January 7th, 2016 - Encounter with a Bus


Friends of Pete, Midnight Voices members, Facebook group followers and Newsletter subscribers will already be aware of this, but other visitors to our site might not realise why Pete has been absent this year from the usual gig circuit. In early January he was taking one of his regular late afternoon walks to local shops in Bristol to buy provisions when, while crossing the busy Whiteladies Road, he was hit in the face by a bus. How it happened remains a mystery: he has no recollection of the event, CCTV was of little help, and witness statements proved imprecise, contradictory even.

He was on a pedestrian-controlled crossing at the time, but that's about all anyone can say for certain. Pete was rushed initially to the trauma unit of Southmead Hospital, where surgeons were faced with a broken upper jaw, injuries to both eye sockets and a small lower skull fracture. He had also suffered a broken wrist (the left one) and three broken ribs, plus there was bruising to the brain's frontal lobes, with alarmingly high intracranial and intraocular pressure.

Then, and in the following days, surgical teams both there and at other Bristol hospitals worked valiantly to reduce the pressure on Pete's brain and to try and save his vision. Thankfully, as he emerged from the medically-induced coma in the ensuing days, Pete was able to demonstrate unimpaired brain function, displaying his familiar humour and a clear memory of everything up to the afternoon of the incident.

But his vision didn't fare so well: while his left eye recovered full function, his right could not be saved. Though appearing outwardly normal in every respect, the right eye no longer sends visual data to the brain: the sight in that eye is irretrievably lost. Pete is philosophical about it — it could all have been so much worse.

Pete spent a total of some five weeks in hospital, and over the intervening months he has been steadily rehabilitating his good eye and his left wrist. He's able to read comfortably, and feels he'll be good to drive in due course. Regaining left-hand dexterity (sinistry?) has been a painful and frustrating struggle, but he is now back to form on keyboard, and played a Shrinks gig in mid-July. Guitar is of course more demanding of the left wrist (so practice makes for good physiotherapy), and Pete is working hard to improve his stamina and get back in shape to perform. We'll let you know when and where there's anything booked by way of a comeback gig, and we wish him a steady but sure return to health.

Stephen J Birkill, August 2016

Update: Pete's return to solo public performance will be at
Harlow Museum, October 22nd, 2016

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