A MAN who suffered life-threatening injuries after a roof fall has been reunited with the paramedic who came to his aid five months later.
Alex Alty, 69, from Arnside, had placed a telescopic ladder onto the roof of his home’s extension so he could climb up to the top roof as the slate had slipped.
His wife, Christine Alty, 69, was in their garden at the time when she witnessed her husband slip and fall approximately eight feet.
Recalling the incident, which happened on 16 June, she said: “As he put his foot on the bottom rung of the ladder he slipped forward to the wall and then flipped back and landed on the patio splayed out.
“There was that much blood that I didn’t know if he was breathing so I gave him CPR and the neighbours heard what happened and came to help me.
“I’d rang for an ambulance, and he was starting to come round but he was a little bit agitated.
“The first responders came, and the ambulance was really quick, and they called for the air ambulance which also got here amazingly quick, and they intubated him on the patio and then flew him down to Preston.”
Lee Salmon, a paramedic from the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS), said: “Alex had suffered a significant fall and it was clinically evident he had sustained a brain injury at the point of impact. What we needed to do was minimise the impact of that brain injury and prevent a secondary brain injury. We did this by placing Alex in a medically induced coma, which can only be safely done in a pre-hospital environment by a critical care paramedic and doctor.”
After working alongside the North West Ambulance Service to treat Mr Alty, GNAAS airlifted him to Royal Preston Hospital in 14 minutes for further treatment.
Mrs Alty and her daughters drove to the hospital and arrived shortly after the aircraft landed and spoke to the team from GNAAS.
She said: “They are just an amazing service. The crew were lovely and came to see us before they went back out to the helicopter and we can’t thank them enough.
“After seeing the Resus team, they revealed Alex had a fractured skull and subarachnoid brain haemorrhage. He also had a pneumothorax and haemothorax, and sustained multiple fractures to his face, ribs, collar bone, shoulder blade and spine.”
Mr Alty spent 10 weeks in both Royal Preston Hospital and Royal Lancaster Infirmary, where he underwent a program of rehabilitation with physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech and language therapy.
Mrs Alty said: “I absolutely didn’t think he would be here, but he’s making progress and is determined to get his fitness up.
“He still has short term memory loss and can’t drive for six months, so he’s got a bike and has been cycling instead.
“It’s just going to take a while for his brain to get better. Every day is different, but he’s very determined so he will get there.”
The family recently met Mr Salmon at the charity’s base in Langwathby, Penrith, to show their appreciation for his help.
Mrs Alty said: “It was important to show the immense gratitude we feel to Lee and the team whose actions on that day, I believe saved Alex’s life.”
During their visit the family also presented Mr Salmon with a donation towards the charity.
Mr Salmon said: “I’m absolutely humbled and thrilled to see how well Alex has recovered and how amazing the family support has been. It’s also lovely to see they have donated hundreds of pounds to make sure that our service is there for others.”
Mr Alty’s daughter Rebecca Boyd added: “I thought it was fantastic to visit and meet the crew, especially Lee who was on scene. It was like closure to such a traumatic event and a happy ending.”
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