COLUMN: '˜The charity helped save my life'

He was at work at his garage when an inspection ramp suddenly collapsed, causing a car to fall on him. He suffered multiple injuries including a broken pelvis, broken ribs and punctured lungs. The air ambulance helicopter was on the scene within minutes and after being assessed and stabilised David was flown to Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham.

David said: “The transfer took just seven minutes. If I had gone to QMC by road from Matlock I wouldn’t have survived. I was fortunate in many ways. My employees responded quickly and the air ambulance was available that day.”

Two years on, David has made a remarkable recovery. Despite his extensive injuries, he has been on holiday with his family and is even now fundraising for the service that saved his life.

He added: “What they do is fantastic – and it is free. There is no doubt, if it wasn’t for the air ambulance I wouldn’t be here today — they are lifesavers.”

Every rescue mission flown by your air ambulance costs £1,700 and as we receive no government funding, we are entirely reliant totally on public donations to stay operational.

We want to thank everyone who has helped us be there for our patients like David. Without your support, we literally would not be able to do our lifesaving work. For more visit: https://theairambulanceservice.org.uk.