A man who survived after being hit by a car has thanked the London Air Ambulance (LAA) medics who saved his life - as the charity issued an urgent plea for donations to fund a new fleet of helicopters.
Steve Blake, 52, was struck by a vehicle on Foresters Drive in Purley while on a jog on January 1, 2021. He suffered spinal damage, a traumatic brain injury and massive internal bleeding.
Air Ambulance paramedics raced to the scene and performed a complex procedure called REBOA to prevent internal haemorrhage.
Mr Blake was then taken to the intensive care unit at St George's hospital, where he spent three weeks before being released.
He told the Standard: “Paramedics measured my blood pressure and found there was no pulse. I’m surprised they didn’t class me as clinically dead.
“There is no doubt that I would have died at the scene without their help. I feel immense gratitude to them.”
Medics were able to perform REBOA using a makeshift operating theatre rolled out on a table equipped with wheels.
“The ability they have got to perform a procedure like that in the street on a dirty winter morning is unbelievable,” he added.
Mr Blake had no recollection of the incident when he woke up in a hospital bed.
“I wasn’t able to see my family at all while I was in hospital, as they weren’t allowed in due to Covid regulations in place at the time.
“The main thing I felt was confusion – I had no idea what had happened. One of my legs was bandaged up and in a brace and the other was wrapped in a strange device that was pulsating and keeping the blood flowing.”
After leaving hospital three weeks later, Mr Blake began a “difficult” rehabilitation process - with an 8-week period in which he was unable to move.
“I am sporty and into running so it was really hard. Suddenly, I was trapped in a body that couldn’t move.
“It almost became more depressing being at home as I was in an environment that I was usually very active in. My lounge became a hospital room.”
He added: “I existed in a state of not really knowing whether life was going to be worth it for a couple of months.”
Mr Blake was not given the green light to move again until mid-March.
He went on: “I have so much regard for anyone in the NHS or the medical profession and how they help to keep people alive. They just get on with it. That spirit motivated me to live.”
Air Ambulance medics perform life-saving treatment for patients who are critically injured, and their helicopters help to transport doctors to the scene as soon as possible.
Last October, the LAA launched an appeal to fund two new H-135 T3H helicopters to bring into service in 2024, as the charity’s current fleet is in decline.
I existed in a state of not really knowing whether life was going to be worth it for a couple of months
Most patients, 34 per cent, needed pre-hospital care at the scene by either helicopter or car crews for “penetrating trauma” such as gunshot and stab wounds.
Westminster was the busiest borough in London, with 113 callouts, followed by Lambeth, 111, and Tower Hamlets, 103.
Those wishing to donate to the LAA’s Up Against Time appeal can do so here.
