A mum was watching TV when she was told her son had been hit by a speeding driver and been left for dead in the road.
Sam Durcan’s son Dylan Fryers, was walking a shop near his home in Warrington with his 21-year-old brother when he was hit at speed by a drink driver. Dylan suffered a serious head injury and required major medical attention as the North West Air Ambulance Charity brought the hospital to the roadside.
Almost 18 months on from his accident, mum Sam relived the moment her younger son Ethan ran into the house to tell her what had happened.
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She said: “I was sitting at home watching TV when Ethan came running into the house. He was so distressed, and I could barely understand him, but I heard ‘Dylan has been hit by a car’ and I ran out of the house.
“When I arrived, Dylan was just lying in the middle of the road. It was like watching Casualty without a pause button.
“The doctor from the Air Ambulance arrived, and I realised just how serious the situation was. He came over to me and explained that they were bringing the hospital to the roadside.”
The air ambulance charities doctor worked on Dylan’s injuries, including multiple fractures, a collapsed lung and major swelling of the brain. The decision was made to perform a Rapid Sequence Induction on Dylan – a procedure that controls a patient’s breathing, essentially placing them on a life support machine.
This is a procedure that would normally wait until arrival at hospital, but the North West Air Ambulance Charity can perform this at the roadside.
Sam, a medical secretary, continued: “Then they explained they were going to intubate him because he was very agitated, and they didn’t know what damage was done at that point. It was better to put him in a coma to let his body calm down. That’s what they did at the roadside.”
Dylan was transported by land ambulance to Aintree University Hospital, accompanied by the air ambulance doctor. During the first couple of days, Sam was informed Dylan’s condition was critical.
Sam said: “The doctor in hospital was frank with me that he wasn’t responding to treatment. He said it could go two ways – that he might not wake up. I don’t think the severity had really sunk in until that point.
“Up until then, it felt like a dream. But after that it wasn’t. It was real and it was a nightmare. I walked out of the hospital, got into my car and just fell apart.”
Following further treatment Dylan started to respond and after 11 days in a coma, he was moved out of the hospital’s ITU.
Sam said: “At 7am I had a call from the hospital, and I expected the worst. But the nurse said ‘do you want to speak to someone?’ and it was Dylan. He was spaced out but he waved on the phone.”
Thirteen months on, Dylan is still recovering from the event, but has started to slowly return to normal life, returning to work part-time and socialising with his friends. Sam says that without the North West Air Ambulance Charity, Dylan would not have survived.
As a thank you, the family delivered cakes to the charity base, as well as to hundreds of other health workers who were involved in his treatment.
Sam said: “The Air Ambulance is the reason why Dylan is alive now. One hundred million per cent. That is why Dylan is still with us now and not in a worse state than he could have been in.
“Bringing the hospital to the roadside saved that travel time, they just crack on and they explained it fully to me. I just want to say a massive thank you to everyone.”
Lead HEMs Paramedic Andy Duncan was part of the crew that treated Dylan at the scene. He said: “Dylan was quite agitated, and it wasn’t 100% clear if that was due to his head injury. To protect his brain from any underlying injuries we made the decision to administer a Rapid Sequence Induction (RSI) to Dylan. This essentially put Dylan into a coma so we could regulate his breathing – basically giving his brain the chance to rest.”
“During the treatment, we kept Sam updated throughout the procedure. Dylan’s mum was exceptional and very calm given the circumstances. Hearing that Dylan has made great progress is great news and I hope he continues to improve on his pathway to recovery.”
Elliot Watson and his passenger, Barclay Redford, had been drinking vodka and had bought laughing gas in the run up to the accident on Friday, October 29, 2021. Watson drove the car erratically and came on to Battersby Lane, a residential road, well over the speed limit.
He then hit Dylan, who was thrown over the top of the car and left with catastrophic injuries, including a collapsed lung, multiple skull fractures and eight broken ribs.
Redford, of Makin Street, Walton, was sentenced to ten months at a young offenders' institution after pleading guilty to aggravated vehicle taking.
Watson, 36, of Smith Street, Warrington, was jailed for 44 months for causing serious injury by dangerous driving, driving while disqualified, aggravated vehicle taking and failing to both stop and report an accident.
The North West Air Ambulance Charity provides enhanced pre-hospital care to patients across the North West, 365 days a year. The charity receives no government or NHS funding, and relies on donations from supporters to keep saving lives.
For more information on how you can get involved with the charity, and to donate, visit: www.nwairambulance.org.uk.
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