Loddington woman thanks air ambulance for saving her leg

A woman from Loddington has thanked the air ambulance service for saving her leg when she was in an accident six years ago.

Letitia Hayward went on a bike ride on a beautiful autumn morning on October 3, 2014, when she was involved in a side to side collision with an oncoming bus which was overtaking parked cars just a few hundred yards from her home.

Letitia said: "I was thrown off my bike onto the road and landed just a few centimetres from one of the wheels of the bus.

"I was in and out of consciousness but luckily the accident happened outside the homes of two off-duty nurses who I remember helping me."

Letitia had suffered multiple injuries to her right leg including a severed artery, dislocated knee, ligament damage and a deep wound above her ankle. She was badly bruised and also suffered a broken finger on her right hand.

The Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance (WNAA) attended and flew Letitia to University Hospital Coventry, but she cannot remember any of it.

Letitia said: "I am eternally grateful that I was flown to the specialist treatment I needed as, I believe, the outcome of my accident could have been very different if I had not been.

"All the doctors I spoke to told me that my injuries were very serious and for a time they were concerned I might lose my leg.

"I owe my right leg, if not my life to the helicopter flying me to hospital so quickly."

Letitia was in hospital for 18 days and had a vein graft to repair her severed artery behind her knee. She also had plastic surgery on her ankle, and had a metalwork frame put around her knee.

The recovery was long and slow and included three months in a leg brace. Letitia had seven operations in total including two on her hand, keyhole surgery on her knee and ligament reconstruction.

She said: "It was a long journey. I had a whole year when I was at a hospital or doctor’s appointment every week but I still have a leg and my life is pretty much back to normal now."

Letitia was aware of the local air ambulance before her accident and now volunteers to help count and bank donations from collection boxes.

She said: "It is a charity that benefits everybody and is always there when needed. I had supported it before my accident but now I am an uber-supporter.

"Thank goodness we have the local air ambulance. Whenever I see the helicopter flying over, I know that somebody in urgent need is being helped.

"So many charities have seen a massive drop in their income since the start of the pandemic so I hope people remember the local air ambulance and the lifesaving work it does every day of the year."

For more information, visit the air ambulance's website here.