Great North Air Ambulance Service

A man who broke his back in two places while on a family bike ride in Whinlatter Forest has praised the teams who came to his aid.

Roger Moffatt, 57, from Kendal, had joined his two sons for a day of mountain biking, and hired an electric bike to explore the trails.

What initially started as an enjoyable family day out on 18 March 2023, ended in a helicopter flight to hospital.

Recalling the incident, he said: “On one of the downhill sections I mistimed a jump which sent me off the track and down a steep drop. This led to me being thrown over the handlebars, landing headfirst and going into some trees. I was fully conscious, but realised something was seriously wrong.”

Some of the cyclists nearby raised the alarm, and while waiting for the Keswick Mountain Rescue Team (KMRT) to arrive, the ranger helped keep Mr Moffatt warm with blankets and started to cut back some of the trees, so the path was more accessible for when further help arrived.

KMRT managed to park near to where Mr Moffatt lay, and they administered morphine and stabilised him on a stretcher.

Due to the amount of pain Mr Moffatt was in, and a potential one-hour journey to hospital by road, the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) was requested to attend the scene.

It took 13 minutes for the critical care team from GNAAS to fly from their base in Langwathby, Penrith, to the scene of the incident.

Their doctor and paramedic administered another dose of morphine and loaded Mr Moffatt onto the helicopter before flying him to the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle in 14 minutes.

He was then transferred to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle two days later and spent a total of one week in hospital where he underwent scans and was given pain relief.

He said: “In hospital it was discovered that I had broken two bones in my back T5 and T6. They were going to operate, however at the last minute decided against it as the risk and the way the bones had broken meant it was better to let it heal naturally. There was then a healing period of six months, attending hospital every six weeks to check for any movement.”

Mr Moffatt has since regained most of his movement back and has praised the teams who helped him.

He said: “GNAAS were very professional and very reassuring. If it wasn’t for them being in attendance and transporting me to hospital, I am sure I would have suffered much more pain and could have aggravated the injuries which I had sustained. This could have potentially led to a longer recovery time and more damage.

“I would like to thank all of the teams who helped with the incident on the day.”

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