Many people across Kirklees and Calderdale have been helped by the Yorkshire Air Ambulance helicopters.
And their gratitude never fades – often leading to phenomenal fundraising.
As we revealed yesterday the family and friends of a young Calderdale horserider terribly injured when she was thrown from her horse have raised more than £20,000.
Although the helicopter managed to get 22-year-old Georgina Lockey to Leeds General Infirmary, she died two days later after her parents made the heart-breaking decision to switch off her life support.
But the speed the helicopter got her there meant her family could have two days at her bedside and they also decided that Georgina would donate organs to give others the gift of life.
And the helicopter was there for Harry Nattress from Scapegoat Hill after he was badly hurt in a cycling accident in North Yorkshire – and that rescue mission led to fundraising by villagers for the YAA.
Harry’s story was screened on the BBC TV documentary Helicopter Heroes.
The family – including Harry’s parents Anne and Steve along with brother Jack – were cycling at Bishop Monkton near Ripon when a van collided with Harry who was seven at the time.
He suffered a fractured jaw, collapsed lung and three broken ribs and medics feared he had suffered severe head injuries. It later transpired that Harry’s helmet had saved his life.
A car went straight through crossroads and slammed into the side of a van travelling in the opposite direction to the families.
The impact sent the van out of control across the road and it hit Harry head-on.
Anne said: “Everything seemed to go into slow motion – it was really surreal. Harry was on the ground in a pool of blood and he wasn’t moving. At one point he opened his eyes, but then they rolled to the back of his head and I was so scared for a split second and then after a little while he started to move a little bit.”
It was race day at Ripon and the roads were clogged but the YAA landed nearby. The crew stabilised Harry and Anne flew with him to LGI. They landed on the roof and 10-strong team of medics were waiting to rush him for emergency treatment.
He was quickly undergoing a CT scan to check for chest injuries and potentially life-changing head injuries.
Anne said: “The air ambulance meant that he was being treated within minutes. The journey by road would have taken at least 45 minutes and would have been horrendous. They were so reassuring and it meant we felt a bit calmer knowing it would take just minutes for them to fly Harry to a hospital where he could receive the best treatment available.”
Harry, now 10, thankfully made a full recovery.
The YAA’s 5,000th patient was badly injured musician Chris Parr who was airlifted from Manchester Road on the moors above Marsden after a head-on crash. He suffered broken ribs, a fractured breast bone and a fractured knee and was airlifted to Leeds General Infirmary after being cut free from the wreckage of his car by firefighters.
Chris, a drummer with Huddersfield band State of Confusion, said: “The air ambulance crew was just brilliant, supporting me and keeping me calm throughout the flight and I can’t thank them enough.”
Click here to read more about Achievement Award winner Yorkshire Air Ambulance
