THE FATHER of a young man who died after a road traffic collision only two days before Christmas has thanked the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) for trying to save his son’s life.
Nearly three years after the death of Robert Andrew Crick, 21, from Rillington, Malton, his father Kevin visited the GNAAS base at Durham Tees Valley Airport to meet the team who battled to save him.
Robert was riding his moped on the A64 close to West Knapton at approximately 7.50am on December 23, 2014, when he was involved in a collision with a Mitsubishi Chamonix people carrier.
Robert, a former Norton College pupil, was travelling to Todd Waste Management, in East Knapton, where he worked as a weighbridge operator, when the incident happened.
Kevin, 56, said: “He was on his way to work when a car pulled out and they collided, so he had no chance. The paramedics came, and then the air ambulance crew arrived and looked after Robert.”
Robert was assessed and treated on scene by the GNAAS trauma team before being flown to James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, but sadly he died later that day. At his funeral, £1,400 was raised for GNAAS.
Mr Crick recently got in touch to personally thank the air ambulance service, after he heard a member of the GNAAS team talking about the charity on BBC Radio York.
He said: “I was listening to the radio when I heard someone from GNAAS talking about testimonials they’d received from people who had used the service, so I had to ring in, because I wanted to pass on my thanks to the crew and everyone else who works there.”
This week Kevin, and Robert’s stepmother Susan Crick, visited the charity’s air base at Durham Tees Valley Airport and met paramedic Stuart Thompson, who came to Robert’s aid in the aftermath of the incident.
Kevin said: “I am eternally grateful for everything GNAAS did for Robert and it’s a privilege to meet the team.
“They tried to save my son and give him a chance to live, and although they managed to get him to the hospital quickly, unfortunately he didn’t make it.
“Because the air ambulance is a charity that relies on donations, I’ve got the t-shirt, the sweatshirt and I’m signed up to the lottery. I’ll do what I can to make sure we continue to have this service.”
GNAAS relies on public donations to keep flying. Last year the charity responded to 1042 call-outs. It needed to raise £5.1m. To find out how you can help, please visit www.gnaas.com or call 01325-487263.
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