Wounded Veteran finds hero who saved his life

After a 20-year search, Luke Delahunty has found the woman who saved his life after he was involved in a road traffic accident.

On 3^rd October 1996, Luke was serving in the RAF and was rushing back to the RAF Honington base. Whilst he was overtaking a line of traffic held up by a tractor, the tractor turned in front of him. The tractor, which was towing an 18-ton trailer, ran over Luke’s chest causing internal life threatening injuries. Fortunately Karen, a medic for St John’s Ambulance, was in one of the vehicles that Luke passed and gave Luke the help he needed and kept him breathing and conscious. The accident left Luke paralysed from the chest down and whilst Luke was in intensive care Karen continued to visit him.

As 2016 marks the 20^th anniversary of the accident, Luke, now 44, wanted to mark the date by finding Karen. Luke had tried contacting St John’s Ambulance and on several times occasions used social media but with little luck, so he decided to set up a website which told his story and very quickly the site was shared around social media.

“I set the page up Monday and by Tuesday Evening I had received a text from Karen,” said Luke, who now works in Spinal Injuries Centre in Stoke. “No way did I expect to find her that quickly. I have to admit it was very emotional.”

Luke and Karen meet up on the 6^th August where Luke told her all the amazing things he has achieved in the 20 years since she saved his life. But meeting Karen is not the only way Luke is thinking about remembering the anniversary.

“I’ve been thinking of different ways to remembering and reflect upon the 20th anniversary such as a hand cycle from the hospital I was taken to when I was injured to the spinal injury unit or a celebration party, but meeting Karen is important as I really wanted her to know her actions on that day make a huge difference.”

On the fateful day Karen was also on her way to work, she told Luke what she thought before it all happened.

"She was toward the back of the queue when I zoomed past her, her thoughts were - what was that idiot doing - then the tractor turned in front of me and that was that. She left her car immediately and made her way over to me and thought ABC (airways, breathing, circulation). Straight away her nursing training was in her mind and she wanted to help."

Luke told Mix 96 about the hero that saved him. Karen kept Luke stable until the ambulance arrived 20 minutes later.

"I had a broken neck and if someone else had arrived and didn't know what to do I wouldn't have survived."

Karen didn't get off Scott-free from the accident though.

"She did tell me that she was seriously affected by it and that she had counseling sometime afterwards - that was difficult for me to hear really. One of the things she first disclosed to me was that when I was in a the hospital (after the accident) I said 'why didn't you let me die' I don't remember saying that, and I told her when we met that I hoped (those words) weren't too difficult to carry for the next 20 years."

The campaign to find Karen is over, does he better in himself?

"I had quite a busy weekend, and it was a real whirlwind and then I am back at work - I haven't had the downtime to process it all really.

"It has been a great weekend and I do feel better to have met her and to have the opportunity to thank her."

Will they keep in touch? "Absolutely."