Cleveland man returns home after France motorcycle crash

Andrew Roberts, 57 , from Brotton, had travelled from Hull to Rotterdam on his motorbike on September 8 as he set off to take on the Grand Tour de Alpes, planning to finish in Monaco and return on September 22.

The tour, which saw Mr Roberts travel through Germany, Switzerland and Eastern France, ended abruptly after he came off his motorcycle on September 12.

His daughter, Jennifer Roberts, 32, also from Brotton, said her father was taken to a medical centre before being taken to Hospital D'albertville-Moûtiers where he remained until September 18.

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Ms Roberts said her father suffered a fractured arm, broken back rib, chipped two bones on the wings of his vertebrae, and pulled ligaments in his pelvis.

She and her sister set up a fundraising page to bring their father home, before hiring a private ambulance which transported him to James Cook Hospital from France on Tuesday (September 19).

"He's recovering well in hospital, they've given him the all clear on his back and pelvis, he had to have an operation on his arm while he was in France.

"He's recovering and he's now out of bed in James Cook and able to sit on a chair, it's the first time he's actually been out of bed today (September 22).

"We're hoping by next week he'll be home and recovering."

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She said her father's travel insurance did not pay out due to the bike not meeting the requirements - having a significantly more powerful engine than what was covered, and that this had left them needing to raise money.

She added this was the first time her father had needed this type of travel insurance, and had unfortunately been caught out by the fine print - with the plan only covering motorbikes under 100cc.

She warned anyone looking to travel abroad to check the fine print of their insurance to ensure this does not happen to them.

Ms Roberts said her father's bike was rescued and taken to a local garage in France, and is incurring storing charges every day -  €28.40 per day.

She said due to the garage's schedule and her family's availability, they will not be able to collect the vehicle until October 8 - and said the charge sits at €546 as of Friday, but this does not include the storage charges for the remaining days.

Speaking on the incident, she said her father's safety gear "saved his life" with his helmet dented and trousers, jacket and thermals all "shredded" from the crash.

"All of his clothing has saved his life, it could have been a lot worse," she added.

"He said that when he fell off his bike he managed to get himself stood up, managed to have a look at his bike, and they told him to sit down and some passersby called the ambulance.

"He said his arm was like a tree trunk, it wasn't doing what it was meant to be doing, it was just hanging there.

"When we saw him in James Cook, it kind of hit us a little bit. We had a bit of a cry beforehand when we knew he was back, every night it was full steam ahead to get him home."

She said her father informed her of the incident by sending her a text message saying "I've broke my arm, don't worry."

Ms Roberts said she, her sister and her sister's partner worked to organise his trip back and liaised with doctors for care advice.

She said they were left scrambling for a solution as the weekend approached and businesses began to close, and praised the "fantastic" RTC Medical Solutions who transported her father.

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She added they had now been left with bills and are hoping the fundraiser can help alleviate this.

Ms Roberts also thanked everyone who has donated for their generosity and said she could not possibly thank them enough for the "overwhelming" support.

The fundraiser has raised £1,535 at the time of writing and can be found here.