The mum of a teenager left for dead in the road after a hit-and-run has told of her anguish and thanked the heroics of paramedics for saving her son's life.
Dylan Fryers, 19, was walking to the shop near his home with his younger brother Ethan when he was hit by a speeding car that failed to stop. He suffered a serious head injury as well as a collapsed lung and multiple fractures and spent 11 days in a coma following the collision.
He was eventually brought off a ventilator and was able to leave intensive care, and is now slowly returning to normal life. Dylan's mum, Sam Durcan, has now hailed his the quick-thinking actions medics who essentially placed him on life support at the roadside and saved his life.
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Speaking of the moment she heard her son had been hurt, Sam said: “I was sitting at home watching TV when Ethan came running into the house," she said. "He was so distressed, and I could barely understand him, but I heard ‘Dylan has been hit by a car’ and I ran out of the house.
“When I arrived, Dylan was just lying in the middle of the road. It was like watching Casualty without a pause button."
Immediately after the horror crash, Dylan was assessed by North West Ambulance Service staff, who called in specialists from the North West Air Ambulance charity.
The service dispatched one of their critical vehicles to the scene in Battersby Road, Warrington, which have the same equipment as their helicopters. "The doctor from the Air Ambulance arrived, and I realised just how serious the situation was. He came over to me and explained that they were bringing the hospital to the roadside," Sam said.
The medics performed a Rapid Sequence Induction on Dylan - a procedure that controls a patient’s breathing, and that is akin to placing them on a life support machine. This is a procedure which would normally be carried out in hospital but which the air ambulance can do at the roadside in emergency cases like Dylan's
"They explained they were going to intubate him because he was very agitated, and they didn’t know what damage was done at that point," medical secretary Sam said. "It was better to put him in a coma to let his body calm down. That’s what they did at the roadside.”
He was taken by road ambulance to Aintree University Hospital in Liverpool accompanied by the air ambulance doctor. Initially, following the crash, which happened on Friday, October 29, 2021, Sam says she was initially told that he may not make it.
“The doctor in hospital was frank with me that he wasn’t responding to treatment," she said. "He said it could go two ways – that he might not wake up. I don’t think the severity had really sunk in until that point.
“Up until then, it felt like a dream. But after that it wasn’t. It was real and it was a nightmare. I walked out of the hospital, got into my car and just fell apart.”
Dylan spent 11 days in a coma before being extubated and moved from the hospital's ICU.
“At 7am I had a call from the hospital, and I expected the worst," Sam said. "But the nurse said ‘do you want to speak to someone?’ and it was Dylan. He was spaced out but he waved on the phone.”
Almost 18 months on Dylan is still recovering but has returned to work part-time and can now socialise with his friends again. However Sam says without the efforts of the air ambulance charity and their pre-hospital care, he would not have survived.
Dylan and the family recently delivered cakes to the charity's HQ as well as to other medics involved in his care.
“The Air Ambulance is the reason why Dylan is alive now," Sam said. "One hundred million per cent. That is why Dylan is still with us now and not in a worse state than he could have been in.
“Bringing the hospital to the roadside saved that travel time, they just crack on and they explained it fully to me. I just want to say a massive thank you to everyone.”
Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) paramedic Andy Duncan, who treated Dylan, said: "When we arrived at the scene, Dylan was quite agitated, and it wasn’t 100 percent clear if that was due to his head injury.
"To protect his brain from any underlying injuries we made the decision to administer a Rapid Sequence Induction (RSI) to Dylan. This essentially put Dylan into a coma so we could regulate his breathing – basically giving his brain the chance to rest.
“During the treatment, we kept Sam updated throughout the procedure. Dylan’s mum was exceptional and very calm given the circumstances. Hearing that Dylan has made great progress is great news and I hope he continues to improve on his pathway to recovery.”
Two men were jailed following the crash. A court heard they took a car in order to go and buy nitrous oxide when the crash happened. The car was later found dumped and the men were found hiding in a house in Warrington where they were arrested.
Elliot Watson, then 36, of Smith Street, Warrington, admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving, aggravated vehicle theft, failing to stop following a collision, failing to report a collision and driving without insurance and was sentenced to 44 months in prison at Liverpool Crown Court on December 17, 2021. He was also banned from driving for eight years and 10 months.
His co-accused, Barcley Redford, then 18, of Grange Farm Close, Great Sankey admitted aggravated vehicle theft and was sentenced to 10 months.
For more information about the North West Air Ambulance Charity and how to donate, click here.
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