Man involved in brewery explosion reunites with doctor who came to his rescue

Leigh Taylor was working at a brewery in Workington when he was engulfed by a fireball and badly burned in a violent blast.

Recalling the incident, he 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 & Rescue Service attended the scene, in addition to teams from the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) and North West Air Ambulance Charity.

The 44-year-old from Seaton 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.”

Mr Taylor was put into a medically induced coma by the doctor and paramedic team from GNAAS and airlifted to Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) in Newcastle.

The father-of-two underwent skin grafts after sustaining 40% burns to his face, legs and hands and he also suffered a cardiac arrest whilst 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 just 37 days after leaving hospital.

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, which happened on 13 May 2024, 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 thankfully in a different room.

He said: “She normally roamed around wherever I went, but that day for some reason I locked in her the office, so she wasn’t by 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, as well as personally thank him for his help.

Dr Duncan said: “I’ve attended many incidents since joining GNAAS, but Leigh’s case was certainly a memorable one. It’s not often that you’re called to a brewery explosion.  Thankfully we were already nearby and were able to reach the scene in just 15 minutes.

“The energy of the blast had lifted the roof off the building where Leigh had been working. He had sustained extensive burn injuries, most worryingly affecting his airway and his ability to breathe so we decided to place him into a medically induced coma to protect his airway and airlift him to hospital so he could receive further treatment as quickly as possible.

“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.”