A mum-of-four wants to track down an off-duty paramedic who 'kept her calm' after a frightening incident in Manchester city centre.
Wendy Pitts, 43, was rushed to hospital after a serious fall in her wheelchair outside Victoria Station on Tuesday morning. She had caught the train from her home in Warrington to Manchester for a work event.
But as she was moving away from the station her wheelchair hit a 'dodgy' paving slab. Wendy said the crash 'catapulted' her from wheelchair onto the pavement, leaving her unable to move due to the 'pain' and 'shock' of the fall.
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Members of the public rushed over to help - including an off-duty paramedic who kept the mum talking and tried to keep her calm as they waited for an ambulance. She was taken to Manchester Royal Infirmary where she had to be given a general anaesthetic as doctors treated her for a dislocated foot and injuries to her wrist.
Thankfully, Wendy is now recovering at home. She now wants to send a message to the off-duty paramedic who she said helped make a horrible situation easier.
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News , she said: "I just want to thank everyone that came over who tried to help. Especially the off-duty paramedic who kept me calm in a really stressful situation."
The mum had been on Todd Street - just a short distance from Manchester Victoria Station, when the nasty fall happened shortly after 10am on Tuesday morning. "I was going up the path and my wheel hit a dodgy paving slab and it catapulted me from my chair. I was in so much pain and shock and couldn't move," she said.
"There was a couple walking in front of me and I think they heard me hit the floor and they ran back over. I couldn't even move at that point.
"Another guy came over and I believe he was an off-duty paramedic. He kept me talking because I was quite drowsy at that point. He was just trying to keep me calm."
Wendy has since been discharged from hospital and is recovering at her home in Warrington. She has had to take some time off work due to the severity of her injuries.
"My foot was badly dislocated and I have injured my wrists as well. I am also just bruised from head to toe. I've had to take some time off work," she said.
"The fact that the paving slab threw me out of my wheelchair - it is probably something that needs addressing. If that had been someone elderly that could have been really bad."
Wendy now wants to get a message to the kind strangers, and off-duty paramedic who helped her until the ambulance arrived. I was in so much pain and he just made a really rubbish situation so much easier than it should have been.
"I think he was probably about my age and had a long beard. You always just hear about the bad stuff but there are kind people out there. So many people wanted to stop and help me."
