Archives: Patients

Claire Walton, aged 28, was riding her horse at a farm near Ingleby on 27^th March 2016, when she got her foot stuck in a gate post and as the horse bucked, she was thrown to the ground, leaving her with her spine broken in seven places.

The Yorkshire Air Ambulance was called to the farm and Claire was rushed to James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, where she underwent emergency spinal surgery.

Surgeons had Claire walking the very next day. However, they stressed that if it wasn’t for the initial treatment and speedy transfer by the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, she may not have been so lucky.

A year after her accident, Claire got back in the saddle and decided to fundraise for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.  It was there when she met the man who helped save her and also inspired her career change.

Paramedic Andy Armitage has had a varied career from starting out as a postman to becoming a fitness instructor. He now works for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance as one of their fully trained aircrew paramedics.

Andy impressed Claire with his reassuring and calm nature on the day he attended her, accident and when  Claire mentioned that she had always wanted to work as a paramedic, but she thought she was too old to retrain, Andy inspired her by saying: ‘it is never too late.’

Claire is currently studying a BSC Hons degree studying Paramedic Practice at Teeside University and will be starting her third year in September. Her goal is to one day work for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Claire, said: “The Yorkshire Air Ambulance service is invaluable and I hope that one day like them, I can make a difference to someone’s life.”

On 12^th July 2019, Jake Walton and his brother Kian decided to go for an impromptu bike ride together at Ogden Water Country Park, north of Halifax, West Yorkshire.

“We had gone out on our bikes together, which is very rare for me and Kian because we don’t usually do that.  We decided to go to Ogden Water because I’d never taken Kian before and I thought it would be nice to see the Windmills”, said Jake.

As the brothers decided to head home, they both cycled down a steep hill and Jake lost control of his bike. He landed on his back and the handlebar penetrated his thigh.

“I just saw that he was going down the hill a bit too fast and then all of a sudden I saw a massive cloud of dust and Jake lying there on his back.  He shouted over to me to call for an ambulance”, said Kian.

“Blood was gushing through my fingers and I was drifting in and out of consciousness just doing my best to breathe for myself. Kian phoned the ambulance and a few members of the public came to help”, said Jake.

The Yorkshire Air Ambulance was dispatched and Jake was assessed by their Critical Care Team. He was given an emergency blood transfusion on scene and was flown to Leeds General Infirmary for life-saving surgery.

“When I heard the helicopter arrive, it was just an unbelievable amount of relief and I felt like I finally had a chance of surviving”, said Jake.

Jake spent three and a half weeks in hospital and endured three operations, which included a large skin graft from the top of his right leg. He is now fully recovered, but still has to wear a compression sock to prevent future swelling.

Speaking of his brother’s heroism, Jake said: “I was very lucky to have Kian there, normally I’d have nobody with me. To have Kian there was a bit strange because I’m supposed to be a role model to him, but what he did was just unbelievable.”

He continued: “This accident is something I never expected to happen especially with my brother being there but it has definitely brought us closer together as brothers. I could never do enough to thank Kian.”

On 12^th July 2019, Jake Walton and his brother Kian decided to go for an impromptu bike ride together at Ogden Water Country Park, north of Halifax, West Yorkshire.

“We had gone out on our bikes together, which is very rare for me and Kian because we don’t usually do that.  We decided to go to Ogden Water because I’d never taken Kian before and I thought it would be nice to see the Windmills”, said Jake.

As the brothers decided to head home, they both cycled down a steep hill and Jake lost control of his bike. He landed on his back and the handlebar penetrated his thigh.

“I just saw that he was going down the hill a bit too fast and then all of a sudden I saw a massive cloud of dust and Jake lying there on his back.  He shouted over to me to call for an ambulance”, said Kian.

“Blood was gushing through my fingers and I was drifting in and out of consciousness just doing my best to breathe for myself. Kian phoned the ambulance and a few members of the public came to help”, said Jake.

The Yorkshire Air Ambulance was dispatched and Jake was assessed by their Critical Care Team. He was given an emergency blood transfusion on scene and was flown to Leeds General Infirmary for life-saving surgery.

“When I heard the helicopter arrive, it was just an unbelievable amount of relief and I felt like I finally had a chance of surviving”, said Jake.

Jake spent three and a half weeks in hospital and endured three operations, which included a large skin graft from the top of his right leg. He is now fully recovered, but still has to wear a compression sock to prevent future swelling.

Speaking of his brother’s heroism, Jake said: “I was very lucky to have Kian there, normally I’d have nobody with me. To have Kian there was a bit strange because I’m supposed to be a role model to him, but what he did was just unbelievable.”

He continued: “This accident is something I never expected to happen especially with my brother being there but it has definitely brought us closer together as brothers. I could never do enough to thank Kian.”

On 10^th April 2019, Kayanna Nicol, who was seven at the time, accidentally walked into the pathway of an ongoing vehicle. The back wheel of the car caught her leg and split it from side to side.

Keith Nicol, Kayanna’s Dad who witnessed the incident, said: “At first I thought she had just clipped the car, but when I saw the blood, I thought oh goodness this is worse than we originally thought.”

He continued: “I had to switch off every single emotion in my head – I was angry with the driver and in shock that Kayanna had ran out the way she had, but it was my job to save her life.”

Kayanna had run into the road without looking and the vehicle was driving at more than the recommended speed limit. Keith scooped up Kayanna and placed her on the pavement whilst waiting for the emergency services to arrive.

Paramedics arrived on scene and assessed Kayanna’s leg and due to the severity of injury, the Yorkshire Air Ambulance was dispatched.

“At first I thought she would be taken to the local hospital and she would be stitched up and that would be fine. But then they said she needed to go to Sheffield. I had been listening to the radio and heard that there had been a big smash on the M1 .When I asked the paramedics how we would get there, they said don’t worry about that, the helicopter is on its way”, said Keith.

Kayanna was flown to Sheffield Children’s Hospital, where she was rushed into a five hour surgery to save her leg. Surgeons had to reconnect her nerves and make sure arteries were intact, as well as give her a skin graft to repair the tissue damage.

When Kayanna was discharged from hospital, she wore metal frame around her leg for six to seven weeks. Despite heavy scarring and a slight hole in her foot where surgeons had to repair the nerves, Kayanna is now leading a normal life and there’s hope that her scars will eventually fade.

Speaking of all the emergency services who assisted Kayanna, Keith, said: “She received excellent attention – you hear regularly about the NHS being run down, but the care and treatment that Kayanna received was second to none. I couldn’t fault anyone, they are all brilliant people.”

On the 8^th August 2019, 10 year old Charlie Godbehere and his sister, 9 year old Emma were travelling by car to Pickering station with their grandad, to catch the train over to Whitby for a day out.

As they were driving on the A64 near Scagglethorpe, their grandfather experienced a medical episode behind the wheel of the car as it approached a bend, rather than turning, the car drove straight ahead and crashed into a car-transporter and a heavy goods vehicle.

Charlie and his sister were both trapped in the car, however tragically their beloved grandad passed away upon impact. Two passersby stopped to call the emergency services.

The Yorkshire Air Ambulance were dispatched with their critical care team on board, and due to the severity of Charlie’s injuries, he was flown directly to the major trauma unit at Leeds General Infirmary.  Emma travelled to hospital by road ambulance.

Tests revealed that Charlie had sustained some very severe injuries, including loosing 40cm of his  bowel as well as skin tissue loss. Charlie spent 8 and a half weeks in hospital and endured 11 surgeries in total, including a tummy tuck and reconstructive surgery to build a new belly button.

Emma escaped the incident with minor injuries, however the impact of the crash still weighs heavily on her mind.

Speaking about the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, Nick Godbehere, Charlie’s dad said: “I have no words to describe my feelings about the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, they saved my boy’s life.”

On August 26^th 2019, Georgia Taylor, aged 20 from Longwood, lost control of her car when it hit the kerb on the Huddersfield bound carriageway of Manchester Road. The car flipped over a wall and landed on the roof, leaving Georgia and her cousin trapped.

“I remember walking my cousin up to see if she was okay. I was drifting in and out of consciousness until the helicopter arrived”, said Georgia.

The rescue operation took more than 2 hours and Georgia lost six pints of blood. Speaking of her ordeal, she said: “The air ambulance crew were reassuring and did everything they could to calm me down.”

Georgia was flown to Sheffield Northern General hospital, where she was rushed for emergency surgery to save her arm. Tests revealed that Georgia had also sustained a serious head injury and had broken several bones including her neck.

Georgia spent six weeks in hospital and has endured six surgeries, but thanks to hospital staff and Yorkshire Air Ambulance crew, her arm has been saved and she has been able to return back to work, and do the things she enjoys.

“The Yorkshire Air Ambulance really helped me and I feel in debt to their services as they saved my life. My family and I have donated to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and speak very highly of the amazing work they do”, said Georgia.

On the 12^th January 2019, Charlie Starr, 15, from Nottingham was visiting the Doncaster Moto Park racecourse with his friend’s family, when he was involved in serious incident.

Charlie was filming his motocross training on his headcam when he went over a jump and his leg got tangled in the wheel of his bike.

Emergency services at Doncaster provided initial first aid, but worried about the extent of Charlie’s leg injuries, the Yorkshire Air Ambulance were called.

Charlie was flown to Sheffield Children’s Hospital, where his anxious mother, who travelled from Nottingham, was there waiting for him.

“I was just told, get yourself to Sheffield, the helicopter is landing with Charlie”, said Helen.

Tests at Sheffield Children’s Hospital revealed that Charlie had shattered his thigh bone and suffered internal bleeding to his spleen and liver.

Charlie had a rod inserted into his leg and spent eight months as an outpatient under the care of Sheffield Children’s Hospital learning to walk again. He is now fully recovered, but he has been advised not to get back on his bike.

“Charlie has always been accident prone and a bit of an adrenaline junkie, he already sustained an injury to his spleen prior to this accident bmx-ing”, said Helen.

She continued: “I don’t like holding Charlie back, but at the same time I want him to be safe. He was wearing every bit of protective gear that day. I can’t thank the Yorkshire Air Ambulance enough for their help.”

Connor Lond, 23, and his friend were driving from Grimsby to Leeds on a night out, when the front wheel of the car slid on gravel on the M18, causing it to spin. As the car spun out of control, it was hit by oncoming vehicle.

“I can remember the wet weather and approaching Brigg, but a lot of the incident is a blur”, said Connor.

The Yorkshire Air Ambulance were dispatched immediately to scene and due to the incident being late at night, the mission was flown using Night Vision technology.

Pilots and navigational crew on board of Yorkshire’s Air Ambulance wear Night Vision goggles to enable them to identify hazards and obstacles late at night when approaching landing sites.

Night Vision status was granted to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance back in September 2017 and has enabled the lifesaving rapid response service the ability to extend their operational hours into darkness.

When the Critical Care Team assessed Connor, he was showing signs of a serious head injury and a decision was made to put him into an induced coma and fly him to the nearest major trauma centre.

Connor was carried down an embankment to the helicopter and was flown to Leeds General Infirmary, a 30 mile flight which took only 15 minutes by air but would have been 45 minutes by road.

Tests at the hospital revealed that Connor had fractured six ribs, his clavicle and his pelvis and he had a bleed on brain. His family were told that he had a 20% survival rate.

Connor spent two weeks in hospital and despite his serious injuries, he has made a remarkable recovery.

“It was difficult learning to walk again, but to go from feeling broken emotionally and physically to become someone who is stronger, healthier and able to walk, lift weights and to graduate, means the world to me”, said Connor.

A motorcyclist who escaped serious injuries thanks to his new helmet is set to appear on Helicopter ER next week.

Motorcyclist Richard Driffield, from Killamarsh, Sheffield decided to take up biking five years ago. On June 7th 2018, he was spending the day out with other riders from a local club, when he clipped the curb after going round a bend and he was thrown off his bike.

Richard and his pillion passenger, who he had only met that day, were both thrown on to a grass verge near Grassington on the A1. A passerby who witnessed the accident called for a nearby off duty nurse for help.

“I can’t remember much, it’s all a blur”, said Richard. “I can remember hearing the sound of a helicopter and being in a lot of pain, but not much else.”

Both of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance helicopters were dispatched to the scene and after a detailed assessment by their Critical Care Team, the pillion passenger was taken to hospital by road and Richard was flown to Leeds General Infirmary.

Tests revealed that Richard had broken two ribs, damaged his elbow and lacerated his kidney. He spent three days in hospital and required surgery for his elbow.

Doctors believe that Richard’s gear saved him from life threatening injuries. “I only had my helmet two weeks, if it had been a cheap one, I think it would have been much worse”, said Richard.

Richard still suffers from some pain relating back to his accident, but he is now back on his bike and enjoying riding with his club again.

On the 27^th April 2017, Elizabeth Campbell attempted to take her own life by jumping from a railway bridge on Bogs Lane, Harrogate.

Elizabeth was under the care of her local Psychiatric department at the time, but on the day of her incident, she was deemed fit enough to go home.

That day she had met up with one of the support workers for a quiet chat about her mental health, when she had a psychotic episode and  began running towards the bridge.

A serious of unfortunate events unfolded and Elizabeth fell 30ft to the ground off the bridge.  Given the serious nature of the incident, the Yorkshire Air Ambulance were immediately dispatched to her aid.

When asked about what she remembers from the day, Elizabeth said: “I can vaguely remember an orange figure with short blonde hair but I can’t remember much after that.”

She was flown directly to Leeds General Infirmary, where it was revealed that she had suffered from severe spinal injuries including permanent nerve damage, which has subsequently impacted her bladder and bowel functions.

Elizabeth spent six months in hospital and underwent four spinal surgeries. She has since been fitted with a colostomy bag due to the damage to her bowel.

Despite her injuries, Elizabeth has made a miraculous recovery both mentally and physically, and her mental health is now stable.

She now spends her time supporting and encouraging people to speak about their mental health in her local community.“Even if it is the slightest concern you have, please speak to someone whether it’s a family member, friend or professional. The sooner you can get help, the better. I don’t want anyone going through the life changing injuries that I have”, said Elizabeth.

Speaking about the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, Elizabeth said: “The Yorkshire Air Ambulance is an amazing charity and I wouldn’t be walking if it wasn’t for them. They are always in my heart”, said Elizabeth.

On the 10^th August 2018, Ann Wands aged 69, from York was climbing a ladder into her loft at home, when it gave way and she fell 10ft on to the concrete below.

The Yorkshire Air Ambulance were dispatched to the scene and after detailed assessment by the team, Ann was considered to be too unstable to fly to hospital so was taken to Leeds General Infirmary by land ambulance, accompanied by two members of their Critical Care Team.

On arrival at the hospital, it was revealed that Ann had broken most of her ribs, fractured her facial bones, ruptured her spleen and required emergency surgery. Family members were warned that medics would not know the full extent of her damage until she had woken up.

Ann woke up the following day and in a morphine haze, one of the first things she said to her family was ‘I don’t think I’ll be doing the 10K next year’. Six days prior to her accident, Ann ran the York 10K with her family and friends.

In July 2019, less than a year after her accident, Ann ran the York 10K again with 32 friends, family and colleagues nick-named ‘Ann’s Army’ and together they raised over £3,000 for the service which helped save her life.

Ann said: “It’s a miracle that I was able to do this and I have no doubt that I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and the team at the Leeds General Infirmary.”