A cyclist who was left with a catalogue of injuries after a collision with a car has thanks the air ambulance crew who treated her.

Karen Bell, 39, of Workington, was cycling home from work when the crash happened on the A595 near Bigrigg on August 25.

She suffered lacerations to her neck, left ear and fingers, a bleed on the brain, a fractured cheek bone, double vision, a punctured lung, a fractured vertebrae and broken ribs.

She was assessed and treated by the Great North Air Ambulance Service paramedic and doctor team before being airlifted to the Royal Preston Hospital, where she spent 10 days in the trauma ward.

Miss Bell, a member of Whitehaven's Team XIII Cycling group, said: “I’m quite active so it’s been hard taking the time to let everything heal.

“When I think I’m getting better I’ve been getting setbacks. I dislocated my shoulder, and it is borderline that I might need surgery. My recovery is slow, but my partner has been with me since day one and he says that I’ve come on massively.

“Where we live, we’re so far away from good hospitals and care, so GNAAS are a valuable service to us.”

Miss Bell is not the first member of Team XIII Cycling to have needed the services of the air ambulance.

She said: “One of the lads in the cycling club was airlifted last year by GNAAS and now I’ve used their services.

“It probably would have taken hours to get to Preston in an ambulance so it’s important that we continue to have GNAAS, as they can provide the service and care which we need within easy reach.”

Miss Bell still has a long road to recovery, but she hopes to get back on her bike soon so she can rejoin her friends at the cycling club.