Danyon Hume fractures two vertebrae in big crash at Berwick

Berwick Bandits skipper Danyon Hume suffered two fractured vertebrae in the terrifying crash which brought their match against Edinburgh to a premature conclusion on Saturday.

He was taken to the Northumbria Specialist Care Hospital in Cramlington following the heat 12 crash and is still being assessed before specialists decide whether surgery is required.

Hume was caught up in an incident which saw Edinburgh reserve Jonatan Grahn hit the fence heavily as he exited the final bend of the race, the Berwick rider colliding with the Dane’s bike and being thrown high into the air. His own bike cartwheeled down the straight and landed on top of the 28-year-old who has also been a hugely popular figure during spells with Glasgow, Redcar, Ipswich and Sheffield.

Paramedics spent over half an hour treating him trackside before he was transferred to a county ambulance and taken the 56 miles to the Northumberland track’s nearest A&E department.

There he was assessed and remains with his partner, Jade who was part of the crowd at Berwick on Saturday and his parents who travelled overnight from their Buckinghamshire home.

Danyon was reportedly delighted to hear that the fact that referee Chris Gay awarded him third place in the race sealed the 37-35 victory for his side!

In a post shared with fans via Facebook Jade said: “Obviously the news is not what we want but we are thinking positive at the moment.

“We would both like to thank everyone, all Berwick management, the track staff, ambulance crew, our friends, family and all the fans at Berwick speedway.

“Everyone rallied around and helped with everything.”

Berwick owner Jamie Courtney said: “Our paramedics and track staff were able to give Danyon the best possible care trackside and get him on his way to hospital safely.

“I think the fans in the stadium and all the riders were aware of the potentially serious nature of the crash and I can only thank them for their patience and understanding as the medical team did their work.

“This crash underlines just what a dangerous and unforgiving sport speedway can be and how a race which seemed to be heading for an uneventful shared heat can suddenly have huge consequences for two of the riders.

“Danyon is one of the sport’s real good guys and we are keeping our fingers crossed and will support him and his family in every way necessary.”

Berwick’s strict 9.30pm curfew meant that the meeting was abandoned with Danyon about to be transferred into the county ambulance but the results stands.

The Bandits are next in action at Oxford on Wednesday night.

Words by Berwick Speedway – Feature Image by Taz McDougall