The Scottish mum of a teenage boy who suffered a traumatic brain injury after a horror quad bike crash has opened up on the harrowing accident.
Callum McDougall, 15, was working on a game shooting estate on July last year when he crashed the vehicle which resulted in the teen being placed in a medically-induced coma.
Callum was airlifted from Kirkcudbright, Dumfries and Galloway, to Glasgow's Queen Elizabeth Hospital by the Great North Air Ambulance Service, as the Record reports.
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Callum's mum, Amy Woodrow, had dropped her son at work and was home cleaning when she spotted the helicopter in the distance before police knocked on her door soon after to inform her of the incident.
She said: "I was just about to put my rubbish out in the wheelie bin and a helicopter flew over the house, which you don't see many of in our area. Within an hour, the police came down the path and said, 'your son has been in an accident' and it dawned on me that the helicopter was actually for him."
Callum had suffered a traumatic brain injury and underwent a decompressive craniectomy to remove part of the skull to reduce pressure on the brain the next day.
He initially spent two whole months in hospital but the removed bone got infected and couldn't be reattached, so he had a titanium plate fitted in his head instead.
Callum, who also suffered a spinal fracture, loss of smell and partial hearing loss, said: "I was working on the estate and bringing in the drinkers to wash them, so the pheasants could have a drink. I remember spinning round on the quad bike and then I was out."
He added: "I've got a bit of short-term memory loss and I feel a bit fatigued so I'm not 100 per cent but I'm getting better every day and I've already been back on a quad bike."
Since the terrifying ordeal, Callum and his family have visited GNAAS' base and met the team who saved his life.
Mum Amy said: "I'm so pleased we got to meet and shake the hands of the men that got Callum to hospital. They were so modest and unassuming in regards to the crucial part they played on the day."
Dr Mark Byers, from GNAAS, is delighted to hear Callum is on the mend. He said: "It was evident that Callum had sustained a significant injury, so to prevent it from getting any worse, we put him in a medically-induced coma on the roadside. This can only be safely performed outside of a hospital by a doctor and critical care paramedic."
Dr Byers added: "It was great to see Callum doing so well and hear that the incident hasn't put him off riding quad bikes. I just hope the next time he gets on one he puts his safety first and remembers to wear a helmet."
GNAAS does not receive government funding and needs to raise £7.7m a year to remain operational. More information on the charity's new 'Ready for Anything' appeal can be found by clicking here.
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