'Convinced I was dying' - Cumbrian brewery blast victim reunited with doctor

Yahoo

29-04-2025

A MAN who sustained life-threatening injuries in a Workington brewery explosion last year has been reunited with the doctor who saved him.
Leigh Taylor, a 44-year old from Seaton, was working on May 13, 2024, when he was engulfed by a fireball and badly burned in a blast.
Recalling the incident, Mr Taylor said: "I remember being blown across the room and looking at it in disbelief.
"My ears were ringing, and smoke was billowing, and then I just crawled out of the rubble.
"I could see my hands were red raw, like slabs of meat with all the skin hanging off."
North West Ambulance Service, Cumbria Police, and Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service attended the scene, in addition to teams from the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) and North West Air Ambulance Charity.
Mr Taylor said: "I was convinced I was dying, and that's what I was expecting, to die, because the last thing I remember was them cutting the sleeve off my coat, and then I woke up five weeks later."
He was put into a medically induced coma by the doctor and paramedic team from GNAAS and airlifted to Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) in Newcastle.
Leigh Taylor in hospital a few weeks after the blast (Image: Supplied) The father-of-two underwent skin grafts after sustaining 40 per cent burns to his face, legs, and hands, and he also suffered a cardiac arrest while in a coma.
Mr Taylor spent a total of nine weeks in hospital and was full of praise for the staff at the RVI who remarked that his recovery has been faster compared to other people of a similar age with similar injuries.
He said: "The care at Newcastle's RVI was unbelievable, they were just fantastic.
"My burns nurse always tells people at the hospital that I'm not your average burn survivor, which makes me quite proud."
Mr Taylor still suffers from a lung inhalation injury, and despite doctors initially telling him it would be at least three months before he could resume climbing the fells, he defied those odds by reaching his first peak 37 days after leaving hospital.
Leigh Taylor with the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) helicopter (Image: Supplied) He said: "The incident has given me a new perspective on life and it's changed me as a person.
"It's kind of forced me on this journey of self-reflection and healing."
Less than a year after the incident, Mr Taylor visited GNAAS' base in Langwathby to meet doctor Patrick Duncan, one of the medics who treated him on scene.
He also brought his dog Taco, a Cocker Spaniel cross Kelpie, who was in the same building at the time of the explosion, but in a different room.
He said: "She normally roamed around wherever I went, but that day for some reason I locked her in the office, so she wasn't by my side when it happened.
"She's a lucky girl."
During Mr Taylor's visit to GNAAS' base, he had the opportunity to discuss his incident with Dr Duncan and find out more information about what happened in the aftermath.
Dr Duncan said: "I've attended many incidents since joining GNAAS, but Leigh's case was certainly a memorable one.
"Considering it's been less than a year since the incident, Leigh looks really well compared to when we last saw him, and it was a pleasure to meet him again and find out how he's getting on."
Mr Taylor added: "Patrick and the rest of the team at GNAAS were the first link in the chain that saved my life that day.
"They stabilised me on scene and flew me quickly to the RVI in Newcastle which gave me the best possible chance of survival.
"The job they do is really admirable and I have a lot of respect for them.
"You never think you'll need GNAAS, but when you do, you'll be grateful that this service exists."
According to GNAAS, it needs to raise £9.3m a year to remain operational.
The charity recently launched an appeal to help them raise these funds.
Find out more about the appeal on their website at gna.as/appeal2025.