A FATHER-of-five is recovering from a gunshot wound in a Rochdale hospital.
Martin McKay-Smith, of Lymm, was riding his motorcycle when he was injured in a drive-by shooting last Friday.
The 46-year-old solicitor did not fully register he had been shot until paramedics confirmed that the bullet was still lodged in the leg of his motorcycle leathers.
"I was riding my bike from Bury to Rochdale when I heard a loud bang," said Martin.
"I heard the sound of a car overtaking very fast and then I felt a pain in my leg but I didn't know why. At first, I thought something was wrong with my motorbike or a stone had hit me. I had never felt anything like it."
Martin couldn't move his right leg but managed to slow the bike down using the handbrake. When he stopped he couldn't get off the bike and fell to the ground, trapping his left foot.
"I was stuck for a few moments," he said, "and I began to wonder if anyone was going to help me.
"A man came and picked the bike up and a lady laid me on the grass verge and covered me up. I was aware of police cars flying past me and a helicopter above. Then I heard people talking about a shot up the road and it dawned on me that I may have been shot as well."
The bullet had gone through Martin's waterproof trousers, boots and leathers before fracturing his tibia.
He was taken to Rochdale Infirmary where surgeons operated on the break, fixing it in place with metal screws and pins.
"When I was in casualty, I knew that someone in the next cubicle had also been shot," he said.
"The atmosphere at the hospital was very controlled but it was obvious that something serious was going on."
Martin's wife, Alison, received a telephone call at work telling her what had happened.
"Someone came and broke it to me very gently," she said.
The family is now looking forward to Martin's return home.
"I'm already using a zimmer frame," he said, "but they won't let me go until I have mastered my crutches."
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