[A] BOY who crashed into a metal post while riding his bike has been reunited with the paramedic who came to his aid.
Sam Fearon, 11, was cycling in his hometown, Flimby, Allerdale, when he collided with a metal post on April 29, 2017.
He was left covered in blood and for six hours afterwards kept repeating the same words – “I’ve chipped my teeth”. This prompted fears he had sustained a serious head injury.
Sam’s mother Lindsey Fearon, 38, said: “Sam had swapped bikes with his friend, so he was actually on his friend’s bike when it happened. There was an issue with the brakes and he couldn’t slow down in time to stop himself from banging his head against the metal post.
“We’re neighbours with a farmer, and his daughter saw Sam and took him inside before ringing his grandma to tell her what had happened.
“Sam’s friends came to my house and told me where he was, so I drove over there, and me and his grandma arrived at the same time.”
Sam sustained a small fracture in his nose and swelling, cuts and bruises to his face, as well as a head injury and chipped teeth.
Mrs Fearon said: “His face was a mess, and he was covered in blood. He had a concussion and kept saying the same thing over and over again, which was ‘Oh mum I’ve had an accident, I’ve chipped my teeth.’ He did that for about six hours.
“Luckily, his Grandma is an ex-nurse so she knew what to do and looked after him.”
Sam was assessed and treated by the Great North Air Ambulance Service’s paramedic and doctor team before the charity flew him to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool, accompanied by his mum.
He had a chest x-ray and a CT scan which thankfully came back clear. However, he spent over a week recovering from his facial injuries at home before returning to school. Shortly afterwards he got back on his bike.
Mrs Fearon said: “I can’t thank GNAAS enough, the crew provide a brilliant service and I’m so glad they were there for us.”
Since the incident, pupils at Flimby Primary School, which Sam attends, have held a non-uniform day and raised £400 for GNAAS, which is entirely dependent on donations to survive.
Sam and his family presented the cheque to Terry Sharpe, GNAAS paramedic, when they visited the air base at Langwathby.
Sam said: “I can’t remember being in the helicopter the first time, so it was good seeing it and getting to sit inside it too.”
Last year GNAAS responded to 1042 call-outs and needed to raise £5.1m. To find out how you can help, please visit www.gnaas.com or call 01325-487263.
