Air ambulance saves Corby couple twice in six years

Stacey and Conor Price, of Boughton Road, are so grateful to the charity they’ve agreed to be the faces of the Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance valentine fundraising campaign.

Stacey, 25, was flown to Coventry after a horror car crash on her way to work in Market Harborough in July 2011.

And in January 2017, husband Conor was rushed to the same hospital by air after an explosion at his work.

Stacey said: “It is unbelievable what they do.

“When my husband and I had our accidents the air ambulance came to our rescue.

“We were both flown to hospital in Coventry in just minutes and got the specialist treatment we needed quickly.

“The journey by road would have taken at least an hour with no traffic delays.”

Stacey was just 18-years-old and driving to work when she was overtaken by another car which had to swerve to avoid an oncoming vehicle - resulting in Stacey’s car overturning and rolling down a hill.

She said: “I remember the ground hitting the windscreen and watching the glass shatter.

“The rest is a blur and then I woke up with somebody holding my head telling me it was going to be OK.

“I was flown to hospital where I went through several tests including scans and X-rays which resulted in a diagnosis of a fractured pelvis.”

Stacey was treated for the fractured pelvis and spent a week in hospital recovering.

She was on crutches for four months and had weekly physiotherapy to learn to walk again.

Her injuries meant she was unable to give birth naturally and, after having her second child by caesarean section, was advised that her pelvis is too fragile to withstand any more pregnancies.

Most families never require the help of the air ambulance and few ever need help more than once.

But the couple were settling into family life with Gracie and Conor Junior when, in January 2017, self-employed engineer Conor (25) was injured in an explosion.

He was thrown 12ft into a door - the force of the blast causing his body to dent the metal – and was knocked unconscious.

He suffered injuries to his teeth, nose and face, badly damaged a ligament in his arm and had two seizures.

There was no space for the air ambulance to land at the industrial estate in Corby where Conor was working so the crew landed in an adjacent field.

They had to climb over a large mound of soil to reach him and to get him back onto the helicopter.

Conor said: “It was a fantastic effort by the team as I weigh 16 stone.

“They carried me to the helicopter and within 11 minutes I was at the hospital in Coventry.

“I had a scan almost immediately which thankfully showed that I didn’t have any serious head injuries”.

However, he couldn’t return to work for 10 weeks due to lack of strength in his arm.

Now the couple are doing their bit to help the charity, which receives no government funding and relies on public donations to remain operational. Each rescue mission costs about £1,700.

They are say they are determined to repay the charity which was there for them both when they needed it.

Stacey said: “We do fundraising whenever we can and donate money every month.

“The local air ambulance is an amazing charity and we will always be grateful for the fact it was there when our lives could have been at risk.”

Anyone wanting to find out more about the lifesaving work of the charity or to show their support can call 0300 3045 999 or visit www.theairambulanceservice.org.uk.