Testing weather conditions did nothing to deter the Great North Air Ambulance Service’s crews, who were busy around the region this weekend.
On Saturday, the charity was called into action at 9.45am when a 45-year-old man fell from a roof at Whitley Chapel, south of Hexham, Northumberland. The man, believed local, had sustained a serious leg injury. He was treated on scene by North East Ambulance Service paramedics and a fire crew before GNAAS flew in to assist and then airlift the patient to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle. The flight took 12 minutes and the man was stable on arrival.
Around midday on Saturday, a 17-year-old male from Carlisle was injured while mountain biking at Wetheral, Cumbria. He had collided with a tree while cycling along the River Eden and had sustained concussion, arm and leg injuries. He was treated on scene by the GNAAS doctor and paramedic, working alongside a crew from North West Ambulance Service, before being flown for further treatment in Carlisle. The flight took six minutes.
On Sunday morning, an elderly woman was flown in a serious condition from her home at Carlisle after falling down the stairs. She had sustained multiple, life-threatening injuries. A GNAAS doctor and paramedic worked alongside the North West Ambulance Service on scene before the patient was flown to the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle where she remained in a critical condition last night. The flight from Carlisle to Newcastle took 25 minutes.
Grahame Pickering, GNAAS chief executive, said: “We are on duty 365 days a year, whatever the weather, and that is only possible because of the phenomenal support of the public. We need to raise £4m every year to continue to offer this service, so we appreciate any help we can get.”
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