From BMX to brain injury: how a single punch changed a life forever

On 15 August 2011, Jamie McKechnie had been on his way home via Shortlands station in Bromley when he became the victim of an unprovoked assault, during which he received a single blow to the back of his head. One punch was all it took to leave Jamie unconscious on the roadside with a life-changing brain injury. This powerful short film, made for the Channel 4 documentary One Killer Punch, tells Jamie’s story from the life he led as a keen BMX rider to the catastrophic effects of his brain injury. Having rebuilt his life with the support of wife Ellen and Headway South East London North West Kent, Jamie was nominated as Achiever of the Year in the 2015 Headway Awards. You can read Jamie’s story at