Judi Rutherford, 77, from South Charlton, was returning home from her weekly game of golf at Alnmouth, while her husband John Rutherford, 77, had gone for his usual Wednesday cycle ride to the coast for an ice cream in Bamburgh.

During her journey, Judi encountered a road closure on the A1 near Alnwick and diverted to the backroads unbeknownst to her that her husband was involved in the incident.

When John didn’t arrive home as expected, Judi started wondering where he was and then heard the sound of the emergency services.

She said: “Realising I could hear both an ambulance siren and a helicopter from where I was sitting in our garden I became worried and tried to phone John but got no answer.”

It transpired that John had been involved in a road traffic collision while riding his bike and emergency services including the North East Ambulance Service and Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) attended.

The medical teams worked together to treat John, and he was placed in a medically induced coma by the paramedics and doctor from GNAAS.

John was flown to the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) in Newcastle for further treatment, and a member of staff from the hospital got in touch with Judi to let her know the news.

John had incurred multiple injuries including a fractured skull, brain contusions, facial fractures, a broken clavicle, several broken ribs, and a punctured spleen and unfortunately he is now deaf in his left ear.

John was kept at the RVI in ITU for the next two weeks, before being moved to Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital in Cramlington for nine weeks and then went to Wansbeck General Hospital to begin physiotherapy.

He was able to return home in August 2025 after almost three months in hospital.

Judi said: “There were multiple complications following the accident including a clot on his brain, infections, pneumonia, sepsis, and heart problems including three arrests. John was unable to breathe and swallow unaided for about eight weeks and a tracheostomy was necessary.”

Due to John’s swallow reflex being impaired, he had a PEG tube inserted, so he was nil by mouth, and could not have any food or water orally for four months.

He also had to undertake extensive physiotherapy to help improve his mobility and co-ordination, which are now steadily recovering.

Judi said: “John’s recovery has been miraculous, helped by his very determined mindset and a lot of hard work on his part coupled with tremendous care from the brain injury team based in Morpeth.”

Chris Davidson, a paramedic from NEAS based at Alnwick Station, said: “John’s injuries were severe, and at the time we had real concerns about what his recovery might look like. To see the progress he has made is truly rewarding and highlights the importance of the seamless collaboration between NEAS and GNAAS in delivering advanced care quickly when it matters most.”

Following John’s incident, residents from his village held a Christmas lights switch on which raised more than £1,700 for GNAAS, and a further £1,000 was donated by one of John’s friends.

John and Judi have since been invited to GNAAS’ base in Langwathby, Penrith where they met the doctor, paramedic and pilot who came to John’s aid.

Judi said: “We both really appreciated the opportunity to meet and thank the air ambulance team who had responded so very quickly from Langwathby to Northumberland. Their immediate specialist trauma care at the roadside including intubation saved John’s life without any doubt. I found this visit quite emotional but very rewarding; John with absolutely no memory of the accident was fascinated by the entire process and set-up, really appreciated talking with their specialist team and is keen to help support their efforts in any way he can.”

The couple are now enjoying a steady return to normal life, including seeing their extended family again, most of whom live in the south, and are planning holidays in the UK and their favourite areas of France.

John is now back driving short distances and has agreed not to go on a bicycle for the foreseeable future.