Trisha’s Story

A week after her 80^th birthday, Trisha Driscoll suffered a fall at home in Polzeath leaving her with three fractures to her leg.

In January 2023, Trisha had woken up one morning and was heading down her wooden staircase when she slipped. As she grabbed the banister her leg went between the steps. “I just looked at my foot and thought that shouldn’t be pointing that way”, she said.

Trisha’s husband called 999 and Cornwall Air Ambulance was tasked to help, landing in a nearby field just 20 minutes later. On scene, Critical Care Paramedics Paul Maskell and Jeremy Griffiths carried Trisha down the stairs and laid her in the hallway. Due to the injuries Trisha had suffered to her tibia and fibula, she required a strong pain relief so her leg could be realigned. The crew administered ketamine and splinted her leg, with the decision made that she could travel safely to hospital via road ambulance.

At Treliske, Trisha was taken to the trauma ward and underwent surgery where she had a metal plate and rod fitted. 18 months later she is still recovering but says the surgeon told her if she wasn’t treated so quickly, an amputation may have been required.

Speaking about how the crew helped her, Trisha said: “They were very kind and understanding, you felt absolute confidence in them, they lessened my fear and were so reassuring. If the air ambulance hadn’t been there so quickly an amputation may have been more likely. If the air ambulance hadn’t been there, I might not have a leg or foot. If I had done damage that was so bad the blood was cut off, then it would have been incredibly important that they were there to sort it. In a rural area especially, you have to have the air ambulance. You’ve got to have quick access to medical facilities.”

Trisha kindly donated £1,000 to Cornwall Air Ambulance earlier this year as her way of thanking the charity