Member of the European Parliament Jarosław Wałęsa, the son of legendary Solidarity leader Lech Wałęsa, has made his first public appearance following a horrific accident in which his motorcycle collided with an SUV on September 2.

Mr Wałęsa suffered 37 bone fractures, 17 of which required surgery.

“I managed to cheat death, this on its own is a miracle … but the fact that I will be able to walk again is another miracle,” he told a press conference at a Warsaw military hospital on Thursday.

Mr Wałęsa thanked the doctors and medical staff who looked after him, adding that he would never ride a motorcycle again.

He also said that he is planning to resume his duties as an MEP next year.

“Every day I get healthier and this is my goal. I hope that in a month's time I will be walking without crutches, and in two months' time I will be able to run. I want to get back to work in February,” he said.

Mr Wałęsa returned to his home in Gdańsk after the press conference.

Izabela Depczyk