The rapid response of the Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance helped save the life of Michael Worth after his arm was practically severed whilst chainsawing.

In October 2003, Michael was trimming a tree in his garden at Carlton Scroop when he lost his balance and slipped. His arm caught the chainsaw blade, cutting straight through his main artery and two of the three nerves in his left arm. His friend Terry Buckle was with him at the time, who took off his belt, applied a tourniquet and called the emergency services.

Within 15 minutes of the emergency services being called, the Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance had landed directly on Michael’s lawn at home. He was treated and stabilised by the highly-skilled team on board the Ambucopter before he was airlifted to Queens Medical Centre in Nottingham in a matter of minutes.

The team at the Queens Medical Centre, headed by a vascular surgeon, Mr Tennant, and a plastic surgeon, were on standby ready for Michael, who went straight into the operating theatre.

Michael recalls: “One never knows when one is going to have an accident, but that is what happened to me, a genuine unfortunate incident.

“I cannot describe how fearful I was about the possibility of losing my arm. Initially, I felt guilty that I had put the medical teams to so much trouble, but – as the years have gone by – I continue to be grateful to the crew at Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance and the staff at Queens Medical Centre for giving me the opportunity to carry on with a normal life working, driving a car and playing golf one-armed.

“The Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance is a vital part of the emergency services team. Had it not been for the speed of the airlift, skill and professionalism of the crew on that day in October 2003 and the staff at the Queen’s Medical Centre, I do not think that I would have been able to live my life, as I still do today, aged 81.”