On 5^th December 2022, Oliver Kerr from Carrickmore, Co. Tyrone was driving his van on the outskirts of Coalisland when he had a high-speed head-on collision with a lorry. The NI Ambulance Service and the air ambulance were both tasked to the accident, as well as NI Fire & Rescue Service who had to cut Oliver out of his van before he could receive treatment.

Oliver had sustained serious crush injuries and broken bones across his body from his head to his toes but was still conscious and in a huge amount of pain. The Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) doctor and paramedic team worked alongside NIAS road crews and the Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) administering Oliver with pain-relief and provided him with pre-hospital care at the scene. He was then airlifted to the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast in a journey time of approx. 15 minutes, landing on the helipad on the roof before being passed onto definitive care with the RVH major trauma team.

Over one year on from his accident, father-of-four Oliver praises the care he received that day. “I can’t thank the HEMS team, the NIAS road crews and all emergency services enough for what they did for me. The HEMS team provided me with a very high level of care at the scene before transporting me very speedily and comfortably in the helicopter to Belfast. I spent three weeks in hospital and I am still recovering from my injuries. I was released on Christmas Eve which meant everything to be at home again with my family. I will always be incredibly grateful to the service and ask that people support the charity in any way they can.”