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'I died three times in air ambulance'
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| Gill Dawson's life was saved by the air ambulance following a car crash |
Car crash victim Gill Dawson says she would be dead of it had not been for the air ambulance team who saved her life.
The story of the Watford office worker's rescue by the Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance was shown on Channel Five on Friday in a programme focusing on heroes in our emergency services.
Gill, a programmer/analysist at ACI Worldwide of Clarendon Road, Watford, for the past 13 years, was airlifted to hospital after she was in a horrific car crash on on New Year's Eve 2004. Gill lost control of her car and crashed into a tree - luckilly for her the accident didn't take place in Hertfordshire.
She said: "I would be dead without them."
Volunteer paramedic Brian Dwyer and Dr Tony Bleetman from Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance, who came to Gill'ss aid, took part in a reconstruction of the mission for the new fly-on-the-wall documentary series Britain's Bravest.
When the accident happened, the air ambulance was on the scene within 11 minutes and paramedics gave Gill oxygen while fire crews cut her out of the wreckage.
The crew then flew her to hospital in Birmingham, where it was feared the patient had died on three separate occasions.
For their work at the crash scene, Mr Dwyer and Dr Bleetman were awarded a Vodafone National Life Saver Award in 2006.
Gill said: "I have seen clips of the show because they sent me a DVD.
"It's a bit scary watching it but I can't remember it. I was a bit worried about watching the reconstruction and it reminding me but I have got no memory of it.
"I have got a nice office job and I never realised what they have got to go through at the Air Ambulance to do their jobs. They're very brave.
"Even to go up in the helicopter, I would be frightened, but I suppose you are more likely to be in a road accident like me."
After her accident and as she recovered from the crash, Gill travelled to the Coventry Airport base of the WNAA to thank the medics for saving her and to learn about the service.
She said: "I think it is essential that the Air Ambulance is funded because they are lifesavers.
"They are just funded by donations and I think they do a brilliant job."
ironically Giull's mum began supporting the Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance with regular contributions just two months before her daughter's near fatal accident. "I never imagined that so soon after my mum beginning donating to the appeal that I would be calling upon it to save my life."
Gill was 39 when the accident happened, three years later she is leading a full and active life travelling an hour a day from her home in Northampton to work at ACI, a company which specialises in the development of banking software for ATM and chip and pin equipment.
Since serviving the company she has had length secondments to ACI's European offices in Greece, Germany and Italy - dream destinations for many people.
She knows that if she had crashed in Watford she may not be alive to talk about the accident, not live that dream.
8:07am Wednesday 26th March 2008
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CommentPosted by: The Eye of Mordor, Leavesden on 7:27pm Wed 26 Mar 08
hmmmmm , nice to hear she's well now - but 'dying three times' !?!? Surely dying once and still being here to tell the tale would be remarkable enough in itself ?
hmmmmm , nice to hear she's well now - but 'dying three times' !?!? Surely dying once and still being here to tell the tale would be remarkable enough in itself ?
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