Dad wins Cornwall Air Ambulance lottery three days after he and son were treated by crew

A dad from St Dennis has won the Cornwall Air Ambulance lottery jackpot just three days after he and his son were treated by the crew following a road traffic collision.

Peter Petzing had been out for the day with family and friends in September and was heading home on his motorbike, with seven-year-old son Albert on the back, when they came around a corner and were hit by a car emerging from a driveway. The impact of the crash threw both Peter and Albert down the road.

Both Cornwall Air Ambulance and Devon Air Ambulance were tasked, with critical care paramedics Martin Bunt and Jeremy Griffiths attending in a Rapid Response Vehicle as the AW169 helicopter was already on another mission.

On scene, the crew cut both Peter and Albert out of their gear so the extent of their injuries could be assessed. Luckily, Albert had only suffered bruising. Peter couldn’t move the lower half of his body, and there were concerns that he had broken bones in his arms and legs as well as his ribs.

Peter was given morphine for the pain, and the crew splinted his legs and moved him onto a spinal board. He was then conveyed to Treliske Hospital by road ambulance for further treatment.

Following x-rays, it was found that luckily Peter has not suffered any fractures. He had suffered some soft tissue and muscle damage and had experienced temporary paralysis. He has since made a good recovery.

Peter said: “The crew were fantastic, getting Albie out of his gear and checking he was okay. The way they were there for Laura and the boys keeping them calm as well was brilliant. The fact that they were there straight away, it meant I got the help that I needed and of course my worry was for my son, watching him get thrown down the road was one of the scariest moments of my life. Having that help straight away, laying in the road and not being able to move, everything was so fast and professional.

“We’ve got friends that are only here today because of the air ambulance. They are phenomenal, they save lives. What they do is so important. It’s nice knowing that they’re there, should the worse happen.”

Peter and his family are supporters of Cornwall Air Ambulance and play the charity’s lottery every week.

Just three days after the incident, Peter got a phone call to say that he had won that week’s jackpot of £1,000.

He added: “I thought one of my friends was winding me up. We didn’t really believe it until the cheque came through the door!”