Great North Air Ambulance saves the lives of two members of Stockton family

A cycling crash survivor has been reunited with the air ambulance service which came to his aid - and then saved the life of his late Mum who was hit by a bus in the centre of Stockton.

Robert Bryan, 49, from Norton in Stockton-on- Tees, was airlifted by the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) on April 18, 2009, after falling from his mountain bike in Errington Wood, Redcar.

He was riding a route through the forest with his son, Gary, 24, and his nephew, Darran Ryan, 34, when he went up a 15ft ramp and fell from his bike, landing on rocks.

The fall left him with multiple serious injuries, including broken ribs, collapsed lungs and a cracked sternum.

He later found that he had scarred his heart.

Then - on December 4, 2014, Mr Bryan’s mother, Dorothy Bryan, from Norton, was hit by a bus on Stockton-on- Tees High Street.

The GNAAS aircrew attended the scene.

Dorothy sustained life-threatening injuries to her head, chest and pelvis.

She was taken to hospital by road and received treatment from the GNAAS crew en-route..

She spent three months in hospital before being discharged in February.

Mrs Bryan sadly died one week later after suffering a heart attack and a stroke.

Robert’s daughter, Emily Bryan, 20, said:

“When I found out that she had died, I burst into tears and just felt totally heartbroken.

“I thank GNAAS so much, they gave me and my family more time with my loved ones. My dad would have died if it wasn’t for them.”

Mr Bryan visited the GNAAS airbase at Durham Tees Valley Airport to meet GNAAS paramedic, Andy Mawson, who treated his mother.