A cyclist who was put into a coma on the roadside after a serious accident has beaten the odds and is now on the road to recovery.

Kevin Phillips, 41, suffered a serious brain injury after his arm was clipped by a van’s wing mirror, sending him hurtling off his bike.

His subsequent brain injury has affected his personality, damaged his hearing and caused short-term memory loss.

The injury’s effects could have been far worse if medics from the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) had not treated Kevin so quickly.

Now, just over two months after his accident, Kevin is back home at Ennerdale Avenue, Botcherby, Carlisle, with his fiancée Siobhon Robinson, 26, and their three children.

The couple, who have been together for 10 years and engaged for eight, had to postpone their wedding planned for July.

They are now organising a winter wedding next February and may be sending out a few extra invites to the GNAAS team.

Siobhon said: “They practically saved Kevin’s life. A huge, huge thank you to the air ambulance, they were excellent.”

Kevin was cycling along the A66 near Penruddock on Monday, June 6, when the van’s wing mirror clipped his right arm.

Kevin’s head hit the tarmac, fracturing his skull in seven places, causing swelling and bleeding on his brain.

Two large pieces of glass also lodged in his right arm.

The force of the accident was so great that Kevin left an imprint of his arm on the van’s door.

He wasn’t wearing a helmet, though medics later said wearing one could have made his injuries worse as it would have increased the pressure on his swelling brain.

Siobhon said: “When the medics got to him, they discovered he was very unwell. He was very confused and didn’t know where he was.”

Within 15 minutes of the accident Kevin was put a coma to help oxygen get to his brain.

He was flown to the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) in Newcastle, where he was kept in a coma overnight.

“He was placed in critical care and they gave him 48 hours,” said Siobhon. “They didn’t expect him to make as good a recovery as he has. Everything is just a case of time.”

Kevin’s accident was reported at 4.17pm and by 5pm, a police officer was at Siobhon’s door. As soon as she saw the uniform, she knew what had happened.

Siobhon raced to the RVI but didn’t get to see Kevin until about 10pm.

“It was probably the worst four hours of my life,” she said.

One of Siobhon’s greatest fears was that Kevin would wake up from the coma and not remember her or their children.

She kept a vigil by his bedside and when he was brought out of the coma the next day, made sure she and pictures of the children were the first thing he saw.

“Although he didn’t call me by name I knew he knew who I was because he related me to home, he asked ‘have you been shopping?’,” she said.

Kevin spent eight days in intensive care and five more weeks at the RVI.

He was transferred to Carlisle’s Cumberland Infirmary for four days and then finally released from hospital released on Monday, July 18 – six weeks after the accident and five days before he was meant to get married.

Kevin’s injuries have affected him in different ways but the main problem is fatigue. He is constantly tired and needs at least one nap a day.

“I can’t do things that I would normally do,” he said, “I would normally get up, see the kids, go out training, go out to work and I just don’t have the energy to do it.”

He also suffers from short-term memory loss, which doctors say should hopefully come back. He is due to start rehabilitation with the brain injury team soon.

He said: “It’s weird. It’s just like stuff popping into your head then you realise you should remember that. But when it first comes into your head, you think, ‘have I just made that up?’.”

One of the biggest changes has been in Kevin’s personality, although he doesn’t realise it.

Siobhon explained: “I think he’s totally different – for the better. He wasn’t a very sociable person before the accident at all but after his accident he’s more sociable. He’s always laughing and joking.”

Kevin and Siobhon’s dad have suddenly developed a great friendship, even though for the previous 10 years they were never close.

“It’s one of the few good things out of all this,” said Kevin.

At the moment Kevin doesn’t feel confident enough to leave the house on his own and depends a lot on Siobhon.

He works at Cavaghan and Gray and she’s at Glo and Go tanning lounge in Kingstown.

“The support we’ve had from both of our employers has been absolutely excellent,” said Siobhon.

The people booked for their July wedding and all their guests have also been very understanding.

The wedding on Saturday, February 4, is exactly the same: they will wed at Carlisle Registry Office surrounded by about 20 close family and friends and then have a big celebration with about 180 people at a reception at The Shepherds Inn, on Wavell Drive, Rosehill, Carlisle.