Laura Collett: Event rider says air jacket saved her life in fall

Laura Collett says she owes her life to a hi-tech air jacket after a heavy fall which left the British event rider with spine, shoulder and rib fractures.

The 23-year-old was in a coma for six days, but wants to resume riding and represent Team GB at the 2016 Olympics.

"Paramedics said the air jacket I was wearing [which inflates much like a car air bag] probably saved my life," Wiltshire-based Collett told BBC Sport.

Collett fell from Tis A Beauty at Tweseldown, Hampshire on 8 July.

The rider, who has also been retraining top racehorse Kauto Star in dressage, suffered crush injuries to her lungs and liver after falling from the seven-year-old mare and was taken to the intensive care unit at Southampton General Hospital.

But she is now out of hospital and well enough to speak at length about her close escape.

"Any horse falling on you is a pretty serious thing. To come away with hopefully no serious injuries is pretty lucky really. The horse was a bit stiff but she's fine apart from that. I've been up to the yard and seen all the horses," she said.

Read the full article on the BBC Website.