Cork bike crash victim gears up for fundraiser for lifesaving flying medics

Darren Lynch at the site of the accident which took place last July.

Just two months after he was seriously injured in a bike crash, Darren Lynch is organising a fundraising cycle for the flying medics who airlifted him to hospital.

Darren, 31, from Caheragh, near Drimoleague in West Cork, suffered severe head and facial injuries when he crashed headlong into a wall at about 40kph while cycling down a winding road on the Mizen peninsula during the summer.

But thanks to the crew of the Irish Community Air Ambulance (ICAA), he was treated at the scene and then airlifted to Cork University Hospital some 100km away, in just 18 minutes. 

The journey by road would have taken at least 90 minutes.

Darren said getting to hospital so quickly made all the difference to his recovery and now he wants to help keep the life-saving charity service in the air.

“It’s important for me to turn a negative situation into a positive one," he said. 

"I’m almost fully recovered now thanks to all the emergency services, medical professionals, and fellow cyclists who helped me that day. 

I want to use this experience to show that I am a survivor, that I came out the other end, and that it could have been far worse.

Darren was among the 400 or so cyclists who were taking part in the Mizen Looper Charity Cycle from Drimoleague to Mizen Head on July 24 when, just an hour into the event, he crashed in an area known locally as 'the gap'.

“I remember everything except the crash,” he said. 

"I was transferred to the local sports pitch in Schull. The helicopter landed just as the ambulance was entering the field, it was so well coordinated.

“The level of care I got even inside the air ambulance, the peace of mind, I still can’t find the words to explain how much it means to me. 

From the moment the air ambulance arrived, I felt like I was in safe hands and that it was the start of my road to recovery.

Such was the speed of his transfer, he had his X-rays, CT, and MRI scans done before his family had even arrived at the hospital. 

Thankfully, his scans were clear but he still faces a long road to full recovery. 

He said the charity cycle is an opportunity for him to thank the ICAA for its care and to hopefully help fund future life-saving missions.

His 60km charity cycle for the ICAA will take place on Saturday, October 2, starting and finishing in Skibbereen, with registration, priced €50, from 9.30am and a rolling start due to Covid-19 restrictions.

Tickets for the charity cycle are available by searching eventbrite.ie for air ambulance charity cycle 2021 and you can donate here: idonate.ie