A MOTORCYCLIST who dislocated his ribs after he came off his Harley Davidson has praised the paramedics who treated him.

Andrew Patrick was on one of nine motorbikes passing through Middleton-in-Teesdale on Friday (September 26) on their way up to Scotland.

As Mr Patrick went to overtake a long vehicle he saw an oncoming car and braked, causing the motorbike to skid out from underneath him and crash into a farmer’s wall.

He said: “The ambulance was there within four or five minutes, thankfully, because I was in a lot of pain. The paramedics were fantastic, very professional.

“I’ve had a few accidents before but none as serious as this one. As the paramedics turned me to check if I had any spinal injuries I felt my ribs crunch back into place. The handlebars hit me in the chest and dislocated them.”

Mr Patrick, of Harrogate, was taken to the University Hospital of North Durham, where he has since been discharged.

He added: “I got away with it really, my Harley Davidson is smashed to pieces, but the farmer whose wall was damaged has offered to rebuild it himself which is very kind of him.”