A man that was involved involved in a serious collision, that left medics fearing if he would walk again, has met the Devon Air Ambulance team which helped rescue him.

The crash happened near to Cheriton Bishop, Devon in 2016 and at the time, Sam was working for Western Power and was travelling in a company Land Rover.

The vehicle had just pulled up at a junction and was indicating to turn right onto a busy road, but the vehicle was then struck from behind "at such speed and with such force that the Land Rover flipped and rolled over" before landing on its side.

Sam became trapped inside the vehicle and sustained significant injuries.

Sam from Brixham inside the Devon Air Ambulance

A spokesman from Devon Air Ambulance said: "When paramedics from Devon Air Ambulance joined the land ambulance crew at the scene, they knew there was a risk that Sam might have spinal injuries and needed to be kept as still as  possible.

"The aircrew worked alongside the other emergency services to ensure Sam’s safety; he was finally released from the Land Rover and conveyed to the land ambulance.

"It was recognised that, with the injuries sustained, it would be safer for Sam to travel to Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital by road with aircrew paramedic Mark Hawley in attendance."

One Sam had arrived at the RD&E, it was ascertained that he had an exploded T11 fracture of his vertebrae and needed surgery to insert two six-inch rods to stabilise his spine.

Thankfully, following Sam's surgery, he was encouraged by the physiotherapy team to start exercising as soon as possible.


The spokesperson added: "Having been fearful that he might never walk again, he was keen to prove otherwise.

"Sam was elated when the following week his wife Lija saw him standing - ‘her face was just a picture of pure relief!’. It was not entirely plain sailing, however, and Sam remained off work for a whole year."

The accident had an impact on Sam's whole team at Western Power and his injuries meant he would need a significant amount of time off work.

Sam said: "My job involves climbing electricity poles for a living and there was no way I could have done that until I was completely better.

"My injuries meant that I lost a lot of strength in my back and my legs and had to rebuild that up from scratch.

"We are such a close-knit unit and I knew that everyone was really worried when the accident happened.

"My employers were brilliant and, fortunately, my colleague who was driving sustained only minor injuries in the accident –  I’m really grateful that everyone was so supportive."

Sam visited the Devon Air Ambulance team in April 2019 and seeing the helicopter brought back many memories.

At the time, he said: "It’s quite emotional seeing everyone here today.

"Although my accident was three years ago and I know that my rehabilitation is still ongoing, I’m just so relieved that I’m now well enough and able to play with my young son, Toby.

"I can’t put into words how grateful I am for the help I received by everyone that day; it’s still so overwhelming. And thanks for the opportunity to visit the airbase; it’s a really important part of the process of returning to full health to do such things."


Devon Air Ambulance is a charity that is 100 per cent independent of Government or National Lottery funding; it is supporters who make it possible for the aircrews to respond and act so quickly in time-critical situations.

There are all sorts of ways to get involved,  here are a few .