A BIKER given a slim chance of survival has astounded doctors by waking up and cracking jokes just three days after a horrific smash.

Julian Dimyre suffered such terrible injuries when his motorcycle collided with a car in Bishopstoke Road, Eastleigh, that medics, family and friends believe it is a miracle that he is still alive.

The 25-year-old Frenchman was rushed to Southampton General Hospital with multiple fractures to his face, jaw, head and spine, as well as fractured ribs, pelvis and legs, bleeding of the heart and deflated lungs.

On his arrival doctors said that they had never seen so many injuries on one body and held out little hope of him surviving.

However Julian has shown his strength and amazed everyone around him, waking up just 72 hours after the incident and making everyone laugh with his words: "God, I've got a bad headache".

Julian, who came to Hampshire to work at Steve Piper's Motorcycles in Dutton Lane, was out test-driving a Harley Davidson he had just serviced when the collision happened at 10.15am, on April 5.

His boss, Steve Piper, heard sirens and sent another employee to check if Julian was stuck in traffic.

As he approached the incident he saw Julian being put into the back of the ambulance and rushed to his side.

His parents in France were contacted immediately and they and Steve and Steve's wife Denise have been holding a bedside vigil ever since.

Denise said: "He was first put down as a fatality because the police didn't even expect him to survive the journey to the hospital.

"When we got to the hospital the doctors did not think he would wake up again. Julian has just astounded us all, it is a miracle he is alive and doing so well.

"He has just blown everybody away with his strength and his sense of humour. He has been joking around as soon as he woke up. Even with his bottom jaw unhinged he was laughing and joking with us.

"Everyone has been just fantastic. The whole biking community has gathered together and is raising money to enable his parents to stay at his bedside."