Gateshead man thanks ambulance crews for saving his life

A Gateshead man who was left in a coma for a week after being involved in a high speed crash has been reunited with the paramedics who saved his life.

Paul Shelley, aged 37, of Gateshead, was driving home on 9 August 2015 when he was involved in the Windy Nook area of Gateshead.

He suffered a collapsed lung, broken ribs, lost teeth, shattered hip bone which is still affecting his sciatic nerve, a broken pelvis which caused internal bleeding, and bruising to his brain. He spent a week in a coma at the RVI with a further two weeks in intensive care.

He has now been reunited with the North East Ambulance Service crews who came to his aid to thank them and to help him put the missing pieces together from that night.

North East Ambulance Service Paramedics Graham Brooks and Paul Megson, who are part of the Trust’s Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) were first on scene, swiftly backed up by Gateshead crew, Paramedic Vicky Taylor and Emergency Care Assistant Lee Marshall.

“As soon as we saw the car we knew Paul would be badly injured,” said Paul, who joined NEAS 11 years ago and has worked on HART for the last six.

“We found Paul on the floor displaying signs of a tension pneumothorax, struggling to breathe. The trauma to Paul’s chest had caused a build-up of air in his chest, pushing everything towards Paul’s heart and stopping the blood from pumping.

“We performed a needle decompression, placing a needle into Paul’s chest to release the air, put a pelvic splint on to keep his pelvis in place and cannulated him to give him morphine then blue lighted him to the RVI.”

On arrival at hospital, Paul’s parents were told to prepare for the worst.

Paul was placed into an induced coma and spent weeks in hospital recovering.

He said: “I can’t remember a thing. It’s like putting a jigsaw together and missing the final piece.

“It seems the true extent of my injuries became more apparent when we got to hospital. I had internal bleeding and they couldn’t find where it was coming from.

“The doctors told my mam and dad that it was likely that I wouldn’t survive and to prepare themselves for the worst; everybody thought I was on borrowed time.

“They said I wouldn’t be able to walk again properly for 18 months but I suppose I beat the odds and I’m up and about with the help of physios. It’s been a long, hard and painful journey but I wasn’t going to lie down and let it beat me.

“These guys are true heroes - they saved my life at the end of the day.”

Vicky, who joined NEAS 13 years ago as an Advanced Technician before qualifying as a paramedic nine years ago, said: “With those injuries, Paul is really lucky to be alive.

“After transporting a patient to hospital, we don’t usually get to find out what happens to them so it’s really nice to meet him and to see him doing so well.”