Great North Air Ambulance Service

A cyclist who was seriously injured in a crash on Kirkstone Pass has challenged himself to take part in the Fred Whitton Challenge to raise money for the air ambulance who came to his aid.

Andy Cross, 47, from Northamptonshire, was cycling along the popular road in the Lake District when he crashed into a wall, rupturing his spleen and liver, and puncturing his lung.

Mr Cross initially blacked out after the incident, which occurred on 30 August 2023, but thankfully passersby, including an off-duty police officer and two nurses, went to help him and called for an ambulance.

Due to the impact of the collision, which Mr Cross can’t remember, the cyclist also shattered his shoulder blade and broke multiple ribs.

He said: “I was gasping for breath at the side of the road and there were people around me trying to help. I remember my wife Caroline arriving and the ambulance service and being put into the back of the ambulance.”

Paramedics Jules Funnell and Alex Heasman from the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) were able to stabilise Mr Cross on scene and were transporting him to hospital when he started to deteriorate.

Mr Cross said: “I thought it was travel sickness because I felt really unwell and asked them stop. I was sweating and finding it difficult to breath, and then I don’t know whether I lost consciousness, or I was given some drugs to help.”

The critical care team from the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS), was requested to help treat Mr Cross, and they flew to where the land ambulance had parked up.

GNAAS paramedic John Kirton and doctors Laura Duffy and Vicky Ashton worked alongside the team from NWAS to treat Mr Cross and help stabilise him.

Dr Duffy said: “We were flying back from another job when we got tasked to the incident.

“He was a cyclist that had been coming down Kirkstone Pass, which is an infamous and notorious road in the Lake District, that is great for cyclists and good fun to do, but there are a lot of accidents there.

“We landed on a field nearby and got to the back of the ambulance and did some interventions to make him more comfortable as he was in a lot of pain.”

Mr Cross was airlifted to the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle where he received further treatment for his injuries.

He’s since met the paramedics from NWAS and Dr Duffy from GNAAS, whom he credits for saving his life.

He said: “There’s not a day that goes past that I don’t think of the air ambulance, the paramedics and everybody who helped on that day.

"I am grateful that I’ve been able to meet them and say thank you."

Mr Heasman said: “It was really lovely having a really good outcome. Seeing Andy back fit and well and meeting his family, it was such a privilege. Just being a small chink in the chain, we really appreciate that.”

Mr Cross has now decided to take part in the Fred Whitton Challenge in May, which is a gruelling 112-mile bike ride in one day and is raising money for GNAAS.

He said: “I know the Fred Whitton is one of the toughest routes in the country, and it actually goes past where I had the accident. I thought it was a great opportunity for me to raise money and awareness for GNAAS, but also come to terms with what happened.

“To be able to build up my confidence to go back on a bike and cycle down that road again, I’ll have come full circle.”

Dr Duffy added: “I’ve been doing this job for 12 years and you don't get to see that many patients coming back, so it is actually really nice to see them.

“He was quite badly injured, but he looks really well, is already back at work and really positive about it all and it was nice to meet his wife and his kids.”

GNAAS needs to raise £8.5m a year to remain operational. To find out more about how you can support the charity visit: gna.as/fund247

About GNAAS

• The Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) is a charitably funded air ambulance service which provides life-saving care throughout the North East, North Yorkshire, Cumbria and Isle of Man.
  
• They operate two helicopters 365 days a year and also operate a night-time service in the North East and Cumbria on rapid response vehicles.
  
  
• The aircraft cover an area of more than 8,000 square miles and on board are specialist doctors and paramedics who effectively bring the hospital to the patient.
  
  
• The level of skill and expertise of the on-board team mean they respond to the most critically ill and injured people, giving them the best chance of survival.
  
  
• GNAAS is a progressive organisation which has pioneered pre-hospital care in the region.
  
• The latest techniques, equipment and drugs are constantly being evaluated to ensure the charity can provide the best care possible for their patients.
  
  
• 2022 marked the service providing 20 years of life-saving care. Throughout this time, they have responded to more than 23,500 incidents across the region, with road traffic collisions being the most frequent type of incident responded to by the team.
  
  
• They do not receive Government funding and must therefore raise £8.5m a year through public donations to remain operational.

For more information visit: https://www.greatnorthairambulance.co.uk/ or follow @gnairambulance on Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok