A ‘miracle man’ somehow survived an entire motorhome collapsing on his head and cracking his skull.
Keith Tyler, 72, had put the vehicle on a jack to fix its wheels when it suddenly fell down and landed on him.
His wife Tina watched in terror as her husband managed to pull himself out from under it before collapsing in a pool of blood.
He suffered catastrophic injuries including fractures to his skull and jaw, a blood clot, lungs filled with blood and a ripped ear.
The wounds were so serious that a doctor warned Tina: ‘He’s not going to make it’.
Keith spent four months in hospital – and against all the odds, he was discharged from hospital in February and is now on the road to recovery.
Since then, he has managed to walk his daughter down the aisle in Greece – and even had a go on the water slides there.
He said: ‘I feel pretty good truth be told considering I had a four-tonne motorhome on my head. I know nothing more after it happened.’
Tina, 70, said: ‘I saw it drop on him. I didn’t know what to do. I turned away and shouted for help and phoned 999.
‘Keith was in a pool of blood. Somehow he got out from under the van and pushed himself out, probably with the adrenalin. His nose was bleeding and he was sort of conscious.
‘He stood up and stepped forward and then collapsed by the side of the car. There was blood everywhere. It was very traumatic.’
Emergency crews arrived at the couple’s home in Gosport, Hampshire, on October 30 last year when Keith was rushed to Southampton General Hospital.
Among those present was PC Josh Cottrell, who became Tina’s ‘rock’ in the midst of the crisis. He took her to hospital and waited with her throughout the day for news.
‘When the doctor came to tell me the dreadful news that Keith was not going to make it, Josh held me. He went above and beyond with his support in such a difficult time,’ Tina said.
Keith was in the neurological unit at Southampton until he was transferred to Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth in December.
Despite his improvement, his heart stopped and had to be restarted at one point and he also became ill with pneumonia.
But on New Year’s Day he was hoisted into a shower and then two days later he was walking.
Keith was sent home on February 1 with him resembling a ‘frail old man’ after losing much of his muscle.
And in Easter, when the couple drove to Yorkshire to see their daughter, Keith collapsed again due to his adrenal gland ‘not working well’.
But after being prescribed steroids his situation rapidly improved, to the point where he even managed to walk his daughter down the aisle at her wedding.
PC Cottrell said: ‘I am beyond pleased to say that Keith is a walking, talking, real-life miracle. Keith’s injuries were described by a nurse at Southampton General Hospital as the worst head injuries she has ever seen anyone survive.
‘Keith even walked his daughter down the aisle a few weeks ago in Greece. Much to Tina’s dismay, Keith even took on the water slides.’
Speaking of Keith’s incredible recovery, Tina said:’”The doctors said it will be a year or two before he reaches optimal health, though he won’t be as he was before.
‘He’s amazing, he’s a miracle man.
