by Keyan Milanian

kmilanian@thekmgroup.co.uk

A semi-professional ice hockey player has been seriously injured after his car was in collision with a lorry.

Invicta Dynamos defenceman Ryan Giles, 19, from Allington, near Maidstone was driving to work on Wednesday , at about 8am when his car crashed in Tonbridge Road, Pembury,

Ryan was taken to hospital with a broken femur and damage to his knee, which doctors believe may rule him out for at least three months.

He underwent surgery on Wednesday but head coach Kevin Parrish said the extent of the damage was as yet unknown.

He said: “We know he was driving to work and the next he knew he was being cut out of his car and then he woke up in hospital with his leg up.

“His parents are away at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver at the moment so his sisters have been visiting him regularly.

“When I spoke to him yesterday he was in great spirits but he was high on morphine, I think because he cannot or does not want to remember what happened he does not really understand what is going on at the moment.”

Mr Parrish said a police investigation was underway to discover what happened in the collision.

Ryan left the Gillingham Ice Bowl-based Dynamos last summer to join the Romford Raiders, who play in the league above.

But due to the change in travel arrangements he decided to return to the Dynamos in November and had played 17 times this season.

On the Dynamos website a statement added: “The Invicta Dynamos would like to wish Ryan Giles the full and speediest of recoveries and we are in no doubt that fans of the team would like to do the same.

“Giles is a big part of the squad and he will be sorely missed on the ice and in the changing room but for now his recuperation is the most important consideration with his long road to recovery already begun.”