Life-saving treatment of Kent man to feature in Channel 4 documentary
A pensioner who suffered life-threatening injuries after a horse-riding accident is set to appear in a Channel 4 documentary next week.
Ronald Parry, 80, was seriously injured in July 2022 when he landed awkwardly following a jump, fracturing his pelvis and suffering internal bleeding.
The care he received, at Ashford’s William Harvey Hospital before being airlifted to King’s College Hospital in London, will feature in the new series of Channel 4’s Emergency.
The retired plant raiser, from Worth, said: “When they asked if I wanted to be filmed, I thought, ‘Why not?’. It’s not every day you get that kind of chance at my age.
“All the family has been asking when it’ll be on. Everyone’s so excited to see it.”
Having taken up horse riding with his late wife, Ronald had been riding regularly for over 15 years when he had his accident.
He explained: “The horse did a really bouncy jump over the fence. I bounced up in the air and came down hard on the pommel of the saddle.”
When he woke up in agony the next morning, Ronald’s son and daughter-in-law insisted he call an ambulance. He was then taken to William Harvey Hospital.
The television crew followed doctors who identified a ruptured blood vessel in Ronald’s abdomen. As he was taking blood thinning medication, his condition was deemed time-critical and potentially life-threatening.
William Harvey Hospital, part of East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust, forms part of London’s Major Trauma System, a world-first interconnected network of hospitals, air ambulances, and paramedics that has improved survival rates for major trauma patients by 50% since it was established in 2010.
As such, Ronald was initially treated at William Harvey Hospital where doctors decided he would be transferred to King’s College Hospital in London.
Ronald said: “I was in and out of it, but I remember the staff saying I needed to go to London. They looked after me really well, and the next thing I knew, I was in a helicopter. I couldn’t have asked for better care.”
Surgeons worked quickly to treat Ronald’s unstable fractured pelvis and control his concerning blood loss.
Incredibly, within just two weeks of his accident, Ronald was well enough to be discharged.
Just a year on, he returned to horse riding.
He said: “It’s a wonder I’ve recovered so well. I don’t have a limp, I don’t have any pain.
“I started riding again last year, and now I’m there every week. I’m back on the horse, though I’m careful. I don’t want anything to go wrong again!”
Dr Natasha Newton, trauma director of East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust, said: “William Harvey Hospital is the only regional trauma unit to be featured in this series alongside London’s four major trauma centres. We are delighted to have been chosen for the series.
“I would like to thank both our staff and patients for allowing cameras access to showcase the skill, care and compassion our dedicated teams provide.”
Emergency series 3 will be broadcast nightly on Channel 4 at 9 pm across four days, starting on Monday, August 12.
Ronald’s story will air on Thursday 15 August.