Farm contractor credits Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance with saving his life

It was 6 August 1998 and James had gone to work as normal, harvesting potatoes on the farm where he worked near Retford, Notts. He recalls the incident: “I had just finished a field and was talking to the trailer driver after cleaning the harvester out, next thing I remember is fighting against the harvester. I cannot remember climbing onto the harvester and I have no recollection as to why I did so, but I did and somehow my arm got caught on the machine’s rollers and powerless to stop, I was pulled further in. My trailer man heard my screams and ran to the cab to turn the tractor off by which time I was in the machine up to my shoulder”.

James vividly remembers those early moments. “I was up to my neck in the roller, luckily my mate stopped the machine and came up to me asking what to do? I said get the big bar on the shaft and wind the harvester backwards, but as he released the pressure my arm started to bleed heavily as if someone was tipping a jug of water on to the ground. The trailer man then raised the alarm and farm staff, LNAA and other emergency services soon arrived.”

The LNAA team gave James pain relief and the doctor remained by his side for over two hours, ready to amputate his arm if necessary whilst he was being freed.

Finally, James was released and carried to the air ambulance. He said: “I had no feeling in my left arm and was asked to hold onto it with my right hand. When I looked at it, I knew it couldn’t be saved, as, it kept falling off the side of the stretcher.

It took just nine minutes to fly James to Sheffield Northern General Hospital, a journey that would have taken at least an hour by road. James signed his own consent form as he was taken to theatre to have his arm removed.

James was desperate to return to work and was devastated when told that he was no longer needed. It took a while to turn his life arounds and in 2002, he set up a contracting business. Changes in his personal life impacted on his business, and in 2007 he moved to New Zealand to work. On his return he met his partner, Lorraine and within a year they had set up JLR Farm Services, specialising at that time in crop spraying.

James has proved he can still do most of the work he did before the accident and drives his tractors with a ball on the steering wheel to allow him to steer one-handed.

He said: “The air ambulance is an invaluable service. The quick delivery to hospital saved my life. Nothing else compares to what they do.”

Today, James is Chairman of the NAAC for agricultural contractors and an ambassador for farm safety via the Yellow Wellies farm safety campaign. He regularly gives talks on farm safety, to companies throughout the UK. “People are still having accidents with farm machinery. We are all aware of safety, but my accident shows how in a split second your life can change forever,” he said.

“Life is precious. I miss my arm. Occasionally, when I am doing things, I still try and use my left arm, but it is never going to be there again.”

James’ story is available on: www.ambucopter.org.uk/podcast