'I couldn’t even give my own name': Paramedic suffered catastrophic brain injury in horror crash - but his life was miraculously saved
23.07.2022 - 20:23
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
A paramedic was left to experience the other side of his job after a horrific cycling crash saw him suffer a catastrophic brain injury. The North West paramedic lost consciousness, with potentially life-changing spinal injuries - until he was miraculously saved.
Paul Harvey, a 48-year-old cyclist from Swinton was riding in Wigan in July 2021 when he hit a piece of debris in the road. The collision threw him over the handlebars of the bike and onto the road.
Despite wearing a helmet, Paul, who works for the North West Ambulance Service, landed heavily on the road, causing him to lose consciousness. He was left with potentially life-changing spinal injuries as paramedics arrived to treat him.
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“The paramedic noticed I was bleeding from both ears, there were fractures to the left side of my face and they were querying if I had a spinal injury," explained Paul. “But they were more concerned about my head trauma.
"They tried to identify me but I couldn’t even give my own name.”
After an ambulance arrived at the scene, the paramedics called in the North West Air Ambulance Charity to fly in specialist doctors and treat Paul before they could make it to the hospital.
Paul was agitated, so the air ambulance team made the decision to anaesthetise, then intubate Paul to control his breathing. He was taken by road ambulance to Salford Royal Hospital, escorted by the air ambulance team, in order to maintain his medically induced coma and protect his brain.
After the devastating crash, Paul spent two weeks in a coma at Salford Royal Hospital. He was treated for injuries including an unstable spinal fracture, which required