The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Man reunited with lifesavers after crash
Crashing into the centre of the Boongate roundabout after suffering a cardiac arrest at the wheel, Geoff Sayers would not be here today if he had not received lifesaving care at the scene.
Geoff (74) from Peterborough, said: “Because my car’s an automatic, it was in gear and still moving forward while I was unconscious. I still have no memory of what happened but witnesses said that I was narrowly missed by an oncoming lorry and my car only stopped when it hit bushes in the middle of the roundabout.”
Six people stopped to help Geoff. They got him out of the car and started performing CPR as soon as possible until the emergency services, including Magpas Air Ambulance, arrived.
The Magpas medical team provided Geoff with lifesaving care there and then flew him to hospital.
Geoff said: “I was in hospital for less than a week, a recovery time which amazed even the doctors. Once I was home I managed to get in touch with the people who stopped that day and the Magpas medical team who flew me to hospital. I just wanted to say thank you for saving my life.”
Geoff has now come face to face with those who saved his life as Magpas celebrated unveiling its new state of the art helicopter, which has been bought after a £1.5 million fundraising campaign.
The new AgustaWestland 169 will be able to fly further faster, enabling the lifesaving service to reach and treat an even greater number of patients.
Geoff added: “It was very emotional to come face to face with everyone, including Dr Simon Lewis, one of the Magpas Air Ambulance doctors who treated me. Simon helped me understand what happened, talking through the care I received that day and how it helped me make the recovery I did.”
Magpas’s new helicopter will cost the charity an extra £50,000 a month. To reach that total it will need the help of people like Doug McLeod, who has been an avid fundraiser for more than five years now.
When he, his wife and their friends put together the Upwood Ukuleles to play local gigs and raise money for Magpas, they had no idea how much the new venture would take off. They now perand form several times a week, to a wide range of people across Peterborough, Wisbech, Cambridge and beyond, and have raised more than £30,000.
Doug said: “We continue to be bowled over by people’s generosity in donating to this cause. Magpas’ new helicopter will cost the charity an extra £50,000 a month, so we are now setting our sites on raising over £50,000 for Magpas.”
To donate to Magpas, visit: magpas.org.uk.