Have you ever needed an air ambulance?

[Seiheiki]

Following on from the thread about have you ever called 999, have you ever needed an air ambulance, either for yourself or anyone that you've helped?

When my Mother had a brain haemmorhage and stroke the hospital she was blued via ambulance for said she was so unwell they possibly needed to airlift her to a London specialist hospital, and the air ambulance had been notified. We were incredibly lucky that she stabalised so it wasn't needed in the end, and are eternally grateful that it was an option available to us.

We were first on scene after a guy had a bad climbing fall this year - he fell off a big rock and then further down a large slope. He almost ripped his leg off, plus multiple fractures, head injury and spinal injury. We rang 999 with co-ordinates and asked for ambulance and mountain rescue. We said they might need a chopper as there was no road access for half a mile.

Air ambulance came all the way from Yorkshire and got there first, the road ambulance and mountain rescue. Air ambulance had two docs plus paramedic, (and telly cameraman!) and MR (x20) had a doc and copper.

Because of his location he couldn’t be moved by stretcher so they radioed for the coastguard at Humberside and pumped him full of ketamine before packing him in a stretcher. Coastguard came and winched him to the top where the air ambulance had landed, dropped him off there and the docs treated him for a further twenty mins before flying him to hospital. It was like something out of Apocalypse Now. He was in a coma for a month and has a long way to go, but he was so lucky. My other half has 20 years of battlefield and mountain first aid courses under his belt and I’m so proud of how calm he was in the 20 mins it took for help to come.

Yes a family member of mine did and also sadly passed while in the air.
Cannot fault the flight doctor or crew though. It was ICU level on board and they did all they could.

Yes, but not in the UK. I went into premature labour with dd1. I was on a beach with 2 of my brothers who were surfing. Its a pretty remote area, you had to drive along a forest track and then walk down a narrow and steep footpath to get to it. Bit of a slog but well worth it, as a beautiful beach with good surf and quiet as only those in the know really knew how to get to it.
Labour was progressing too quickly for me to walk myself and was deemed to dangerous to carry me up, dd arrived a few minutes before the helicopter did and we were both airlifted off to hospital.

Sort of. Son had an accident in a difficult to get to place. In the end, an alternative was found, but AA was suggested.

I've also been first on site at a terrible accident requiring 3 AA, including the Royal Navy. Amazing service.

Yes. Had a bad fall half way up a mountain side, remote area. Unfortunately it was unavailable on another call, so eventually I was winched down with the help of various fire and mountain rescue crews.

Even more unfortunately for me, I don't remember a single moment of it.

Where I grew up, they are very common to see both the helicopter and the plane. Sometimes with lovely little baby stories with pictures in the local paper.

My friend did when she was hit by a car in the middle of the countryside, I'm guessing because it was quicker. She had died instantly though.

Wondering if the island(s) with no airport mentioned might be the one where my parents live. They've been fortunate not to need it but lots of people they know have been helicoptered off to the big hospital on the mainland. Wonderful service.

My DF did after a car driver decided he didn’t need to give way at the roundabout to my DF on his motorbike. He had head light on. High vis. White helmet and car driver still claimed he didn’t see him. He was actually going far too fast to stop to give way. DF was extremely lucky. Bike was a right off

Yes. It's why I can still walk.

The feeling of relief when you hear it is indescribable.

for those flying

Slightly different but my step mum got an air ambulance home from visiting us in Switzerland (where she slipped and landed on her coccyx whilst sledging) to Glasgow with two fractured vertebrae. Weirdly discharged from air ambulance to normal ambulance to immediately back home 😲

I got flown out in a military air ambulance with my 2 year old once.
We were on the Scilly isles and she needed hospital due to chest issues.
It all felt very dramatic but it was the only way and is quite normal there!

My brother, fell in a field in snow and broke his leg, it was a bit of a trek to the road, so they called the ambulance to pick him up. They thought it they carried him there would be the risk of the ambulance crew slipping and hurting themselves.

One lands in my garden once

I also saw another land in front of me and later found out it was my colleagues husband doing the same race as my DH which was sobering

Not me, Mil recently helicoptered from hospital on island after an mi to city hospital on mainland she’s recovering at home now.

We had prem twins in nicu who were from Belfast and I remember seeing the helicopter come to take them back to their local unit in a massive navy helicopter. My kids and ex had come to pick me up that evening and were excited to see it. Twins are now 6 and doing great. We’ve had kids come in who have been brought via helicopter or had to wait for emergency transfer because the picu retrieval teams are on some remote island with a sick child. It’s an amazing service, along with children’s hospice i will happily donate to

Always remember years ago London Air Ambulance landing near the Elephant and Castle roundabout on the road. . But neither I, nor anyone I know, have needed one. They are well supported locally. I know the motorcycle community are very generous.

I was once the first to get to an accident (well I wasn't the first to get there but the first to get out of the car and go to see if they were okay).

Someone else called 999 whilst I sat in the car with the couple, it was a write off and they couldn't get out. The lady had hurt her leg and had a massive gash to her head and the man seemed to be okay, just in a bit of paid but due to the type of car (Lotus) couldn't get out.

The paramedics arrived and the fire brigade to cut the roof off of the car to get them out. The air ambulance came and strapped them both to boards to get them out to hospital and flew them there as they were concerned about back injuries. Thankfully they were released after a few days.

It seems crazy that they have to rely on donations.

My mum did after being involved in a serious RTA. She says it’s a shame she was so high on drugs that she doesn’t remember it

Not me but my younger son’s friend who didn’t wake up one morning as he’d gone into a diabetic coma overnight (he’s ok).

A teacher at my son’s primary school who overturned her car just down from our house. (Also fine).

Not me but my friend broke her back out sledging and they called the air ambulance. She's fine now and very grateful that the air ambulance came so quickly.

I was in an accident as a teenager in a somewhat remote location and an air ambulance was called for me, but then another person got injured as well so I didn't get to go in the air ambulance as they only take one patient so we both had to wait for a normal ambulance to get to us.

I run riding events & have horses, had them out a few times at competitions.

Rider falling off a horse with possible head/neck/ spinal injury must get prioritised for air ambulance.

Hubby has had it twice. Once in a suburban child's park in a large town as the council had installed anti vandal bollards...
Second time on a beach on the south coast.
Essentially both were due to land access issues.

Yes for my mum who was thrown from a horse and broken her hip on a hillside inaccessible to an ambulance. Always make monthly contributions to our local air ambulance now.

Didn't go in one but while in hospital I needed a specific type of blood which they didn't have, they put a nationwide search out and the air ambulance brought it - saved my life.