Mum thanks air ambulance for saving son's life

A mother has thanked the emergency services for saving her son's life after he was involved in a crash.

Jack Godwin, 18, and his friend Ben Davies, 17, were returning from a day out in Barnard Castle when the car they were in hit a tree on the B6282 in Eggleston, County Durham, on 16 April 2023.

Both teenagers suffered life-threatening injuries, and critical care teams from the North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) and the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) put them into medically induced comas at the roadside.

Mr Godwin's mum Kelly Bryden said: "Without the air ambulance I can honestly say my son would not be alive today."

The Spennymoor teenager spent eight months in hospital.

"They performed chest drains, a blood transfusion and put him on a ventilator all at the side of the road," she said.

"No one can believe following the injury to his aorta that Jack is alive."

The teenagers were airlifted separately, Ben to James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough and Mr Godwin to the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) in Newcastle.

He was transferred from the RVI to Walkergate Park, a centre specialising in brain injuries, in July, and underwent intensive rehabilitation.

He was discharged in December last year and continues to have treatment to help with his brain injury and memory loss.

His friend was discharged from James Cook after spending 30 days in hospital.

GNAAS doctor Laura Duffy said: “It’s over a year since we treated Jack and Ben so it’s nice to hear how they are doing and progressing after their injuries.”

Darren Green Head of operations at NEAS, added: "Colleagues who attended will be pleased to know that what they made a real difference and ensured that Jack and Ben could go home to their families."

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