Jason had been working alongside his dad in their family-owned business, a job he had done many times before. It was an ordinary working day, one that started like any other, but in a matter of seconds, everything changed.

While working on a roof, Jason’s boot became caught. Before he had a chance to react, he fell through a sheet of perspex, plunging onto the concrete floor around 10ft below.

The impact caused catastrophic injuries. Jason sustained a traumatic brain injury, fractures to his skull and sternum, and multiple broken ribs.

Following a 999 call to Ambulance Control, NIAS tasked a Rapid Response Paramedic, an Emergency Crew and the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service also attended by Air Ambulance. Together, the teams worked to triage Jason’s injuries, providing the appropriate clinical treatment at the scene while preparing him for the journey to Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast. Such were the seriousness of his injuries, the decision was taken that the HEMS Team would accompany Jason, along with the ambulance crew, to ensure the levels of clinical care, which they can provide, were available, in the ambulance, throughout the journey to Belfast. What followed was an incredibly difficult and uncertain time for his family.

Jason was placed on a ventilator for five and a half weeks. Day after day, his family visited him in the ICU in the Royal Victoria Hospital.

“He had such a long road in those early weeks,” his wife Naomi said. “We didn’t know what each day would bring, we just hoped he would come back to us.”

Jason has no memory of the accident. His first recollection is waking up in intensive care almost a month later, surrounded by machines, with no understanding of what had happened.

This was not Jason’s first fall through a roof. Around ten years ago, he had suffered a similar accident and remembered every detail. In the years that followed, he experienced severe nightmares that stayed with him for a long time.

“Last time, I relived it over and over again,” he said. “It never really left me. So, in a way, I am so grateful I don’t carry that this time.”

Jason is continuing to heal slowly but surely. Every small step forward is hard-earned, but his determination, and the support of his close-knit family, is helping him rebuild his life.

Reflecting on the day that changed everything, his family say they will never forget the care Jason received.

“The ambulance crews and Air Ambulance team were incredible,” Naomi said. “In the most frightening moments of our lives, they were calm, focused and gave him the best possible chance. We truly believe that care made all the difference.”

The HEMS that attended Jason is tasked on average twice every single day. The service is provided through a partnership between the Air Ambulance NI Charity and the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service. The medical team of a doctor and paramedic can deliver life-saving interventions at the scene that can make a meaningful difference. The air ambulance flies at approximately 180mph, and its operation is only possible thanks to donations and fundraising by the public. The charity needs to raise £8,200 every single day to keep the service running and be there for patients like Jason.