Dan Richards’ story

In 2009, 23 year old Dan Richards was living his childhood dream: working in the military, following in his father’s footsteps.

After six months in Afghanistan and a month trekking through Nepal, Dan was in London as part of The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery, a mounted regiment. Following a morning of work, on a sunny afternoon in May, he went out for a ride on his motorbike.

Travelling up the A41 Hendon Way in Barnet, Dan was accelerating up the hill, when suddenly, he lost control of the bike.

There is no concrete evidence as to what happened, but the remaining brake pads and skid marks left on the road suggest Dan had to suddenly significantly decelerate. This caused the bike to crash into the central reservation, throwing Dan into the barriers.

Dan hit the fence with such force that the impact partially amputated his right arm and shoulder. He was then thrown onto the road, landing heels first, breaking both his ankles.

With such significant injuries, Dan did not have time to get to hospital. London’s Air Ambulance’s expert team of medics was dispatched to his side.

On our arrival, Dan was already being cared for by the London Ambulance Service (LAS) paramedics. They’d sited IV access and administered pain killers, but Dan was still in excruciating pain.

Our medics quickly gave Dan stronger pain killers and then after assessing him, decided to perform a roadside general anaesthetic.

This ensured his pain was effectively managed and was also in preparation as he would need to have an urgent operation when he got to hospital.

“I remembering opening my eyes, seeing Mum and Dad standing over me, but I wasn’t sure where I was,” said Dan.

“Then, the doctor entered the room. He told me I had been in a horrific motorbike incident and that I was lucky to be alive. He talked me through my two broken ankles – both of which were in casts – and my arm that was broken, which was suspended in front of me.

“Then he told me, that after six and a half hours of surgery, they’d been unable to save my right arm and shoulder. I looked down, and where my arm should have been, there was just pillows.

“That was a big shock, a quarter of me was missing and that was never coming back.”

Dan, understandably, struggled with the initial shock. But then, he had a shift.

“I took that moment and accepted my situation for what it was. I am going to be a man with one arm for the rest of my life. That’s an obstacle – but obstacles can be navigated.”

From then on, Dan approached his rehab and recovery with admirable determination and drive.

“I couldn’t do anything for myself initially, which fuelled me to work hard and get my independence back.”

Dan taught himself how to write with his left hand and tie laces on his moon boots while his ankles healed.

After a month, Dan was moved to a hospital in Swindon and then to a military rehabilitation centre. He arrived completely non weight bearing due to the ankle breaks and remained there for another six months.

With hard work and tenacity, Dan threw himself into every opportunity. He relearnt how to ride a horse, he worked on his fitness, he began running again.

“I decided I’m not going to let one bad day dictate the rest of my life. I’m not going to let my injury be my label.”

Dan continued working for the military for the next three years, after which he was sadly discharged. It was transitioning from the military to being a civilian that was the biggest struggle.

“I moved back to Somerset to live with my mum, but life unravelled. I applied for so many jobs but never got an interview. You start to lose yourself and when I looked in the mirror, I didn’t recognise the person looking back.

“My thoughts spiralled, I had no self-worth, no one wanted me. I thought if this was what life had in store for me, I didn’t want to be a part of it. So, I tried to hang myself.

“But halfway through, I thought about my mum and how she would feel. So, I stopped and focused on what I needed to do.”

From that moment onwards, Dan did everything he could to get back to London and get back on his feet. He said yes to everything and cared less about what people thought.

He learnt to scuba dive through a charity called Depth Therapy and he trained to row across the Atlantic Ocean in the world’s first all-disabled crew. He discovered cycling.

“I learnt what I was capable of, despite the limitations and despite other people’s opinions.”

After years of training and commitment, in May 2018, Dan was asked to join the UK team for the Syndey Invictus Games.

“It was an amazing experience. I didn’t win any medals, but for me it was about getting there. It was about proving to myself I could do it.”

He then captained an eight-man cycling team in Race Across America 2022 – covering a 3,000 mile journey in nine days.

“Don’t prove others wrong – prove yourself right.”

Now, Dan is married, living in Lancashire, still cycling and living by the sea.

He is an advocate for people who have lost limbs, offers support on social media and regularly provides speeches about his journey. He recently spoke to Air Ambulance UK and Airbus – the company who built our H-135 helicopters.

“At the centre of the air ambulance service is the patient, they focus everything on what that individual needs.

“They’ve done so much for me, I’m so grateful. I’m also now one of their regular givers!”

Through years of adversity, unfair cards and distress, Dan has prevailed. He has made an incredible recovery despite a life-changing incident and is an inspiring individual.

“Now I look at my incident as a positive episode in my journey, thanks to London’s Air Ambulance Charity.

“They fly to someone on their worst day, to give them a chance at living their best.”