Surrey farmer thanks air ambulance crew after life-changing accident
As part of National Farm Safety Week, a Surrey farmer shares his story to raise awareness of the dangers faced by those working alone in agriculture, and to thank the air ambulance crew he credits with saving his life.
Chris Rolfe, 30, was working alone in a barn near Dorking in April 2022 when several large hay bales, each weighing around 400kg, collapsed on top of him. Trapped from the waist down and unable to reach his phone, Chris lay in pain until a passing dog walker heard his calls for help.
Local air ambulance charity, Air Ambulance Charity Kent Surrey Sussex (KSS) was called to rapidly bring advanced pre-hospital critical care to Chris and the crew were first to arrive on scene. With no phone signal in the valley, locating Chris was difficult. The crew was eventually guided in by someone waving in a nearby field and landed the helicopter beside the barn.
KSS Paramedic, Caroline Rose, who was part of the crew that day, said: "Chris was leaning against a hay bale, supporting his own weight. It was clear he was in a huge amount of pain. We suspected severe pelvic injuries, which can be life-threatening because of the risk of internal bleeding. He needed urgent help."
"We gave him strong pain relief but moving him safely would still have been unbearable. So, we also gave sedation, applied a pelvic binder to stabilise his injuries, and splinted his fractured ankle. That allowed us to carry him to the helicopter and fly him to hospital as quickly and safely as possible."
Chris was flown to St George’s Hospital, a Major Trauma Centre in London. His injuries included a dislocated femur that had been forced out of the back of his pelvis, taking 20 percent of the hip socket with it. He had also broken multiple ribs and shattered his ankle.
“I remember waking up briefly in the helicopter and holding Caroline’s hand. Later, through all the blur of hospital staff and noise, I saw her again in her red flight suit. She’d come to say goodbye before handing me over to the trauma team. That moment meant a lot.” Chris said.
He spent six days in hospital before returning home to recover with the support of his wife Sophie and their families.
Looking back, Chris said: "This was a life-changing accident, but KSS was there for me every step of the way. The crew saved my life, and Sarita and Stu from the Patient and Family Aftercare Team helped put me back together afterwards. I’ll never forget what they’ve done for me and my family."
Chris and Sophie later visited the KSS base at Redhill Aerodrome to thank the crew and meet Stu and Sarita.
Sophie said: “Mental health among farmers is a real issue. It’s isolating work, and what happened to Chris was traumatic. Sarita and Stu gave us reassurance and helped Chris understand what had happened. I left that day feeling like I’d got a part of my husband back.”
Chris is now passionate about raising awareness of farming safety and supporting the work of KSS. Their five-year-old son William has also become a KSS Young Ambassador.