The air ambulance helicopter touched down in a field across from the building site, its presence a beacon of hope for Peter and his panicked workmates. Fearing Peter had sustained a serious spinal injury, the medical team of HEMS assessed and treated Peter at the scene before carefully stabilising him and loading him onto the helicopter.
The flight from Moortown, on the western shores of Lough Neagh, to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast took just nine minutes, a fraction of the time it would have taken by road. But for Peter, the journey is a complete blank. “I don’t remember the fall, the helicopter, or anything at all,” he later admitted. “The only thing I briefly recall is being lifted from one stretcher to another on the Royal Victoria Hospital helipad.”
The trauma team at the Royal Victoria Hospital confirmed that Peter had sustained a fracture to his L1 vertebra in his lower back. Peter spent a week in hospital under the watchful eyes of the medical team before being discharged with a body cast, which he wore for the next three months. Thankfully, Peter did not sustain any permanent damage to his spinal cord. With the support of his family, friends, and the community, he made steady progress, and Peter is now back on his feet and has returned to work.
Grateful for the life-saving intervention of the air ambulance, Peter, his family, and friends wanted to show their thanks and support for Air Ambulance NI Charity. A Christmas quiz was planned in Ardboe Community Centre on 28th December, alongside a raffle of prizes kindly donated by local businesses and individuals. The event was a resounding success, raising an incredible £10,545 for the charity.
Damien McAnespie, Fundraising Manager for Air Ambulance NI, said, “The day of Peter’s accident (22nd July 2024) was the seventh anniversary of the service, and it is a reminderof how vital the air ambulance is to everyone and how a quick response, matched with clinical care interventions carried out on the scene, can make a real difference.”
Peter’s family, friends and the entire community of Ardboe and Moortown then raised a huge amount of money as a sign of their appreciation, and we are very indebted to them for their support. Their donation of £10,545 will fund the service for over one day, potentially helping to save the life, brain or limb of another two individuals in the region – individuals like Peter, who was out doing his day’s work and who never expected he would need the service. Thank you to everyone who donated in support of Peter and Air Ambulance NI.”
The charity Air Ambulance Northern Ireland, in partnership with the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, provides the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service for Northern Ireland. The service brings urgent medical assistance to anywhere in the province, operating seven days a week for 12 hours per day. The HEMS team attend patients who are seriously ill or injured, bringing emergency pre-hospital care directly to the casualty to save lives, brains and limbs. The aircraft can reach anywhere in Northern Ireland in approximately twenty-five minutes.
