A MAN who was involved in a collision where his friend sadly died has reunited with the paramedic who helped him 18 years later.
Jed Rayner, from Hebburn, was only 17 years old, when the car he was travelling in collided head-on with a tractor.
Jed was the passenger of his friend James Johnston’s vehicle and they were planning to visit Carlisle when the collision happened on the A686 between Langwathby and Edenhall in Penrith.
He 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 unfortunately James died at the scene, aged only 17.
Jed 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.”
Jed 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, then, within a few seconds I couldn’t see them and we were up in the air.”
Jed 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.
Jed 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.”
18 years have passed since the collision in Penrith, and at the age of 35, Jed 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 Jed’s link to the charity, staff at GNAAS tracked down the paramedic who helped him back in 2006, which was Terry Sharpe, and invited Jed and his family to GNAAS’ base in Langwathby to meet him.
Jed 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.”
Terry 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.”
Jed 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.”
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