'Medics call me Mr 1% after I survived crash'

A dad-of-two said he was a "walking miracle" after defying the odds to survive a motorcycle crash he momentarily died in.

Ben Bray was left with nine bleeds on the brain after he was struck by a car while riding in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, in March 2017.

The 46-year-old's family were urged to switch his life support off, but doctors branded him "Mr 1%" after he rallied from the brink after months in hospital.

"It's a miracle, an absolute miracle," said Mr Bray, who had no memory of life prior to the incident.

The motorcyclist was airlifted to hospital after the collision on London Road, Chalkwell, on 9 March that year.

Paramedics managed to resuscitate him several times after he momentarily "died" having sustained a catastrophic brain injury, Mr Bray claimed.

"Every time they got me on the helicopter they had to take me off again as I kept dying, they said I died a few times," he told the BBC.

Mr Bray now lives in Westcliff-on-Sea with his son, Oscar, and enjoys going to the gym and for long walks.

"They said I'd never walk again, I'd never talk again, I'd never eat proper food again and I'd have to live in a care home for the rest of my life," said the former Mencap worker, who kept newspaper clippings of the incident.

"When you read it in the paper, about me dying, you realise it actually happened. They said I defied all the odds, it's unbelievable.

"Medics called me Mr 1% because I'm a walking miracle, but I didn't really understand why."

Mr Bray remained comatose in hospital for most of the year following his crash, with his weight dropping to below six stone (38kg).

His family were told his chances of surviving were slim and advised to let doctors turn his life support off.

But remarkably he began to breathe unassisted and start his long road to recovery.

"It's unbelievable," Mr Bray added. "All these people couldn't believe I defied the odds."

He was left with no taste or sense of smell, but slowly learned to walk again and live independently.

Mr Bray also lives with a permanent headache and dizziness, but said it was a small price to pay.

"I'm so lucky to be alive, I'm just happy. I do the best I can with everything, every day," he said.

"There were so many things they said I'd never be able to do again, but, because of my determination, I always found a way."

Mr Bray hoped releasing a book about his comeback, called A Little Bit Broken, would inspire other people faced with impossible odds.

"It makes you proud of yourself, that you're able to show others that anything is possible, anything," he added.

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