effort visit www.facebook.com/SiandRichLE-JOG.

Ruth, 42, is also holding her  own charity event at the Horizon  Hotel in Ayr on August 31.

She is delighted that Dumfries businesses, including  hairdresser Nelson Brown and  Border Cars, have pledged their  support to the cause.

Ruth, who sprinted for Scotland during her teens and early  20s, added: Simon has always  been incredibly supportive of me  and now its my turn to be there  for him.

He could have been left paralysed after the accident but at  least theres an end in sight for  us.
After what weve been  through in the last year, we  know that some people arent  always as lucky.