On Tuesday 23^rd May, Jamie Moran was involved in a quad bike incident on a farm near Beaminster. He was in a remote location with very little access for an ambulance. The Ambulance Service crew who arrived on scene first recognised this fact and swiftly requested that the air ambulance be deployed. Jamie explains more…

The accident happened the day before my son Thomas’s 6th birthday, so as you can imagine, I was extremely upset to have missed it, but obviously very grateful to still be alive!

Despite being fully trained to ride quads, I somehow managed to inadvertently reverse down a steep bank.  I don’t actually remember anything about the incident due to concussion, but from what my colleagues have told me and from what I have pieced together, it would appear that I was doing a slow manoeuvre (a three-point turn) and I think that I must have pressed the throttle to move away, thinking I was in a forward gear, but I was actually in reverse.

I remember riding the quad bike before the accident and I remember waking up in hospital but everything in between is just not there. I have been told by my colleagues that once I regained consciousness, I was making jokes with the crew but I think this must have been the morphine kicking in. When I came round in hospital, my colleagues told me that I had been in a helicopter but I did not believe them!

Apparently due to my location and difficult access issues, the air ambulance was deployed. Their swift response and expertise played a key role in ensuring that I received the best treatment for my injuries as early as possible. I was airlifted to Dorset County Hospital with a fractured left pelvis and broken right wrist and remained there for a period of nine days.

The care I received in hospital was also fantastic. My wrist required an operation which resulted in it being pinned, plated and put in plaster and my pelvis was not operated on but required rest. Whilst there, I was determined to make small gains and improvements each day for things that I ordinarily took for granted like washing and dressing myself. It was particularly difficult for my family as we live just outside of Portsmouth so there was lots of travelling for them to visit me.

When I was discharged from hospital, the moment I walked through the front door at home I felt a million times better however there was still a long road ahead. I could not put any weight on my left leg for six weeks and had to use crutches and a wheelchair to get around, plus my right wrist was in plaster for seven weeks. I aimed to get up and down stairs on my own, make my own lunch and be as active and as helpful around the house as possible. I often felt useless as I could not do everything that I used to do; particularly with our six year-old son. I also felt extremely guilty for the pressure that my wife was under having to look after our son, myself, the house and also going to work!

I have always enjoyed going to the gym, running and doing various other sports so I was desperate to get back to being active. Being able to start physio was a god-send and it gave me targets and structure for my onward recovery. My employer was brilliant and enabled me to make a phased return to work, which was definitely required.

I still have a few niggles, particularly with my left knee which obviously took a whack during the accident but I am now back running and I am considering running the Dorchester Marathon in aid of Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance.

I wanted to share my story because I am happy to still be here and I fully appreciate that it could have been a whole lot worse. Also, in some way, it has helped me to deal with the emotional impact of the accident. I also wanted to acknowledge the fantastic work of the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance crew who helped me that day. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

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