Crash survivor meets GNAAS paramedic who helped him

Yahoo

27-02-2025

A man who survived a crash that sadly killed his friend has reunited with the paramedic who helped him - 18 years after the event.
Jed Rayner, from Hebburn, was just 17 when the car he was in collided head-on with a tractor.
The crash, which happened on the A686 between Langwathby and Edenhall in Penrith, claimed the life of his friend James Johnston, who was also 17.
Mr Rayner said: "It all happened very quick; we were travelling at the speed limit and as we came around a corner James eased off the gas and tapped his breaks.
"Unknown to us, there was a large amount of hydraulic fluid on the road and unfortunately the wheels locked and we slid sideways into oncoming traffic, head on with a tractor."
The North West Ambulance Service and the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) attended the incident, but Mr Johnston died at the scene.
Mr Rayner said: "I remember a lady speaking to me and trying to keep me focused on her rather than the state of James as he was very badly injured.
"I can remember what James looked like at the scene and I have to admit that it's something that has haunted me ever since."
Mr Rayner had to be cut out of the car, and was in and out of consciousness when he was treated by medics at the roadside.
He suffered broken ribs and a punctured lung, and had several cuts to his face, head, hands, and back.
He said: "I was in a lot of pain, and it felt like my chest was burning and I couldn't catch my breath very well.
"I remember being in the car then all of a sudden being on my back strapped up and being able to see out of the window of the helicopter - that is where I remember seeing a man with a bald head.
"I asked what he was putting into me, which was painkillers, I believe, and then hearing this rumble, and seeing the blades starting to move, and then, within a few seconds, I couldn't see them and we were up in the air."
Mr Rayner was airlifted to the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle and woke up to a nurse pulling out shards of glass from his hair and body.
He spent several days in hospital recovering and had a chest tube inserted to help reinflate his lung.
He said: "I was very sore all over and was not really with it.
"My friends and family came to visit me constantly which was so nice and really showed me how much they cared about me.
'My recovery took a while - I had physical and mental therapy because of the flashbacks and because my body was not aligned up correctly from the trauma."
Eighteen years have passed since the collision in Penrith, and at the age of 35, Mr Rayner has signed up to do the Great North Run for the first time, in support of GNAAS.
He said: "I enjoy keeping active in many ways - my dad did it when he was younger, and one of my close friends has done it for many years now and never has a bad time; he loves the atmosphere.
"The age I am now and how I feel is that I believe it's the right time and there isn't any other charity I would want to do it for.
"I cannot wait to get my vest with GNAAS' logo on it and get running."
After hearing about Mr Rayner's link to the charity, staff at GNAAS tracked down the paramedic, named Terry Sharpe, who helped him back in 2006, and invited Mr Rayner and his family to GNAAS' base in Langwathby to meet him.
Mr Rayner said: "It is hard to explain in words how I felt meeting Terry after all these years.
"I felt very overwhelmed and very emotional.
"It was a very surreal moment in my life because I never thought I would ever have the honour to meet him.
"Terry exceeded my expectations - never did I think he would be as nice as he was, and putting me at ease made all the difference."
Mr Sharpe said: "I'd been at GNAAS a couple of years when I attended Jed's incident and I still remember the case very well.
"It was lovely having the opportunity to meet Jed and his family all these years later and hear about the positive impact we've had on his life."
Mr Rayner added: "Without GNAAS so many people would have lost their lives.
"It certainly saved mine and I will be forever grateful for that - we should all support it because we just never know when we might need it for ourselves or one of our family members."
GNAAS claim to need to raise £9.3m a year to remain operational, and have launched a prize draw raffle to raise funds.
To find out more and buy tickets, please visit: https://gna.as/prize-draw-raffle-2025