‘I could have lost my leg if it wasn’t for air 999’
RIDER TELLS WHY SHE SUPPORTS THE AIR AMBULANCE
A RIDER has spoken of how a freak accident left her with a broken leg pointing the wrong way after her horse slipped over.
Jill Chamberlain was out for a ride in the countryside near Loughborough when her horse slipped and fell.
She lost her balance but her foot was stuck in the stirrup and as the horse galloped away she fought to free herself so she was not dragged along.
But the damage was done to her leg, with her left femur broken and her leg pointing backwards.
The incident happened 12 years ago, on December 15, 2008, but Jill, 70, of Kegworth, has spoken about the incident to boost support for the air ambulance, which flew to her aid after the accident.
Jill, who also broke her wrist, said: “I knew I had broken my leg as soon as I saw it was facing the opposite way to where it should have been.
“But I didn’t realise how serious it was and I could have lost my leg – or even my life – if I didn’t get to hospital quickly.”
The air ambulance landed in a field in Butt Lane, Normanton-on-Soar, near to where the accident happened.
The doctor and critical care paramedic gave Jill strong pain relief medication before straightening her leg and putting it in a splint ready for the threeminute flight to the Queen’s Medical Centre, in Nottingham.
Moving a limb back into the correct position straight away helps with the pain in the long-term and helps reduce blood loss if there is bleeding into the muscle.
Jill had an operation the next morning and had to spend three weeks recovering in hospital – which included the Christmas holiday.
She said: “It took a long time to get better and I was on crutches for four to five months. I said I would never get on a horse again but I did – and I still enjoy riding.”
Jill said she would always be grateful to the air ambulance for being there in her hour of need and appreciated the critical care she received at the scene and swift journey to hospital, which played a crucial part in her recovery.
She said: “Who knows where I would be today if the helicopter wasn’t available when I needed it. The air ambulance does such a brilliant job.”
Jill and her husband Ged are regular supporters of the air ambulance and their granddaughter likes to go to the charity’s shop in Ashby’s Market Street to spend her pocket money.
Jill said: “She gets some good bargains there and it is a great way to support the charity.
“You never know when you might need to get to hospital quickly like I did, so I think we should all do what we can to help finance the air ambulance as it receives no government funding and relies totally on donations and fundraising to keep flying.”
The Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland Air Ambulance will be on standby to fly missions over Christmas.