Local lifesaving Charity shortlisted for Pride of Britain Award

If you were to meet 35 year old Adam Shailer, from near Peterborough, you’d think he was just like any other dad of two; with a great sense of humour and an impressive ‘can do’ attitude. However, if you were told he is doing incredibly well after genuinely being as close to death as you can get, you might start to see him in a very different light!

In August 2016, Adam was riding his motorbike to work when it collided with a car. He fell off at high speed, was run over by the car and was left fighting for his life. Magpas Air Ambulance Doctor Andy Lindsay and Critical Care Paramedic Dan Read landed at the scene. Dr Andy remembers Adam asking if he was going to make it and he replied “you are categorically not going to die”. However, Adam’s condition quickly deteriorated. He fell unconscious, his heart rate was only 20 beats per minute and his blood pressure plummeted.

In the accident, Adam suffered 18 broken ribs, a broken sternum, air in chest cavity, bruising and bleeding around his lungs, a lacerated liver and kidney, squashed bowel in 2x places, his pelvis was broken into 29 pieces – in what’s called an ‘open book’ pelvic fracture, his ureter was nearly disconnected and one of his knees was completely broken.

In order to save Adam’s life there and then, the Magpas medical team provided Adam with hospital-level care at the scene. They gave him lifesaving drugs and performed surgical procedures at the roadside before getting him into a land ambulance and monitoring his condition all the way to Addenbrooke’s Hospital. Magpas Paramedic Dan sums Adam’s situation up by saying; “Adam is the most sick person I have ever treated who has survived”.

Adam has since made an incredible recovery and was even out of hospital in time to spend Christmas with his family. Recognising Andy and Dan’s lifesaving actions that day and the impact they’ve made on Adam and his loved ones, they were shortlisted as finalists for the ITV This Morning Emergency Services category in the Pride of Britain Awards. After hearing the news Adam explained, “I’m ecstatic that Dan and Andy have been recognised for the incredible work they do. These two individuals not only saved my life and brought specialist care to me when I needed it most, but they helped me to put the pieces together afterwards as well. They took time out of their busy lives to follow up on my case and meet me once I was out of hospital. My pelvis was in 29 pieces but my mind was in thousands and they helped me a lot after the accident, as well as during. I’m amazed that these two guys are finalists and they are worthy winners in my eyes – but it’s not all about me and they are part of a much larger team who all save lives day in, day out. This recognition is for the whole Magpas Air Ambulance team. They’re all just humans at the end of the day, humans who do incredible things.”