On the morning of his 38th birthday, 28 September 2016, darts and football fanatic Steve and his wife Kelly were crossing the Worting Road Bridge in Basingstoke as they headed out for a birthday breakfast. Their lives were about to change forever.
A loud crash came from the road behind Steve. As he turned, the noise was immediately followed by a crushing sensation – Steve was trapped between a metal railing and a car that had mounted the kerb. It all happened so quickly.
The force from the car pushed Steve over the railing and onto the dual carriageway – approximately 50ft below.
Responding to the call
Nearby paramedics rushed to the scene, closely followed by Dr David Sutton and Specialist Critical Care Paramedic Mike Funge who were deployed to the incident. As they approached Steve, it was clear he was in a significant amount of pain.
“A patient who has fallen from this height is likely to have sustained life-threatening injuries. This was at the forefront of our minds as we made our way to the location.” Mike Funge
Threat to both life and limb
It quickly became evident that Steve had sustained numerous open fractures to his lower limbs and pelvis and had a markedly reduced blood flow to his lower legs.
The team decided that the most appropriate treatment was to give Steve sedation using Ketamine and Midazolam: these drugs are used to sedate a patient so that there will be no memory or recollection of pain.
This allowed them to manipulate Steve’s legs into an anatomically correct position and to restore blood flow to his legs and feet, providing a great deal of pain relief.
They had to apply specialist splints to his pelvis and legs, allowing his legs to be kept straight and his pelvis to be kept secure.
Due to the severity of his injuries, the team decided to fly Steve from the roadside to University Hospital Southampton (UHS), the regional Major Trauma Centre.
“The next thing I remember is waking up in UHS ten days later, having been put into an induced coma,” said Steve.
Long road to recovery
“I had more than 20 fractures in my arm, spine, pelvis and legs. I had to undergo 17 operations and, due to the extent of the injuries, on 3 December I lost my lower right leg.”
While he has made an incredible recovery, in 2020 Steve successfully underwent a below-knee amputation to his left leg.
To say thank you to the team who helped save his life, Steve has since become one of our volunteers and is looking forward to sharing his story and experiences of our life-saving work.
“I was only given a slim chance of survival, which is why I am so grateful for everything that the team did for me. They saved my life.
“If it wasn’t for them, I probably wouldn’t be here today. My life changed in an instant and the same could happen to any one of us.”
Steve has gone on to win multiple trophies in the World ParaDarts.
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