Motorcyclist believes protective gear saved his life

A motorcyclist who was seriously hurt in a crash earlier this year believes wearing the correct protective clothing saved his life.

Mo Shaikh, from Birmingham, was in collision with a van whilst out riding in Staffordshire in May.

He will not be able to return to work as a builder for a year, due to the accident, but is convinced that the leathers and helmet made a big difference with his injuries.

He said: "You know, sliding along the floor, none of my skin was grazed or anything because I was wearing the proper safety gear."

Shaikh suffered a broken leg and serious arm injuries. He had spend three weeks in hospital and have metal plates fitted.

He said: "I remember coming around the corner, seeing the van and swerving. I felt the thud on my arm."

"I remember falling off, the bike slipping away from me and I was just tumbling and all I could see was the sky [and] the ground."

Keeley Westwood was the first on scene and she looked after Shaikh while he was waiting for medical help.

She said: "You didn't know anything was wrong until they cut his clothes and he had the bones coming through his leg. It was terrible."

There is no law about wearing protective clothing while riding a motorcycle, but the government advises that doing so could save your life.

Shaikh's wife, Annsum, said: "The nurse that spoke to me afterwards said we've had quite a few people coming in who have been involved in motorbike accidents and they've not been wearing their gear and it's been a lot worse.

"So it probably saved his life to be fair."

Shaikh said he believes there are riders who avoid wearing protective clothing because of the hot weather, but there are options available.

Becky Guy, from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), said: "You can get things like jackets, trousers and gloves that have got ventilation panels and they're made of lighter materials.

"We would say that people should always choose motorcycle-specific clothing over your ordinary summer clothes."

Shaikh is known on social media as "Slo-Mo" and as one of the "biker twins" with his friend Kevin Sergeant, aka "Quick Kevin".

Sergeant said: "It's not nice when anybody has an accident, but when it's somebody that you're close to, it kind of does knock you back and it did put me off a little bit from riding my bike."

But it has not knocked Shaikh's confidence.

He went out on a recent fundraising bike ride as Sergeant's pillion passenger, but Shaikh wants to get out on his own again.

He had been hoping to get back on the road this year, but has been told he will not be able to use his injured arm until November at the earliest.

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