Alfred’s double trouble!

When Jennie and her partner Phil received the call that their son Alfred had had an accident, their hearts sank. Knowing he was in pain and they weren’t by his side; luckily, the Devon Air Ambulance critical care team and the staff at the Royal Devon & Exeter hospital were soon on hand to make sure Alfred received the best possible treatment and care for his injuries.

In October 2022, twelve-year-old Alfred went out for the day with his Nanny and his younger brother. They went to Eggesford Forest and found themselves thoroughly enjoying the park. Alfred was gaining height on a swing when suddenly he fell to the ground. It was immediately clear that Alfred was in intense pain and needed urgent medical care, his Nanny swiftly called 999.

Within minutes, Devon Air Ambulance’s North Devon crew had been scrambled and were flying to Alfred’s aid. There was no room to land nearby as dense forest surrounded him so pilot Rob landed in a nearby field. Once cleared to depart the helicopter, one of the critical care team threw the 17kg Emergency Response Bag over his shoulder and took off at a sprint to find the young patient. Alfred’s grandfather headed to the helicopter and aided the rest of the crew with 4x4 transfers to the scene in his truck.

The crew treated Alfred for his pain and identified that he had sustained bilateral wrist fractures so stabilised him and prepared him for a journey to the RD&E hospital via land ambulance. Because Alfred was in the forest, our crews worked alongside HART (Hazardous Area Response Team) to safely extract Alfred from the scene to where the land ambulance was waiting.

Our Advanced Paramedic in Critical Care, Glenn Birtwisle travelled with Alfred to hospital via the land ambulance to continue his care along the route. Upon arrival and following further assessment, Alfred received surgery for his injuries and was very well looked after by the hospital staff.

Alfred recovered well, with his plaster removed just in time for Christmas! His mum Jennie now tells us that Devon Air Ambulance is the ‘chosen charity for life’ in their household.  iHave we helped you? Get in touch and tell us your story...

“I feel extremely thankful to Devon Air Ambulance, not just for the medical care they gave Alfred, but the emotional support they showed to his younger brother Herbie and their Nanny when they arrived. Their kindness, empathy and calmness at the scene was a great strength to all involved. We will all be forever grateful. To show my personal appreciation for the help they gave us that day, I’m running the Exeter half Marathon in May to raise funds which might help another family like ours and give them the same peace of mind that we had when the Devon Air Ambulance crew arrived.”

Country woes...

Agricultural incidents 2020-22

There are many perils that come with working in the farming industry, from working with potentially dangerous machinery, chemicals and livestock, to working at heights, long hours and lone working. Our crew are no strangers to the severity of injury caused as a result of these hazards, from burns to broken bones, and during 2020-2022 we attended 86 agricultural incidents.

22 falls

24 machinery

1.6% of all incidents

10 females assisted

Cat McMorrow Specialist Paramedic Critical Care, says, “Farmers are Incredibly hard-working individuals who often put the needs of the farm before their own. Stoic and often imperturbable, they are seemingly made purely of grit and determination. We often jest amongst the crew that if a farmer is complaining of pain or an ailment there is likely something very concerning going on. So much so that we often mention ‘they’re a farmer’ in pre-alerts to receiving hospitals as there seems to be an unwritten but often accepted rule that they present in an entirely different manner to the rest of society when experiencing traumatic injuries or serious illness.”

75 males assisted

5 age 0-7 years

64 age 18 -69 years

5 foreign bodies

16 age 70+ years

21 animal related