Ruan meets medics who saved his life on G7 day

ABOY who nearly died while trying to catch a glimpse of United States President Joe Biden’s motorcade when he visited Cornwall for last year’s G7 Summit has paid a visit to the paramedic heroes who saved his life.

Ten-year-old Ruan Strongman could not wait to see the convoy of security following world leaders around the Duchy when the global event came to Cornwall.

After waiting and missing the action on several occasion during the three-day event, things took a turn when Ruan (pictured, right) was hit by a pick-up truck.

Ruan and his younger brother Ben, eight, were skipping along the grass verge of a quiet lane, on their way home from trying to spot the motorcade from a bridge over the A30, when Ruan decided to jump out into the road to catch up with Ben.

It is a day that dad James remembers clearly – when political leaders and Her Majesty the Queen met up for a VIP reception dinner at the Eden Project. “There was no time to shout or do anything,” James recalled. “One minute, Ruan was skipping, and the next second, he got hit by the pick-up. He had jumped into it.”

The family could not hear the vehicle coming because of the sound of the A30, and the truck would not have seen them until the last minute. “Ruan was so relaxed, he just jumped into it. It hit him in the side and on his back. His head hit the front of the pick-up and he was thrown across the road, where he hit his head again on the grass verge.”

On reaching Ruan, James realised he was not breathing. A neighbour, a retired nurse who was passing, was able to jump into action and start CPR with the help of an ambulance call handler.

James said: “Because of the day it was, so many services arrived so quickly. There were loads of ambulances lining the A30, so we had the normal ambulance arrive first, and then the Critical Care paramedics from Cornwall Air Ambulance turned up – two crews because of a shift changeover.

“Ruan’s pulse wasn’t good, though, so they had to put a shunt in his leg to administer the drugs. Then he started moving but he wasn’t really conscious; he was making noises, which was good, but he couldn’t understand anything anyone said.”

Ruan was taken to Newquay Airport, from where he was flown by the Coastguard search and rescue helicopter to Bristol Royal Hospital for Children with the Cornwall Air Ambulance team on board.

Fortunately, Ruan’s injuries were not as extensive as first feared. He suffered three broken ribs, a severe concussion and major bruising. After a stint in intensive care and a total of five days in hospital, he was able to go home. Six months later, he was officially discharged from hospital and able to play sports again. Mum Lucy said: “The service we had was just invaluable – we just felt completely in safe hands.”