Cyclist risked losing leg after 'simple fall' from bike - until EMRTS arrived
Richard Hunt was visiting Wales for a friend’s birthday when an enjoyable day at Dyfi Bike Park soon took a dramatic turn for the worse.
On 23 March 2024 Richard, an experienced mountain biker, was enjoying his time in Wales when what appeared to be a ‘simple fall’ resulted in catastrophic injuries.
A call for help was made to 999 and sparked the interest of the EMRTS Critical Care Practitioner working on the Critical Care Hub.
The Critical Care Hub, also known as ‘the desk’ is a vital part of the Wales Air Ambulance and EMRTS service. 24 hours a day, every 999 call is monitored by a critical care practitioner and allocator, to identify where critical care interventions will be required.
Upon the arrival of the road ambulance, Richard was lying on the mountain track awake and in extreme pain.
Due to the severity of his injuries, the Wales Air Ambulance were dispatched from their base in Welshpool. The crew on board were Critical Care Practitioners Carl Hudson and Mike Ainslie.
Wales Air Ambulance is consultant-led, taking hospital-standard treatments to the patient and, if required, transferring them directly to the most appropriate hospital for their illness or injury.
It is delivered via a unique Third Sector and Public Sector partnership. The Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service (EMRTS) supplies highly skilled NHS consultants and critical care practitioners who work on board the Charity’s vehicles.
Recalling what happened Richard, from Leeds, said: “Despite it being a simple fall, the force of the accident resulted in my femur being ‘blown out’ of my knee and my leg was left at a 90-degree angle. This reduced blood flow to my leg, and I had a weak pulse in my foot.
“There was a risk that I could potentially lose my leg.”
Wales Air Ambulance is on standby to attend those suffering a life or limb-threatening injury or illness.
He continued: “The air ambulance arrived and it was at that point I realised that it wasn’t a simple break or fix.
“They gave me strong medication, including antibiotics to prevent a wound infection. I was also sedated before they positioned my leg straight and placed it into a splint – improving the blood flow and pulse in my foot.”
“Without the care of the Wales Air Ambulance I could have lost my leg or even worse.”
The treatments Richard received would usually only be available within a hospital setting, but thanks to the advanced medics and equipment on board Wales Air Ambulance he received them at the bike park.
Once stable, Richard was flown directly to the Major Trauma Centre in Stoke where he underwent two operations and spent ten days in hospital recovering.
The 40-year-old went on to receive support from the Charity’s Aftercare Service and was introduced to Patient Liaison Nurse, Hayley Whitehead-Wright, whose role is to support patients and their families after what is usually a life-altering and sudden traumatic event.
Richard said: “After returning home, the Wales Air Ambulance Aftercare Service contacted me – a service I didn’t know existed. Hayley, the Patient Liaison Nurse was so kind and went through what happened with me. But she’s not just helped me, she’s helped my family come to terms with what happened and has offered support to my friend who was with me that day.”
Hayley, who joined the service back in 2022 said: “At Wales Air Ambulance we understand that a sudden and traumatic injury or illness affects all involved. Like Richard, many of our patients
are going about their normal day when the unimaginable happens. Thankfully, our team were able to take the hospital directly to Richard, giving him the best possible chance of recovery.
“My role as a Patient Liaison Nurse is to support patients and their families after what is usually a very sudden and life-altering event, and since Richard needed our service, I have been able to answer any questions he had about his accident.”
The Wales Air Ambulance Charity relies on public donations to raise the £11.2 million required every year to keep the helicopters in the air and rapid response vehicles on the road.
Hayley continued: “Sadly, what happened to Richard is not an isolated incident. We attend thousands of patients every year, and we can only continue to do so with the help of our dedicated supporters.”
Richard has since been reunited with the crew and is extremely grateful to the lifesaving service.
He said: “I’m not from Wales, but to know the service is there in Wales, to call upon if needed is incredible, and I will forever be grateful to those who have helped me and supported this charity.
“Hayley also helped reunite me with the crew that saved my leg because I wanted to check that they were ok after what they dealt with that day – it can’t be easy to see. Although I’m still recovering, I’m back moving around and getting better every day.”
Richard now wants to give back to the Charity that helped him, and has set himself the ultimate fundraising challenge – The Chillswim: Triple Crown Challenge.
The open water swimming event, which equates to approximately 24 miles in total, requires participants to complete three separate swims at the largest lakes in the Lake District within the same calendar year.
They take place over a couple of months, with Coniston being first, followed by Ullswater and then Windermere.
A determined Richard said: “Since the accident it has been tough, mentally and physically. But now I feel like I'm in a good position to start giving back to the amazing service that gave me my life back. The training is going well, my distance in the pool is short for now but my focus at the moment is consistency; with strength training the leg and turning the arms over in the pool.
Reflecting on the 24-hour service, Richard concluded: “We may rely on them to save us, but they rely on us to carry out their life and limb-saving work, and every piece of support we can give could be the difference between someone seeing their family again, or not. Thank you will never be enough.”