- Ryan Smith has been in a coma for FIVE WEEKS since the accident
- Doctors have told his family he probably has permanent brain damage
- He didn't want to wear a cycle helmet as he didn't want to ruin his quiff
A father tenderly clasps his son's hand, as he's locked in a coma with possible brain damage after he decided not to wear a helmet as he cycled to work so he didn't ruin his hairstyle.
These heart-breaking images show Ryan Smith, 16, who was last month critically injured in a collision with a van as he cycled to work.
The teenager has remained in a coma ever since the accident near the seaside village of Chapel St Leonards, Lincolshire, on July 22.
Heartbreaking: Mark Smith with his son Ryan who is in a coma after suffering serious head injuries after being involved in a crash on his bike while not wearing a cycle helmet because he didn't want to ruin his hair
His father, Mark Smith, 44, himself a paramedic, has spent every day by Ryan’s bed for the past five weeks after being told his son might not survive the night.
He is now urging every cyclist to wear a helmet after saying his son didn’t wear one because of his quiff hair-do.
Ryan’s family face an agonising wait to see whether he will wake up. Even if he does, they have been told he will probably be brain damaged for life.
Distraught Mr Smith, a father of three, said: 'When I heard the news I thought typical Ryan he’s strong as an ox, it’ll be a few scratches and bruises.
'But when I called the paramedic on scene I found out it was much more serious.
'I always wear a helmet, I always told Ryan to wear a helmet but he is 16, his hair is his life and sadly he has the "not going to happen to me attitude''.
Crash: Ryan didn't want to ruin his hair by putting on a helmet as he cycled to work and now his father is calling for all cyclist to wear them
'He’s like any young lad, they just think they are invincible. But in a click of your fingers our family’s life has changed permanently.
'I can make my four-year-old wear a helmet but it is harder to tell an image conscious teenager what to do.
'This needs to go to Parliament straight away but people have no excuse not to go and buy a helmet.
'There is one in everyone’s price range and you should wear it even if you’re just riding to the shop.
'We don’t know yet how much of our son we are going to get back, we will never know if a helmet would have saved him.
'But I don’t want another parent to take that chance.'
Ryan, an avid sportsman with dreams of a career in engineering, is currently in the respiratory ward at Pilgrim Hospital in Boston, Lincolnshire.
He is on a waiting list to be transferred to the Abbey Ward at Lincoln County Hospital, where medics specialise in neurology.
His father, his mother Julie, 46, and his sister Rachael, 21, wait by his bedside every day. They remain cautiously optimistic about the teenager's chances.
'We spent a week with nothing, then a twitch from his left arm and now he blinks to my voice,' said Mr Smith.
'Doing the job I do I know how devastating these sort of injuries can be.
'He’s a stubborn Smith, a fit young lad and he’s fighting, so we owe it to him to believe. I still kiss him like I always have.
'We are still waiting to see the extent of the damage - there is no way of telling what sort of son we will have back.
'But one thing is for sure - it won’t be the same Ryan.'
'I still kiss him like I always have': Mr Smith tenderly kisses his son on the forehead. The family are cautiously optimistic about his chances, but Mr Smith admits that, even if his boy recovers, 'it won't be the same Ryan'
Ryan’s friend Hollie Simpson, 16, said his classmates at Skegness Grammar School always joke about the teenager’s obsession with his quiff hair-do.
'Ryan is so much fun. We all joked about his quiff, he was always pushing his hair up and we think that’s the first thing he’ll do when he wakes up,' she said.
'I make sure I wear my helmet now but see so many people who don’t and I think Ryan would want to change that.'
Mr Smith has arranged a charity bike ride on September 8 to raise awareness of wearing helmets and a Ryan Smith Foundation page has been set up on Facebook.
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