A much-loved and respected young doctor has died – weeks after a motorcycle accident on the race track at Cadwell Park.
Nick Henry, 36, died at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary despite strenuous efforts to save his life by his former colleagues.
The divorced father-of-two who had loved motorbikes since his teens, had been taking part in an event at Cadwell, Lincolnshire, on May 28 when he crashed.
His partner of the last 18 months, Sarah Wood, 43, said: “He was going round the track and was doing really well.
“I didn’t see him come off his bike, he had been leading and then suddenly I couldn’t see him and I started to panic.
“I told the officials I was his girlfriend and they said he had had an accident.
“I went into a little recovery room and there he was. He was laughing at me and told me: ‘I’ve just bruised my bottom.’
“He was trying to make it easy for me but I could tell he was in a lot of pain.
“He was so brave. He wouldn’t take any pain relief and at first he wouldn’t let them cut his leathers off. He didn’t want to ruin them.”
Yorkshire Air Ambulance flew him for emergency treatment at Hull Royal Infirmary and medics established that he had suffered a very complicated fracture of his left hip and had also broken his right collarbone.
He underwent an operation on his hip lasting several hours.
Dr Henry’s mother, Sue, 69, of Gledholt, said: “He was in absolute agony initially but the staff were wonderful.
“He wanted to come home and after a few days the doctors were happy for him to do so, for him to convalesce here.
“He was still on medication. Pulmonary embolisms and clots are potential pitfalls following surgery. And I was concerned because after he came home he started to complain about chest pains but he assured me it was muscular, skeletal.”
He seemed to be recovering slowly but surely.
However, on Sunday, July 28, he suffered a cardiac arrest at 4.30pm.
Sarah said: “He fainted and told me to phone for an ambulance. We went to Huddersfield Royal Infirmary and the A&E staff were amazing.
“They remembered him from when he worked there.”
Sue added: “Because they loved him they wanted to bring him back and of course we wanted a miracle.”
Sadly, it was not to be and he was declared dead on July 30.
One of his sisters, Jane, said: “He was the kindest, sweetest man you could ever meet in your life.”
His funeral service will be held in Elland on Friday.
Educated at Salendine Nook High School and Greenhead College, Dr Henry worked initially at Speedwell Surgery, Paddock, after qualifying and latterly at Oaklands Health Centre in Thongsbridge.
