A motorcyclist involved in a crash on the A93 in Perthshire says his biking equipment saved his life.
Stefan Weinrich, from Germany, was enjoying a holiday in Scotland when the crash happened near Bridge of Cally on July 8.
After colliding with a car, he was taken to Ninewells Hospital for nearly a week where he had surgery for his injuries.
He was left with a broken pelvis, wrist, knee ligaments and some small inner bleeding and is continuing to recover in Germany.
The 36-year-old from Darmstadt told The Courier: “I finally had got to Scotland which had been a dream of mine, and the crash happened on the first day.
“There was a construction site which forced me onto the right lane.
“When I went on the right lane, I stayed on the right out of habit and as I turned a corner there was a car coming.
“At that moment I wasn’t sure who was on the wrong side – obviously it was me.
“I moved to the middle to avoid a full head-on crash and hit him on the right side.
“Thankfully, I was going slow as I had just left a 20mph zone, but the other car was going faster and couldn’t stop in time.
“The force lifted me up in the air and landed beside my bike and the car.
“I called my wife because I was worried it might have been the last time.”
Ninewells staff did ‘tremendously good job’
At the scene, a member of public helped keep traffic away from him while a doctor stopped by and kept his head still.
He was then taken to Ninewells Hospital where he received an operation to stop an internal bleed.
Stefan said: “I was told in hospital that the protective gear helped save my life.
“I think the kidney belt I wore is the reason I had no broken bones on my lower back, which would’ve been worse.
“In Ninewells, at the major trauma unit, they did a tremendously good job.
“I had bleeding inside and had to go into surgery but thankfully it wasn’t as bad as expected.”
Stefan has had another operation in Germany.
He added: “I still need a lot of time to get better.
“After my second operation, I wasn’t allowed to walk, and I’ve only just started to walk again.
“I’d never had an accident on my bike before but I talked to my family and we decided it’s enough.
“I was very lucky.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We were called around 1.05pm on Monday, July 8, to a report of a crash involving a car and a motorcycle on the A93, Bridge of Cally.
“Emergency services attended and a man, the motorcyclist, was taken to hospital for treatment.”
“The road was closed for vehicle recovery.”
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