A woman fell from a Yorkshire cliff while bird watching. She required airlifting to a hospital for surgery.
Gillian, who is 66, was on holiday with her husband and friends. They walked at Bempton Cliffs Nature Reserve, a popular spot for birdwatching. The path was narrow and muddy, and Gillian lost her footing, slipping and falling.
Gillian is from Paisley. She landed hard and felt intense pain in her leg. She could not move after the fall.
Her husband called 999 right away. Yorkshire Air Ambulance and the Coastguard responded quickly, with the helicopter flying 50 miles to reach the coast in record time.
The YAA team checked Gillian’s injuries and were worried about her foot. She lost feeling in it soon after, potentially indicating nerve damage. Her ankle needed quick straightening.
They gave her ketamine and gas for pain management. Then, they airlifted her to a hospital in Scarborough, which only took seven minutes. Doctors found a bad ankle fracture, requiring immediate surgery.
Surgeons used plates and screws to repair it. She had one plate and five screws on one side, and two screws on the other side. Another screw fixed it front to back. She is recovering now and in physiotherapy, with full healing expected to take months.
Gillian remembers the scary event and how she looked forward to seeing puffins. The fall was a terrible surprise.
She said the pain was awful and she knew something was very wrong. Seeing the helicopter arrive was a huge relief. She is thankful to the YAA team and appreciates everyone that helped her, acknowledging the big difference their help made. She won’t ever forget what they did.