Sean's story

For 15 years, every day Sean commuted to work on his bicycle. But in August 2018 – a standard morning doing just that, Sean was crushed by a lorry on Jamacia Road.

“I remember hitting the floor,” said Sean, “and I remember telling someone I was okay. At that stage I didn’t know just how bad it was.”

The lorry had gone over Sean’s legs, crushing them severely. London’s Air Ambulance’s advanced trauma team was dispatched and they arrived within 12 minutes of the incident, to find that Sean had already gone from being able to talk, to losing consciousness. This was the first alarming sign as it meant within those few minutes, Sean had lost so much blood that he was no longer perfusing his brain. His systolic blood pressure was dangerously low at 50. 

With the assistance of London Ambulance Service (LAS) paramedics, the team quickly set to work. They gave Sean some strong painkillers to allow them to move him without causing him pain. They rapidly assessed Sean and established that he had sustained complex fractures to both legs, which were also severely degloved. Tourniquets were applied to try and stem the bleeding.

Sean was placed on a scoop with a pelvic binder in-situ and lifted off the road onto a trolley. At the same time, a blood transfusion was started. The team then elected to perform a roadside emergency anaesthetic which meant that Sean would have no awareness of anything happening around him. They also gave him drugs to help with the formation of clots, again to try and stem the bleeding. A code red trauma call was then made to the nearest major trauma centre. This is a pre-alert to the receiving hospital to warn them of the imminent arrival of a patient who is bleeding severely. This allows the trauma team at the hospital to get ready to receive and continue the accelerated treatment of the patient.   

“I woke up a week later. One leg was surrounded by pins and cages,” said Sean. “The other – my wife had given permission for it to be amputated.”

Sean’s right leg was so severely injured it was threatening Sean’s survival and unfortunately the clinicians had no choice but to amputate it. Sean underwent multiple surgeries to reform the amputation site and reconstruct his severely injured left leg.

Altogether, Sean spent five and a half months in hospital. “At one stage, I couldn’t do anything for myself. I couldn’t breathe, sit up or feed myself. I’m so thankful to my wife and all the nurses who helped care for me.”

Once ready, Sean was then transferred to an amputee rehab facility, where he worked hard on his recovery for a month.

“Rehab was a hard and painful process. I still had a cage on my left leg, while trying to learn how to walk with a prosthetic on my right,” said Sean. “I was a very active person, so it was hard being so inactive for a while.”

Sean worked tirelessly, learning how to walk with his prosthetic so he could get back to his family. Now, he walks every day, has returned to work and is exercising again.

“Losing a limb is a little like losing a person. You always miss them, but you learn to live without them. As the years have gone by, I have got stronger and I have so much more confidence.

“The trauma team were just amazing. It’s weird to think they’re a charity. They do such amazing work, saving people every day.”

This year, Sean and his family are going on their first holiday since the accident. We’re so glad he’s made such a strong recovery and wish them all the best for the future.

“To someone who has just lost a limb, I would like to tell them that they will get there. It’s hard at first, but have determination to carry on, as life hasn’t stopped for you. There is always hope and you have to find that within yourself.

“I know my kids are in awe and so proud to have a dad who lost a leg but is still working and exercising and doing so much with them. Keep going.”