A Co Armagh woman says she'll be "forever grateful" to the medics of the Northern Ireland Air Ambulance after they came to her rescue .
Hannah Babe, from Belleeks near Newry, had a serious road traffic collision on the morning of January 27 2020, when she was only 20.
She sustained a catalogue of injuries including a fractured skull, hip and arm and faced two hard years of recovery.
Read more: Northern Ireland air ambulance marks fifth anniversary and 3,000 call-outs
Now 23, Hannah is about to become a volunteer for the charity, which has just marked its fifth anniversary. The service has been used 3,000 times since it was officially launched in 2017.
The Helicopter Emergency Medical Service, a partnership between the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service and the Air Ambulance Northern Ireland charity, operates for 12 hours every day throughout the year.
Of the 3,080 missions completed, almost a quarter were for serious road crashes, including that suffered by Hannah.
The Air Ambulance was tasked to the scene of the collision involving her Volkswagen Golf and a lorry on the main Newtownhamilton to Newry Road, at the junction of Tate Road, just before Belleeks.
Fire crews with specialised cutting equipment from Crossmaglen, Newtownhamilton and Newry also attended the scene of the collision to help free Hannah after she became trapped in her vehicle.
Recalling the events of that fateful day, Hannah told Belfast Live : "I was heading to college at Dundalk IT that Monday morning for my Early Childhood Studies course. It was my last week before placement so I wanted to make the effort to go even though it had been snowing heavily that morning.
"I had only got as far as the top of the road, about a mile from my house, when I came to the crossroads and put my foot on the brake. The car didn't stop and just kept sliding, which is the last thing I remember until the firemen were cutting me out.
"There was a lorry coming up the hill where there isn't a great view and obviously my car was across the middle of the road. The lorry driver couldn't stop either given the weather conditions and he ran into the side of me," she added.
An off-duty firefighter and nurse soon came upon the scene and quickly alerted the emergency services and Hannah's family.
Hannah was complaining of neck pain, which raised concerns around a possible head injury, and she was airlifted to the Royal Victoria Hospital.
"I had a fracture to the back of my skull and a small brain bleed, which thankfully healed up itself. I broke my left wrist in four places, fractured my pelvis and had a piece of glass removed from my eye.
"Thankfully there were no real scars but I was in a neck brace for six months. That was removed on my 21st birthday and it was the best present ever.
"It was a disaster but despite all that I was so lucky. I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes five months later, which was likely caused by the head trauma and that did slow down the healing process."
Hannah went on to make a full recovery and has said she will be "forever grateful" to the Air Ambulance team, adding: "It's because of them that I'm still here."
She is now looking forward to volunteering with the charity in the future as a way of giving back.
"I'm always so grateful to them and I have made donations since my crash." Hannah explained.
"Due to Covid, I couldn't hold a fundraising event but I contacted the Air Ambulance and attended a recent fundraiser, which I absolutely loved. I got to meet some of the team too and was really intrigued to learn what I could do to help and show my support."
Paying tribute to Hannah, Amy Henshaw, Regional Fundraising Co-ordinator at Air Ambulance Northern Ireland said: "Hannah is a brave, strong and resilient young woman, who found herself in a serious traumatic incident.
"We were so pleased to welcome her to the Air Ambulance base in Lisburn, along with her family to hear her story and delighted she has decided to become a volunteer for the charity.
"We are extremely grateful to Hannah for sharing her experience, raising awareness for this critical service which aims to provide the best possible pre-hospital care to the people of Northern Ireland."
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