The incident

At the time of the incident my job was a delivery driver. It was on 4th March and I have been told that the weather was really bad that night. It was raining heavily, very windy and the roads were dark. Apparently at around 7pm I lost control of my car, crashing and flipping it onto its side, before it became wedged in trees.

I have no recollection of the whole incident. However, I know a lovely gentleman called Rowan was driving along the road when, despite not seeing my car, a gut instinct told him to stop. Rowan pulled over, blocked off the road and shouted to see if anyone was there – I shouted back. I was still conscious but trapped in my car and stayed trapped for two hours. Rowan stayed with me and called for emergency services. I was bleeding internally and had 17 injuries in total, including multiple fractures to my body.

The arrival of help

I do not really remember much about the work of the emergency services. However, my mind made lots of things up – perhaps hallucinations from shock or pain relief medication. I received urgent critical care on the roadside and had three blood transfusions due to the amount of blood I had lost.

All I can say regarding the work from Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance is that I am so grateful for their care and assistance. I am also grateful to Wiltshire Air Ambulance who attended in their car, the fire and rescue service who extracted me from my car, and the police at the scene.

I was airlifted to Southmead Hospital, where I spent one month in intensive care. For the first three weeks I was medically sedated to allow my body to rest and recover. I was then moved to the trauma ward for another two-three weeks, before finally being transferred to Bath Hospital for rehabilitation, as this is closer to my home. Both hospitals were amazing.

Recovery journey: physical and emotional challenges

My recovery has been difficult. During the accident, my stomach split open from impact, so I received a gastric bypass. At first, I was being tube fed so I had to learn to eat again. Some foods really disrupted my stomach for a long time, which caused extremely painful cramps, dumping syndrome and vomiting. A year on it has improved, but I can still only eat small amounts and some foods still trigger these effects.

I also had to learn to walk again. I tore the ligaments, nerve and tendon from my left leg and have been left with a permanent foot drop; I am waiting for an operation which should hopefully fix this. I can walk now but it becomes painful and I get fatigued quite easily. Fortunately, I have walking aids and support from the people I am out with. This has improved though, and I know it will become easier and easier in time.

Mentally I still struggle as my whole life has changed, but I have the most supportive friends and family around me. Southmead Hospital also offered me therapy, which I am finding really helpful and the support that both my mum and I have received from the patient and family liaison team at Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance has been amazing. Mum has recently completed a skydive for the charity and raised just over £1,500 as a way of giving back.

Chelsea’s message of gratitude

I decided to share my story as I am grateful and amazed at the air ambulance’s work and the care I received from the NHS. I also want people to think about how quickly things can happen and to live life like tomorrow could by your last – appreciate life and be grateful every day.

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View from the Crew: Chloe, Patient and Family Liaison Nurse

First on scene at Chelsea’s incident were the fire and rescue service and police who supported her, providing first aid and managing the scene. This was closely followed by our medical colleagues from the South Western Ambulance Service and Wiltshire and Bath Air Ambulance in their critical care car.

Chelsea was mechanically trapped inside the car. She was awake and talking, but her blood pressure was low. Prior to our arrival the team were concerned that she was bleeding internally from her injuries. They inserted intravenous access and administered fluids, analgesia, antibiotics and medication which helps to control bleeding.

When Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance arrived, our team was updated on Chelsea’s condition and the treatment that had been provided so far. Following re-assessment, the team agreed that she could be bleeding internally and would require urgent blood product transfusion. They were also concerned that they were unable to make a full assessment of Chelsea’s injuries as she was still trapped inside the car.

Behind the Scenes of Critical Care

The team administered Fresh Frozen Plasma (FFP) – a blood product that increases blood volume and helps the blood to clot, while confirming that Chelsea needed to be extricated through the back of the car to prevent further injury.

She was given advanced analgesia and sedation before being moved, a process that required complex planning by the fire and rescue service due to the car’s position and significant intrusion. They did an excellent job, securing the car to provide a stable platform for roof removal.

Chelsea was positioned on a trolley where the team repeated a full assessment of her injuries. She was given a further two units of blood, a pre-hospital emergency anaesthetic and a tube was placed to support her breathing. The team then proceeded with the following: an arterial line was inserted to continuously monitor Chelsea’s blood pressure, a pelvic binder was applied to stabilise her pelvis, splints were applied to her lower limbs and wrist to temporarily stabilise her fractures and a warming blanket was placed to keep her warm. Chelsea was then loaded onto the aircraft.

During the 13-minute flight to Southmead Hospital, Chelsea received further blood products to help maintain her blood pressure. She was safely handed over to the hospital team to take over her care.

I met Chelsea’s mum in the early stages of her hospital stay, providing mostly emotional support as Chelsea was in a coma for a long time. We kept in touch and I am delighted to say that a visit back to base to meet the team is now planned. Chelsea has worked so incredibly hard, both emotionally and physically to prepare for this – we are really looking forward to seeing her and the family again soon.

Next: Santolo's Story