Fire boss in safety push after son’s bike crash ‘miracle’

A fire chief whose son went into a month-long coma after a motorbike crash is urging people to learn the skills that could help save a life.

Jim Scott’s son Adam, then aged 17, was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries in the autumn of 2015 after he collided with a metal pole as he rounded a bend.

Medics were extremely concerned initially when he failed to show any signs of coming out of the coma, but he “miraculously” pulled through after around four weeks.

Recalling a visit to Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Mr Scott said: “Myself and Adam’s brother, Cameron, went to see him one day and I can still vividly recall what happened.

“I said to him, as I always did, ‘Hi son, how are you doing?’ The faintest voice came back with: ‘I’m fine.’

“We stopped and looked at each other, asking ourselves if we had just heard that. That was the day he started to come back – the day the lights started to come back on.

“We couldn’t believe it. I’ll never forget that moment – I wasn’t sure if I would ever hear my son’s voice again before that.”

Adam, now 20, was involved in the crash in Ayrshire and initially taken to Crosshouse Hospital in Kilmarnock, where he was placed into an induced coma.

He also suffered a punctured lung, broken jaw and a fractured eye socket in the horror crash.

His father Jim, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s local senior officer for Ayrshire, said: “The time and date are stamped into my head.

“October 23 at twenty-two minutes past four – that’s the time I took a call to say my son had been involved in a serious road traffic collision and had sustained life-threatening injuries.

“My first thought was: ‘Is this really Adam – has it really happened to him?’ as he was meant to be at work.”

Adam was eventually released from hospital six weeks later, a few days before Christmas – something described by his father as “the best Christmas gift ever”.

Adam now hopes to become a fitness coach and recently collected his HND from Ayrshire College.

Mr Scott is now calling on others to drive safely this winter.

And he is highlighting the importance of initiatives such as Biker Down, which equips motorcyclists with potentially life-saving skills and guidance.

The grandfather-of-one said: “Adam was out with a work colleague when the accident happened and I think that colleague saved Adam’s life.

“He was ahead of Adam and spun back when he saw what happened. He called for help and maintained Adam’s breathing till the ambulance arrived.

“That’s why courses like Biker Down are so important. I would encourage everyone to acquire the life-saving skills these courses offer.

“You never know when these skills can be used.”