Ben and Reece are ‘Helicopter Heroes’ TV stars

HOLIDAY drama . . . Ben Devall (right) and quick-thinking mate Reece Edmondson

Rope swing rescue is captured on film

JUJITSU black belt Ben Devall will be going back to school on crutches after a dramatic air rescue.

The 14-year-old Crompton House pupil dislocated his hip and chipped a thigh bone when he fell from a rope swing in High Crompton.

He was airlifted to hospital by air ambulance after quick-thinking friend Reece Edmondson phoned 999.

And the summer holiday drama was caught on camera by a BBC crew filming for the TV show “Helicopter Heroes”.

The incident happened in a field at the end of Samuel Lane, near the Colliers Return pub, and his father, Mark explained: “He was playing with his friends on a rope swing, one that has been there for years and one I used myself as a child.

“The tree is on the top of a hill that goes down to a stream. As soon as you swing out the ground goes beneath you.

“He lost his grip, fell off and landed about 25ft feet below on the grass banking. He landed awkwardly on his knees and his left knee took most of the weight. That forced his hip out of its joint.”

Reece (14) called for an ambulance and also said that an airlift would be needed because of the location. He told two other friends to go to the main road to direct the paramedics. Reece also managed to get the news to Mark who added: “By the time I arrived the paramedics were there, Oldham Mountain Rescue, and the air ambulance had landed.

“I got to the top of the hill and I couldn’t see Ben because there were eight paramedics around him. They had him on a back board.

“He gave me the fright of my life. You don’t know what to think. When they got him to A&E they were worried he had neck injuries, spinal injures and had damaged his spleen.”
Ben, of Rochdale Road, High Crompton, had an operation to relocate his hip and spent two weeks in traction at North Manchester General Hospital

His father is hoping that he won’t need more surgery to remove his chipped bone, while Ben is confident that it won’t affect his jujitsu.

His friends have now wrapped the swing around a branch so no one can use it.

The family don’t know if the rescue will be featured on “Helicopter Heroes” and Ben said: “The paramedics asked me on a scale of one to 10 how painful it was and I said eight. It did hurt a lot and I didn’t know what I had done.

“In hospital it was quite boring because I couldn’t move around. When I did get up my legs were struggling because I hadn’t moved.”