Ten-year-old Reuben thanks Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance in its 30th Anniversary

One sunny afternoon last July, ten-year-old Reuben was playing with his sister in a shed near his home when a lorry frame fell on him, crushing his leg.

Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance (LNAA) was immediately called and arrived at their rural homestead at Wigtoft, Lincolnshire, within minutes. The doctor/paramedic team quickly identified Reuben had suffered a significant fracture to his lower leg and were concerned for the blood flow to his foot.

Paramedic Matt said: “We could see he was in obvious discomfort and so we decided to sedate Reuben before splinting his leg and realigning the fractures.”

Due to the complexities of his injuries and given the distance the family lived from a major trauma hospital, it was decided to transport him to Nottingham’s Queen Medical Centre in the helicopter, a journey that took fifteen minutes rather than one hour and fifteen minutes by road ambulance.

Mum Suzanne couldn’t believe what had happened to Reuben and praises his sister, Scarlett, for raising the alarm. She said “The framework was heavy and had done serious damage to Reuben’s leg. Somehow Scarlett was able to lift the heavy metal bars off him and drag him out from under the ironwork, before seeking help. When I arrived at the shed, I could see that he badly injured and yet he appeared so calm.

“We called 999, and luckily Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance was with us super quick!

“During the flight the doctor and the paramedic were brilliant. They kept both me and my son calm and explained everything they were doing as they went along.”

Over the next few days Reuben had three operations on his leg including a skin and muscle graft and he was fitted with an external fixator to keep his leg stable.

A year on, Reuben has made an amazing recovery, and his leg is almost recovered. Suzanne summed up: “We really cannot thank you guys enough for the help you gave us, whilst on the floor with bones exposed my son said multiple times, “thank you” to your team!”