An investment banker on a dream trip to South America had to have his ‘dead’ leg amputated after a horrific motorbike crash.
Luke Tarrant quit his job in investment banking last September to embark on the trip of a lifetime, riding from the US to Antarctica.
The 28-year-old said he knew the motorbike could be dangerous and thought “something was going to happen eventually”.
He said: “I’ve always had a passion for motorbikes and this was the dream ride I’d been planning for a while. I quit my job for it and was having a great time.’
He was eight months into his adventure when he suffered a life-changing accident while traveling in Colombia on May 30.
Luke Tarrant had no memory of his motorcycle crash, but it left him with serious injuries
In addition to losing his leg, Luka also broke his tibia, collarbone and right hand
Luke had embarked on the journey of a lifetime, motorcycling from the US to Antarctica
Luke, from Bedford, has no memory of the crash – and is still trying to piece together the sequence of events.
After waking up in a roadside ditch, he was grabbed by a stranger and rushed to hospital for emergency treatment.
There, doctors informed him that he had broken his tibia, collarbone and right hand – and that his left leg was ‘dead’ and had to be amputated.
Luke said: “I was in Colombia on my way back to Ecuador when the crash happened.
‘I don’t remember anything. I remember waking up in a ditch and having a brief memory of someone holding me. It’s like trying to remember a bad dream – only tiny bits of memory.
“My motorcycle was obviously destroyed. It could have been a slippery surface, but police said they could see no sign that another vehicle was involved. They don’t quite know what happened.
“They immediately told me at the hospital that I had to lose my leg. I was told that there was no escape and that he was already dead.
Luke cycled for nine months before he was involved in his accident
He admits he knew the motorcycle was dangerous and believed “something was going to happen eventually.”
Luke left his job in investment banking to pursue his dream trip
“I was just in survival mode when they told me. I felt quite rational about it. After I came out of surgery, I felt fine. I made peace with it almost immediately, it was very strange.’
After the operation, Luke’s health deteriorated when he developed sepsis, blood clots and fluid in his lungs, forcing him to be placed on a ventilator.
He was transferred to critical and intensive care due to sepsis after his amputation. He was then placed on a ventilator as his lungs began to fill with fluid and blood clots.
Luke said: ‘At that moment, I realized this was the danger zone. The sepsis was much worse than the amputation – it almost killed me.
“I think I was in critical and intensive care for about a week, then when the sepsis became less of a concern, they focused on trying to resolve the amputated leg.”
Luke underwent eight operations on his left leg within a two-week period. During this time, Luke’s family began documenting his recovery on Instagram to inform loved ones of his condition, gaining more than 100,000 followers.
Luke is now learning to live on one leg and hopes his story will inspire others
Luke has started a fundraiser to help pay for private physiotherapy
Fortunately, he recovered and returned to the UK after a month in a Colombian hospital. He has been staying at an amputation center to help adjust to life with one leg.
He said: “In the back of my head, I always knew doing a high-risk activity like motorcycling that something was going to happen eventually.
“I’ve just been in acceptance mode for this since very early on. I’m not going to step back so I can get on with it.’
Since the crash, Luke has been determined to use his story as a force for good, documenting his amputation journey on social media to help others.
He said: “It started with me updating my friends. And when I started using my phone again, I kept updating people and it slowly started to turn into something different.
“People messaged me saying they saw my story and it motivated them. I’m starting to see it a little differently than before. I hope it can be used as a force for good.’
A fundraiser has since been launched to help pay for private physiotherapy for Luke, as well as any prosthetics he may need, which has already raised £55,000 in donations.
Luke said: “I am extremely grateful for all the support. I have had messages from people from all walks of life. This has taught me that no matter what happens to me in life, I know I will be able to handle it. The generosity of other people has made me want to give back.”