A MOTORCYCLIST who was involved in a serious crash has conquered Mount Snowdon exactly one year later to thank the “incredible” team who saved his life.
Mark Kempsell, 29, was involved in a collision in North Wales, close to the village of Groes after he went for a ride after work on the evening of Friday, July 23 last year.
Mark, who lives in Newton-le-Willows, suffered serious injuries and had to be taken to hospital by Wales Air Ambulance.
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He was treated at the side of the road and then airlifted to hospital.
One passer-by, who had been involved himself in a similar incident around 20 years ago, stayed with Mark throughout as he waited for an ambulance to comfort him and hold his hand and talk with him.
Mark suffered seven fractures to his neck, pelvis, arm, and wrist and fractured his C2 vertebrae, which is normally fatal or results in paralysis, meaning time and treatment were critical for Mark.
He underwent surgery on the Sunday but unfortunately complications arose as he had suffered cuts to one of the arteries in his neck.
Thankfully, this was able to be resolved and Mark spent two days in critical care, and was discharged from hospital after 13 days on August 5.
Mark then recovered at his dad’s and returned to his home in Newton-le-Willows in October.
Mark, took on the climb on Saturday (July 23) to mark one year to the day and was by friends and family, including his brother and dad.
“I had a good mix of friends from different stages of my life, some from Scotland and Ireland, and my family were there,” said Mark, who returned to work in February full-time as an agricultural manager at the Co-op, though he still struggled with pain, particularly at night, with his sleep affected.
“I also met Matt Green who was the one who came across the scene and stayed with me the whole time, he came to see me off and that was really good.”
The team wore T-shirts provided by Wales Air Ambulance for their climb and they braved the wet conditions to reach the peak.
“We set off at about 9am and the weather was terrible, we got absolutely soaked there were strong winds, it certainly wasn’t summer conditions unfortunately but it was really and we got to the top.
“It was great to get up there, the last bit was a real struggle.
“It was a nice feeling and on the first anniversary (since the crash). By the time we got up there it was only a few hours before the exact time of day of the accident.
“We then headed down and met up with Matt at the end which was nice.”
At the time of writing, more than £4,500 had already been donated towards Wales Air Ambulance. In support of Mark’s efforts.
Mark, who turns 30 on August 5, added: “It was a brilliant feeling and being able to raise that amount of money for Wales Air Ambulance was fantastic, we have raised roughly the amount that it would have cost for my care.”
On his fundraising page, Mark wrote: “We did it! What an amazing day! Thank you so much to everyone who has supported the climb.
“The money you've so kindly donated will make a huge difference. It was a really tough climb and the pain levels were very high, but thanks to the support from friends and family on the day, we got to the top!
“The weather was absolutely awful. Horizontal rain and strong winds, but that's just a standard British summer! An amazing day, with amazing people, raising money for an amazing charity! Thank you all so much!”
Mark will present a cheque with the final total to Wales Air Ambulance on August 15.
Visit justgiving.com/fundraising/mark-kempsell to donate.
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