From the left: Practitioner Steve Torode, practitioner Laura Spratt, Bill Jackson, practitioner Ian Nuttall, station officer Andy Adam, practitioner Paul Dempsey and paramedic Carrie Goodall. (Picture by Peter Frankland, 0605175)
SPORTY Bill Jackson yesterday relived the fall that shattered his left leg. And as he did so both 14 year-old Bill and his parents paid tribute to the six Ambulance and Rescue professionals it took to get him safely to hospital.
Parents Lucy and Graham said they could not be more grateful to the team that swung into action when Bill fell from a rope swing at Pleinmont. ‘It was horrendous as a parent to arrive at that scene. I felt very helpless,’ said Mrs Jackson. ‘It was a precarious situation, but I felt he was in very safe hands. They were really fantastic.’
Ambulance practitioners Laura Spratt and Steve Torode were first on the scene and quickly realised they needed back-up. Paramedic Carrie Goodall was next on hand to administer pain relief and a second crew, Paul Dempsey and Ian Nuttall, was called in. Cliff principal Andy Adam oversaw the operation.
Bill had gone to the rope swings with four friends just after lunch on Saturday 28 June. They climbed a 150ft slope to get to their launch point. ‘It was going to be my last go but as I swung out I felt my hand slip and I fell awkwardly on my leg,’ Billy said yesterday.
‘I didn’t think it was that bad but when I looked, my foot was completely off to one side and the bone had come out,’ said the Year 9 Elizabeth College pupil.
He fell between eight and 10 feet and his left leg took the full impact, breaking tibia and fibula, a metatarsal and two bones in his ankle.
He rolled down the slope, coming to a stop under some trees.
‘It was quite inaccessible,’ said Mrs Jackson.
She and her husband got a call at 4pm telling them their son had been injured.
‘The first thing his dad said was “but you’ve got cricket tomorrow”,’ said Mrs Jackson.
Bill is a member of the Elizabeth College and island under-14s cricket teams and is now out of action for up to a year.
His friend called an ambulance and Bill was being treated at the scene when his parents arrived.
‘I was given a whole tank of Entonox, which is laughing gas, so I thought everything was really funny, I had no pain but it did make me a bit dizzy,’ said Bill.
Mr Adam said the first crew on the scene realised that Bill had a nasty leg fracture and called in the paramedic.
‘Because it was so slippery with the pine needles, the cliff rescue team was called out and it was decided to lower him on a stretcher,’ he said.
Mr Adam said it had been an unusual scenario for the team because, although they were used to cliff training, this was a gentler, but still hazardous, slope.
‘Because we had made Bill comfortable we knew we had time on our side to make our way down safely,’ he said.
Bill has had an operation to repair the breaks and will be in a plastercast for a further four weeks. Like his parents, he has nothing but praise for his rescuers.
‘I thought they were extremely professional and did everything they could, I couldn’t fault them in any way,’ he said.
His mother agreed.
‘When you are in a situation where your son is halfway up a cliff with a broken leg, it’s amazing that these perfect people arrive who are willing to do anything to help.’
She said that thanks to their dedication and professionalism, their son had been constantly reassured, pain free and lifted down to safety.
‘We couldn’t have asked for more,’ she said.
Article posted on 12th July, 2008 - 9.41am
Loading ...
Most Commented: