Saving lives: rider thanks crucial air ambulance after rotational fall
A rider who ruptured two discs and dislocated her elbow in a rotational fall has sung the praises of the air ambulance that came to her rescue.
This week (9-15 September) is Air Ambulance Week, dedicated to fundraising for and raising awareness of the service, which gets no Government funding. Each mission costs over £4,100.
Air ambulances across the country fly to the rescue of many riders every year, including Jo Dunn, who fell during an arena cross-country lesson with her horse Maggie, filmed by her mother.
“The lesson was going well, and Mum was filming Maggie and I flying over a variety of jumps and combinations of 90cm and more,” Jo said.
“About halfway through the lesson we jumped a table and Maggie caught the jump with a leg, causing the jump to rotate and get caught in her legs. We had a rotational fall, which is every rider’s worst nightmare, and Maggie somersaulted and landed on her side, on top of me. Mum stopped filming and she and my instructor ran over to us. Those watching thought Maggie had broken her neck, but miraculously she got to her feet. I was knocked out.”
Jo said her mother, a retired nurse, stayed with her while the trainer called 999.
“The [Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance, HIOWAA] doctor and paramedic worked with the ground medics to stabilise me before deciding how I should be taken to hospital,” she said.
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“In the end, I was taken to University Hospital Southampton via land ambulance, because getting me to the air ambulance meant carrying me across the fields surrounding the area where I had fallen. The team was concerned that I was already very cold, having been on the ground for an hour.”
Jo praised the “phenomenal” NHS; she spent 11 days in hospital with delayed concussion, a dislocated elbow and two ruptured discs.
After months of physio, she regained full movement, and 14 months after her fall, she ran her first marathon – six days later, she completed her second.
“I’m back riding and competing in dressage,” she said. “Maggie had a few months of field rest as I was recovering; during this time she received physio treatment alongside her veterinary treatment. She was given a full clean bill of health and I was able to start bringing her back into work. I am thankful that neither Maggie nor I sustained life-changing injuries.
“I owe a huge thank you to the air ambulance critical care team, and all the NHS staff for fixing me up. Since first witnessing the HIOWAA critical care team help a horse rider after an accident about 10 years ago, my parents and I have often bought charity lottery tickets and we donate regularly as well. As a family, I think we’ve donated over £3,000 over the years and I hope that our contribution will help to keep the air ambulance flying and saving more lives.”
The message of Air Ambulance Week 2024 is “today’s supporter, tomorrow’s lifesaver”.
“Anyone, anywhere in the UK can become a patient at any time,” a spokesperson for Air Ambulances UK said. “The message reminds us that by becoming a supporter today, you can help save lives tomorrow. Throughout Air Ambulance Week, we highlight the stories of those whose lives have been impacted by dedicated critical care medics, who bring the hospital to the patient at the scene.
“The campaign also highlights how air ambulance charities need your support to continue to deliver advanced pre-hospital care to people with a sudden life-threatening injury or illness, helping to save lives and improve patient outcomes. By supporting air ambulance charities you will truly be making a difference to someone’s life.”
The charity’s CEO Simmy Akhtar added that the message is an “important reminder of the impact each of us can make”.
“Every day, air ambulance charities are collectively dispatched to over 126 lifesaving missions and each mission is funded almost entirely by the generosity of our local communities,” he said. “As we celebrate Air Ambulance Week 2024, we recognise the invaluable impact of the dedicated teams who bring pre-hospital emergency care to patients in their most vulnerable moments. Through your generosity, air ambulance charities continue to save lives and improve patient outcomes across the UK.”
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Eleanor is an experienced journalist who spent over eight years working for local and national newspapers before joining H&H as news editor in March 2016. Passionate about equine welfare and exposing the truth, Eleanor has reported on all aspects of the industry, from Brexit to anti-bullying campaigns, and from dressage rules to mules. Her sport of choice is showjumping, in which she competes her own horses, and she also enjoys reporting at local jumping shows through to international championships.