Kirkbean poet saved by Scottish Water engineer after street fall

A Kirkbean poet who penned an award-winning poem for Scottish Water was saved by one of the firm’s engineers after he fell in the street.

Stuart A Paterson was walking home when he tripped on a pavement in the village and cracked his head open.

Luckily network service operator Billy Laird was working nearby and ran to see if he could help.

The first aid-trained worker found Stuart had a deep cut to his head and dressed the wound with a bandage from his van.

He covered the dazed poet with a neighbour’s blanket to keep him warm and chatted to him until the ambulance he called arrived.

A grateful Stuart said: “I don’t remember much about what happened.

“But what I do know is that Billy is a hero.

“He ran to help me and did all he could to keep me comfortable.

“When I found out Billy worked for Scottish Water, I chuckled because I had just heard that my poem had won an award.

“I don’t know what would have happened if he hadn’t been there.

“I hope I didn’t take too much time out of his day or leave anybody without water.”

The 55 year-old poet spent five days in Dumfries Infirmary where he received stitches and underwent a series of health checks.

Stuart and Billy were reunited at the accident scene for the first time last week.

Dumfries man Billy, 52, was attending an emergency at a customer’s property when he saw Stuart collapse..

He said: “This is the first time in my 22 years with the company I have had to use my first aid experience on a member of the public.

“When I was told it was Stuart that wrote the poem, I was surprised but also thought it was a lovely way to repay the nice words he wrote about key workers like so many of my colleagues. I am delighted that Stuart is back on his feet and doing so well after such a nasty fall.”

Billy presented Stuart with a card wishing him a speedy recovery – and gave him a punnet of grapes.

Stuart’s Scots poem, The Very Dab, was written for a video honouring Scottish Water’s staff.

The production won Best Video/Animation at the recent National Institute of Internal Communications Awards while he was recovering in hospital.