Wellwishers back fundraiser for Telford motorcyclist facing partial paralysis after road collision a day before his 25th birthday
Thousands of pounds has been raised for a motorcyclist who was hit off his bike in Telford this week, just a day before his birthday.
Dean Harris, a food and beverage manager at the Mercure Hotel in Telford town centre, was travelling home from work on Wednesday (June 4) when he was involved in a collision on the A442 Eastern Primary, under a footbridge connecting Telford Central railway station with the town centre.
Mr Harris was airlifted to the Royal Stoke University Hospital for treatment and underwent an 18-hour operation the next day, his 25th birthday (June 5).
Although he thankfully survived, a family friend said he is likely to be paralysed from the waist down for the rest of his life.
His family say he is continuing to receive round-the-clock care in the hospital's intensive care unit.
A JustGiving page has been set up by friends of Mr Harris to raise funds for him and his mother. You can access it here: 'I'm raising £2000 to support Dean Harris and family through a traumatic tragedy'.
More than £3,000 has already been raised, surpassing a target of £2,000.
A family friend, Marcus, told the Shropshire Star that his family are overwhelmed and grateful for support at an extremely difficult time.
He said: "It has completely flabbergasted us how much has already been raised.
"One person has donated because they feel that Dean is part of the biker community. It is absolutely amazing.
"It was suggested by a family friend. We are all caught in the moment, but they were thinking that long down the road, it is going to be a crazy medical journey for Dean with additional and unexpected expenses for his close family, which is his mum.
"It is still really early days but Dean had an 18-hour operation on his spine on his birthday. It was not anything to do with his spinal cord, that is unrepairable. But it was to re-build the structure of the bones, just to future-proof posture and rehabilitation."
Mr Harris had been a motorcyclist for four or five years.
Marcus continued: "Dean is a very efficient and conscientious worker. He has lovely personality and sense of humour.
"He loves living life and he was doing his best to grasp that nettle.
"He has been riding a bike for four or five years and started off on a 125cc. The bike he currently had was a sensible 250cc."
The West Midlands Ambulance Service confirmed that two ambulances, a paramedic officer and two Midlands Air Ambulances from Cosford were sent to the scene of the crash.
On arrival, crews found two cars and a motorbike had been involved in a collision.
Traffic along the A442 was turned around and sent back up a slip road as the emergency services worked to help the casualty.
