Nick and Alison’s story

In June 2024, Nick and Alison – a couple of 10 years – were at the Lambeth Country Show in Brockwell Park with family. But mid fairground ride, a freak accident occurred, changing everyone’s day.

“I remember getting on a ride,” said Alison. “We were just there to have a nice day out.”

A fast-moving, bouncing car ride malfunctioned mid spin, with a pod containing Nick and Alison flying off the contraption’s arm at speed, partially throwing the couple from the ride, through the air and onto the ground.

Multiple members of the public were injured within the crash, some hit by loose equipment from the ride. Both Nick and Alison suffered life-threatening injuries, requiring complex medical care at scene. A serious incident was declared and a team from London’s Air Ambulance was dispatched to the park.

On arrival, multiple emergency services including the London Fire Brigade (LFB), the London Ambulance Service (LAS) and the event medical staff were already assisting the injured. Our team performed a quick assessment of all the patients to identify who required their attention the most. It was obvious that Nick was the most unwell and so we focused on him while the others were treated by LAS.

Nick had come off the ride and hit his head, rendering him unconscious. He had then gradually regained consciousness but was severely agitated. The first clinician to attend to Nick was an off-duty ED Consultant who was keeping Nick’s airway open as well as trying to calm him.

Our team identified that Nick had multiple significant facial injuries which were compromising his airway. On top of that, Nick had no awareness and was very agitated, which indicates a traumatic brain injury.

The team quickly sedated Nick and administered a pre-hospital general anaesthetic to protect his airway and ensure he was getting maximum oxygen to his lungs and subsequently his brain.

The team then placed a pre-alert call and accompanied Nick to St George’s Hospital.

Alison was also treated at the scene, by LAS and an advanced critical care paramedic before she was conveyed to Kings College Hospital. Once there, her injuries were confirmed as a traumatic brain injury with an underlying skull fracture, multiple broken ribs which had caused a puncture to her lung and a broken clavicle.

“I woke up in ICU a few days later,” said Alison. “I knew Nick had been injured too, but people were being very diplomatic about how badly. It was very touch and go for him.”

Nick remained in a coma for over two weeks, after which he was moved to the major trauma ward at St George’s. He required support and care from therapists, the maxillofacial and ENT teams.

“I was just focused on needing to recover, get out of hospital and get to Nick,” said Alison. It was while Nick was in the major trauma ward, the couple were reunited. “Seeing the smile on his face when he saw me was amazing.”

The couple both endured painful and difficult recoveries, with multiple surgeries and procedures required. Alison still has surgeries planned in the future to fix her arm and Nick suffers with some memory issues, but they’ve been determined to help each other achieve the best recovery they can.

“It brings it home how lucky we are to have the first response of our emergency services, including London’s Air Ambulance Charity and the NHS,” said Nick.

In July 2025, Netflix’s documentary ‘Critical: Between Life and Death’ was released, in which episode one covers the fairground crash and the work of first responders, including London’s Air Ambulance Charity. You can watch the episode here, which shines a light on the care our team – including Dr Dom Krzanicki and Paramedic Pete Dalton – provided.

Paramedic Pete said: “During the flight I knew that multiple people were injured, and I was thinking about how Dom and I would ensure that every patient got the right care.

“Unless anyone ever needs London’s Air Ambulance as a patient, the reality of the work the charity undertakes every day is never really understood by the public.”

Alison said: “The reason we did the Netflix show was because we wanted to shine a light on the great work of the emergency services, London’s Air Ambulance Charity and the wonderful NHS. These services need protecting at all costs. They need as much support as they can get.”

In the spirit of supporting London’s Air Ambulance Charity, on 11 September 2025, Nick dangled himself off our helipad, 284 feet above the ground.

Our annual helipad abseil is a fabulous event, bringing supporters and our community together. It was a pleasure to watch Nick – and Alison’s colleagues from Pollen Street Capital – free hang off the side of The Royal London, sharing his story and encouraging others to support the charity that saved both himself and his partner.

Alison said: “Watching Nick abseil down was incredibly uplifting – it showed just how far he’s come in his recovery. Having my colleagues from Pollen Street there taking part made it even more special, and reminded us why supporting this vital service that helped saved him is so important.”

Nick said: “The experience of dangling off The Royal London was incredible, but nothing compared to what London’s Air Ambulance did for me that day.

“Taking part in the abseil was the least I could do to thank Dom, Pete and the team, and to encourage others to support the charity that gave me a second chance.”

If you’d like to register your interest to participate in our helipad abseil in 2026, you can do so here.

Alison concluded: “What happened to us really affected our family and friends, the impact of trauma is large. But what was really important for Nick and I’s recovery was the support and outreach we’ve had from the charity. We feel really lucky.”