Hartlepool man thanks ambulance team who helped save him from a life threatening accident

An accident nearly cost one man his life, but thanks to the quick, lifesaving actions of North East Ambulance Service and local community, he lives to tell the tale.

 

Last year, Jeffery Dale from Hartlepool narrowly avoided severing the main artery in his neck after the garage door he was fixing, fell onto the angle grinder he was using.

 

It was a team effort to help Jeffery when a few of his neighbours rushed to help him.

 

A nearby neighbour raised the alarm to emergency services who arrived quickly on scene and gave lifesaving treatment for Jeffery to survive the trip to hospital.

 

As an ex fire officer for the fire service, Jeffery knows how it feels to be in an emergency situation and appreciates the day to day job of emergency service personnel. He could not go without thanking the people that saved his life that day.

 

Jeffery said, “I was a fireman for 30 years with Cleveland Fire & Rescue Service. It was the best career. As an ex emergency service personnel, I appreciate the work that staff do and what they go through day to day, so I really wanted to say thank you for saving my life.

 

“I was removing the garage door at the time of the incident and was using an angle grinder to cut through a bolt to remove the door, when the whole garage door fell on me and pushed the angle grinder into my neck.

 

“I pressed my hand against the wound and ran to my neighbour's house for help. She answered the door and rang for an ambulance straight away. Other neighbours saw what was happening and ran over to help. One of them grabbed some pillow cases to press against the wound.

 

“I kept dosing off but remember being in the ambulance on the way to hospital.

 

“NEAS and its’ staff are tremendous and without them and the help of my neighbours that day, I would not be alive.

 

“We are a tight knit community where I live and we all look out for each other. I am very lucky to be alive.”

 

Paramedic Sandra Robinson has worked in the NHS for 16 years and treated Jeffery that day. She reflects on how lucky he was to survive the accident.

 

Sandra said, “The injury Jeffery sustained was clearly life threatening and the injury just missed his carotid artery which avoided him bleeding out further.

 

“It was great to hear that Jeffery survived his injury and to see him again in much better condition than when I last saw him. It’s great to see he has made good progress in his recovery.

 

“We don’t often get a thank you from patients and we don’t expect one, but it’s really nice when we do and to get the opportunity to meet them again.”

 

Jeffery’s daughter Leanne Robson and his wife Pamela Dale, were out for the day at the time of the incident and his other daughter Louise Beddows, was nearby when she received a call from one of the neighbour’s.

 

Louise, who is a nurse at the RVI, said, “I couldn’t believe what had happened, I just remember seeing my Dad on the floor and the neighbours and paramedics with him. I was really shocked and upset. My Dad is so lucky to be alive thanks to everyone that helped him that day.”

 

Pamela said, “It really put into perspective how quick things can take a turn for the worse. It has been really good to meet Sandra again and to thank her for what she did. I really thought we were going to lose Jeffery that day”.