A MOTHER whose teenage son, from Hampshire, flew off his bike and sustained serious injuries has thanked air ambulance doctors for saving his life as the team mark responding to 18,000 calls since their first flight in 2007.

Nineteen-year-old Louis Young, from Southampton, sustained a series of devastating injuries when he came off his motorbike and hurtled through a barbed wire fence near Chandler’s Ford in June last year.

Louis had broken his femur and sustained a traumatic brain injury – time critical injuries.

The wired fence had also ripped off the skin and muscle from above his knee down to his lower calf, exposing his blood vessels and nerves.  

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Basingstoke Gazette: Louis Young and a photo of a doctor and air ambulance

Louis was unstable and had lost a lot of blood. A doctor and paramedic team from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance, based in Thruxton, flew to the scene.  

Upon arrival they sedated Louis and gave him an urgent blood transfusion.  

Claire, Louis’ mum, who has raised almost £800 for the charity, said: “The police called me at 6pm. I was hysterical. It’s the phone call no parent wants. I’ve donated regularly to Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance for many years but felt I needed to do something more, just to say thank you.” 

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The charity relies entirely on donations from the public to ensure it can bring its life-saving care to the most seriously ill and injured patients across the region.  

In 2023, the service responded to 1,842 missions (up 28 on the year prior) – its busiest year since before the coronavirus pandemic in 2019.

December had the most call-outs for the charity (187) for the second year running, in a year in which the majority of incidents involved cardiac arrest, road traffic collisions and medical emergencies, such as seizures. Other cases included falls from height, assaults and sporting incidents. 

The charity’s CEO Richard Corbett said: "The patients we have treated in the last year and, indeed, the years before it, have potentially had their lives turned upside down as a result of their illness or injury. It is only thanks to our incredible supporters who help us raise millions of pounds each year that we are able to play a part in the treatment and recovery of those who need us most.”