Oliver reunited with crew who saved him

HELLO again . . . (from left) Helen Birkhead, Megan Smethurst, Blake Regan, Sharon Taylor and Oliver Smethurst

A LITTLE boy who suffered traumatic injuries when he was hit by a car has been reunited with the ambulance crew who came to his rescue.

Oliver Smethurst was knocked down outside Chadderton Wellbeing Centre in February. Just four at the time, he sustained multiple injuries, including fractures to his skull, pelvis and leg.

The crew who responded to Oliver that day were senior paramedic Blake Regan, from Oldham Station, senior paramedic Helen Birkhead, from Stockport, and student paramedic Sharon Taylor, from Tameside, who has since qualified.

With Oliver on the road to recovery his mum, Shirley Davey got in touch with North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) to see if it would be possible for Oliver to meet up again with the ambulance crew that treated him.

But this time it was to create some happier memories instead.

Bravery

NWAS staff in Greater Manchester duly obliged and sent an off-duty ambulance to collect Oliver, his mum and his sister Megan from their Chadderton home and brought them all to Oldham Ambulance Station where he met the crew.

Alexander Tatum, advanced paramedic in Greater Manchester and who helped to organise the reunion said: "It was lovely to see how excited Oliver was to meet the staff and enjoy a tour of the ambulance station and we presented him with a certificate of bravery that was signed by the staff that looked after him that day.

"We are all so pleased to see how Oliver's recovery is progressing, especially given the nature of his injuries.

"It is always great for our staff to meet up again with their patients so they can see first-hand how their efforts have paid off, especially when the outcome could have been so different."