Tina’s Story

Without their actions to protect me in the road, and the help of emergency services and The Air Ambulance, I may not be here.

Tina McBrien

Motorcyclist Tina McBrien needed the help of The Air Ambulance Service when a hit-and-run left her lying in the middle of the A46 at just before 1am on a May morning in 2024.

She has since enlisted the help of nearly 150 members of the motorbike community to raise more than £3,000 for the charity.

Tina (52), who works in the security industry, had just finished a shift on the door a pub, in Glenfield, Leicestershire and was heading home when the unknown driver sent her sprawling.

“I don’t remember exactly what happened. One moment I was riding my bike and the next I had been knocked off and was on my back looking up at the sky, but the other driver didn’t stop. A family driving along saw me and initially thought I was debris in the road before stopping to help. The dad waved down the traffic using the light on his phone while his son called the ambulance.”

Despite the early hour, a team from The Air Ambulance Service were dispatched from their base near Nottingham to the scene, where they examined the extent of her injuries and treated Tina with pain medication before they reset a dislocated arm.

“I had full bike gear on, but as I had come from work I also had a big puffer jacket folded in my backpack – which I think cushioned the impact to my spine.” Tina added.

She was taken by land ambulance to Leicester Royal Infirmary where they found she had a broken forearm which needed to be reset with a metal plate and pins in her elbow. After a few days she was discharged and began the physiotherapy to get back to full health.

As a thank you to The Air Ambulance Service, Tina organised a fundraising event in the Secret Garden at Leicester’s Glenfield Hospital in March 2025. The garden was created as a quiet haven for patients, staff and visitors during the coronavirus crisis and has remained open ever since.

“I started to contact my network of biker friends and forums in the area to get some interest and it just took off.” Tina explained. “A group of nearly 150 bikers took part in a ride from Birstall to the Secret Garden where we had laid on stalls and a huge raffle with prizes that had been donated from Leicester City Football Club, Porsche and McLaren. It was fantastic and we raised over £3,000.

“I still think quite a lot about that night. I have stayed in touch with the father of the family that helped me as without his actions to protect me in the road, and the help of emergency services and The Air Ambulance, I may not be here. But the positive from it is that we were able to raise money for such a worthwhile charity.”