'I saw the car coming towards me and I thought… I’m dead'

Callum Baldwin has always had a love for 'anything with an engine'. He started riding motorbikes aged just 10, and became the proud owner of his own Yamaha in September 2021.

But a routine trip on the motorcycle to to drop off some keys for work in April 2022 changed Callum’s life forever. Without warning, a van cut across his path and collided with him, sending him hurtling towards a parked car on the side of the road.

Despite him travelling at just 30mph, the impact was so severe that Callum bit straight through his tongue and shattered several teeth, but he miraculously survived the crash. He was rushed to hospital where doctors were forced to wire his jaw shut to prevent his face from collapsing after scans revealed that he had fractured his cheek and chin.

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One of his teeth came loose a few days after the crash but with his jaw wired shut Callum was unable to open his mouth so had no choice but to swallow it.

Two years later Callum still has to wear a balaclava when the temperature drops below freezing otherwise his face aches. He cannot enjoy fizzy drinks or foods like salt and vinegar crisps as they make his tongue burn where he bit through it.

Callum was awarded upwards of £100,000 after taking legal action against the van driver who cut him off and has said he will never buy a motorbike again.

“I saw the car coming towards me and I thought… I’m dead,” Callum told PA Real Life. “I have never felt that bad in my life.

“My tooth came out while my jaw was (wired) shut but I had no choice but to swallow it – it was minging. I’m never riding a motorbike again.”

Asked whether he has a message for van