A STOCKTON student who was airlifted after being crushed between two cars is beginning to fundraise for the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) by taking on this year’s Great North Run.
Karl Cleet, 21, was struck by a car when it mounted the pavement, knocked over a lamppost and trapped him underneath two vehicles near to his home in Eaglescliffe, in September 2015.
Mr Cleet, who studies policing at Teesside University, suffered multiple injuries including a fractured skull, bleed on the brain and broken ribs.
The GNAAS trauma team put him into an induced coma before his journey to James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, which took just four minutes.
His story was featured on the second series of Sky 1’s Air Ambulance ER last year, which showcased the incident’s dramatic aftermath and the life-saving work carried out by GNAAS.
He said: “The GNAAS team saved my life. It is a great organisation.
“They rely solely on donations because it isn’t government funded. They deserve so much more than what they receive.”
Mr Cleet will embark on the 13.1 mile course from the centre of Newcastle to the coast of South Shields on September 10, alongside more than 50,000 other participants.
He continued: “This year I wanted to get fit again and I thought it was a great way of giving back to GNAAS. It’s been a while since I’ve ran a long distance and the training will help me for a future career in policing or in the military.
To join Mr Cleet and run for GNAAS, the charity has a limited number of places available. Visit gnaas.com
Share
