A MOTORCYCLIST left paralysed after he hit a van at 60 mph, which cut across him to do a U-turn, hopes his life-changing injuries will make people think twice when driving.

Paul Sharrock's Kawasaki Ninja motorbike collided with the vehicle with such force that both he and the bike were thrown over the van.

The 38-year-old biker had been overtaking the van on the A58 dual carriageway towards Halifax, close to Chain Bar roundabout, when its driver suddenly swung across his path to turn onto the other side of the road.

The impact of the smash made Mr Sharrock vomit and his friend, Andrew Precious, who was riding behind him had to clear his airways.

The rider was taken to Leeds General Infirmary by the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and wife, Ellie, was told to prepare for the worst.

Mr Sharrock's multiple injuries included six broken ribs, a punctured lung, a compound fracture of the left arm, a broken collar bone, damaged spinal nerves and lacerations to his liver and kidney.

His left arm is paralysed by nerve damage and he has not been able to return to work as a trading manager in Leeds.

Case office PC Cameron Buchan said it was "almost the most serious of collisions."

"I'll be having treatment for probably the next two or three years," Mr Sharrock said, who remembers nothing about the accident.

Van driver Joel Samuel said he did not see Mr Sharrock before last August's accident.

The 55-year-old, of Cockburn Close, Leeds, was due to stand trial at Bradford Crown Court on Thursday, but was sentenced after admitting driving without due care. He was banned from driving for six months and given a £525 fine.

After the hearing, Samuel asked if he could apologise to Mr Sharrock, who lives in Middleton, Leeds, with his wife and two children.

"My wife wanted to understand whether or not it [the apology] was genuine, which I think it was," Mr Sharrock said.

"He could have walked away and not said a word. It shows a little bit of remorse."

Mr Sharrock hopes to eventually return to work, but is "gutted" that he will never ride again.

"The court case has closed another part of what happened to me and there is nothing else I can do now apart from get on with my very slow rehabilitation and keep raising awareness about what resulted from one man's lapse of judgement," he said.

"I hope my story will make drivers think bike and that it will stop others going through the same trauma and becoming disabled."

PC Buchan of the Safer Roads department of West Yorkshire Police said: "This was such an avoidable collision. I defy any competent driver not to agree that to make a U-turn across a dual carriageway 60mph road is a very ill-advised manoeuvre, even with a significant amount of observations before doing so.

"The bike and other vehicles were very much there to be seen and this incident highlights the dangers faced on fast roads and the Government's repeated campaigns about Think Bike."

Mr Sharrock has raised almost £3,000 for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and encouraged others to visit yorkshireairambulance.org.uk to find out more about the charity's work and support it.

"I know how much it costs to deal with each call out and we raised that at the first charity night, so that can go towards sending them out to save someone else's life," Mr Sharrock said.