Dad injured in Bromley Cross crash begins rehabilitation

Lewis Rimmer was critically injured when a Range Rover struck him and pinned him against a steel pillar outside Sainsbury’s on Darwen Road on October 27 last year.

Having spent over 140 days in hospital, Lewis has undergone more than 40 hours of surgery, spent three weeks in a coma and nine weeks in intensive care.

He has since been transferred to Salford Royal Hospital as he begins the next stage of his rehabilitation.

Lewis Rimmer with close friends and best men Andy and Ben. // A devoted dad is fighting (Image: Rimmer Family / SWNS)

Family friend Andy Tonge said Lewis has started an “intense” physiotherapy programme to help maintain muscle strength and flexibility.

However, he will require further surgery to reset the right side of his pelvis, a major procedure doctors say cannot yet go ahead while his abdominal injuries continue to heal.

Despite the challenges, there has been some positive news for the family.

A recent biopsy on a fluid collection in his pelvis came back clear.

Lewis’s partner, Sarah, said his recovery remains slow and painful, with progress measured in small steps.

She posted: “There’s also been a lot of physio.

“At the moment it’s focused on basic things, like simply sitting on the edge of the bed.

“The injuries were so serious and caused a lot of damage, so recovery is happening in very small steps, and it’s very painful.

“But progress, even small, is so important to us right now.”

Lewis was transferred from Royal Preston Hospital to Salford Royal on February 22.

Lewis Rimmer, 41, with wife Sarah and their daughter. // A devoted dad is fighting for his life (Image: Rimmer Family / SWNS)

Paying tribute to the care he received, Sarah added: “We can’t thank the team at Preston Hospital enough.

“Saying they saved Lewis’s life still doesn’t feel like enough to express what they’ve done for us over the past 15 weeks.

“We truly owe them everything.

“Now it’s a new place with new faces, and we’re hopeful this means we’ll soon be having that long-awaited conversation about discharge.

“I never imagined in a million years that Lewis would be away from us at home for this long after being admitted on October 27.”

Lewis suffered devastating injuries in the crash, including multiple breaks to his pelvis, both femurs, and a compound fracture to his right shin.

He also sustained internal injuries including a ruptured bladder and two bowel ruptures, as well as three fractured ribs.

His left foot was so badly damaged it had to be amputated.

Since the incident, more than £110,000 has been raised through a GoFundMe page to support Lewis and his family as they adjust to the long road ahead.

Lewis, a dad of two young daughters, had been out celebrating one of their birthdays shortly before the incident and had gone into the supermarket when the collision happened at around 12.50pm.

Greater Manchester Police said a 56-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and driving while unfit through drugs.

He is on bail pending further enquiries.