A Suffolk teenager who almost died in a fall at a skate park is urging fellow skaters to wear safety helmets.

Sid Hudson, 16, from Bury St Edmunds, suffered a serious head injury at the town’s skate park in July.

He was not wearing a helmet and had to be placed into a medically-induced coma at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge,

However he has now recovered to the extent that he was able to return home three weeks ago after a month in hospital.

Sid said wearing helmets was looked down upon in skateboarding culture because they interfere with balance and “it doesn’t look cool”.

“But now that I have had this injury, I realise that I’d rather not look cool than break my head open again or die even,” the teenager told BBC Suffolk.

He said he could not fully remember what happened but was trying a new skateboarding trick at the time.

He has been told a small rock stopped his board and forced him into a ramp.

The teenager described the moment he woke up from the coma as “horrible”.

“It felt like I had just woken up from a nightmare but I was still in a nightmare,” he said.

The teenager now faces extensive therapy to help him recover, and he will be using a wheelchair until he is strong enough to stand.

Sid said he was still coming to terms with his restricted movement as he recovers from his injuries but said he was “alive and happy”.

“I’m loving everything and I just want to spread awareness about this because I never thought a little rock would cause this much injury,” he said.

Sid’s parents Darrin and Kirsty, and his younger sister Leni, were at his bedside throughout his stay in hospital and Mrs Hudson has previously praised the medical staff who cared for him, plus friends and family who sent messages of support.

“He would not be here without all the incredible care he has received right from the beginning...his friends and strangers alike,” she said.

A ‘Support for Sid’ GoFund Me campaign to raise money to help his family has raised £4,307.

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