A DEAF motorcyclist who was involved in a collision in Tankersley was saved by Yorkshire Air Ambulance thanks to their quick-thinking.

Martin Eaton, 70, had been out running errands on the day of his 29th wedding anniversary when his motorbike collided with a car.

He was travelling at around 30 miles per hour and the impact threw him from his bike and left him injured in the road.

Yorkshire Air Ambulance’s Nostell-based critical care team, consisting of paramedic Andy Armitage and technical crew member Loz Lyles, were dispatched to the incident and arrived by air within minutes.

Martin, who is deaf, was conscious but found it difficult to communicate with responders at the scene.

A quick-thinking bystander stopped to help and used her phone to type messages for Martin to read, allowing him to explain his symptoms and respond to paramedics’ questions.

Andy said: “Martin was complaining of severe pain in his neck and arms, and tingling in his legs, which immediately raised concerns about a possible spinal injury.

“With motorcycle collisions, all that force from the impact is transferred directly through to the body, so our priority was to stabilise his spine and minimise any movement until we can rule out further damage.”

While assessing Martin, the team discovered a small QR code sticker on his helmet, a feature he had added himself, allowing emergency responders to instantly access his medical history and emergency contacts.

Andy added: “In all my years, I’d never seen a QR code like this on a helmet before, but I thought it was absolutely brilliant.

“It gave us his name, date of birth, address, medical details and his wife’s contact information within seconds.

“It made such a difference to how quickly we could gather key information and continue his care.”

Once stabilised, Martin was transferred to the awaiting road ambulance for the eight-mile journey to Sheffield’s Northern General Hospital.

Martin spent six nights in hospital, where scans revealed swelling on his spinal cord.

He is now undergoing physiotherapy and continuing his recovery at home.

His story was told on Yorkshire Air 999 on Discovery+ and Really last Friday.

Martin said: “It was actually my wedding anniversary that day, and I’d just gone out on the bike to pick something up.

“The next thing I remember was the impact and then lying on the ground against the car.

“My legs and hips were painful, but my arms were still locked in the riding position, and I couldn’t move them. The spinal consultant told me it could take 18 months to two years to recover fully, if at all, so I know it’s going to be a long road.”

After 53 years of motorcycling, Martin has decided not to ride again and is instead focusing his energy on a new passion project restoring a vintage car.

He added: “I’ve always been around engines and bikes, so now this car is my new baby.

“Working on it in the garage has given me something positive to focus on and has really helped my recovery.”