Dan’s Story

“It’s such a valuable resource”

Dad Dan Barrios-O’Neill was enjoying a day in the park with his daughter in summer 2022 when he found himself needing the help of Cornwall Air Ambulance.

Dan and six-year-old Molly were in their local park in Probus with a skateboard. Dan had a go on the ramp but fell off the front, catching his leg and rotating around it, landing awkwardly on the ground.

With just the two of them there, he told Molly to go and grab his phone so he could call for help. Dan phoned his wife Yazmin who then called 999.

With concern Dan have suffered a compound fracture to his leg, Cornwall Air Ambulance was tasked to the scene with critical care paramedics Jeremy Griffiths and Paul Maskell on board your AW169 helicopter.

The crew gave Dan gas and air, then morphine, to help with the pain. Once the pain relief had kicked in, they stabilised his leg and put it into a splint. Dan was then airlifted to the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro for onward care.

“In the moment it’s fairly surreal, with the morphine it didn’t feel like too much for a big deal, I’m now 40 and it was definitely the first time I’ve felt vulnerable.”

Dan had suffered a fracture to his leg. He underwent surgery and had a metal rod and screws fitted.

Since the incident, Dan has recovered well and has full mobility back in his ankle, but has not been back on a skateboard again.

He added: “To not have to sit in the outdoors for hours when rain was coming in with a big traumatic injury like that, to have them show up so quickly, to be really professional, friendly, and get the job done so quickly and to get me off to Treliske, it made a huge difference. It’s such a valuable resource.”

Dan’s story features in the new series of Cornwall Air 999, which is on Quest every Friday at 9pm and is available as catch-up on discovery+.