Northumberland woman involved in car crash praises air ambulance team who saved her life

Helen Dinsdale, 70, of Whittingham, was driving home from Tyneside, where her mother had lived before sadly passing away.

She had spent the day making funeral arrangements and in the late afternoon was travelling along the A697 when she decided to visit her pony Misty.

Helen said: “It had been a difficult few days; my mother passed away the previous evening and there had been a lot of driving up and down to see her in her last days in a nursing home in Howdon.

“The last thing I remember was thinking that instead of going straight home I would check that my pony Misty was ok. She was on a farm about three miles away from us, so I passed the turnoff to Whittingham and kept going up the A697. I didn’t get far.”

She was travelling north when her car collided with an articulated lorry carrying large pieces of stone, which was travelling south on the single carriageway.

The Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) was called out to the incident, which was near Low Barton, and the road was closed by Northumbria Police to allow the helicopter to land nearby.

Helen was cut free from her car and was given a blood transfusion by the doctor and paramedic team from GNAAS before being airlifted to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle.

She had sustained a fractured skull, head injuries, a broken ankle, sternum, pelvis, fingers, and several broken ribs.

She said: “I had several operations over the following year, a lot of metal inserted into various bones, and an artificial ligament put into the back of my right hand.

"I was in hospital for nearly six weeks and once home, spent the next four months in a bed in the dining room, until finally I could walk on crutches and climb stairs.”

Despite the incident happening in May 2017, Helen is still grateful for the help she received and recently got in touch with GNAAS expressing her gratitude to the critical care team who treated her.

She said: “I still give thanks every day for GNAAS. Without them, I would not have survived. The treatment I received at the roadside, and my swift airlift to hospital was indeed the difference between life and death.

“There is very little I can’t manage to do that I want to do. I still enjoy short hill walks and looking after my garden. I have a great deal to be thankful for.

“However, the younger members of my friends and family are most disappointed in me for getting a ride in a helicopter and having no memory of it.”

GNAAS needs to raise £8.5m a year to remain operational. Last year it responded to more than 2,100 incidents, a record high.

To find out more about how you can support the charity visit: gna.as/fund247