Keith’s Story: “You see a smiley face come out of the truck and you think—yes.”

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Keith is a full-time farmer. On Good Friday, around 3:00pm, he was out doing jobs when he suddenly found himself unable to move. Pinned in a ditch, by a forklift.

“When I’d stopped oooing and I got my thoughts together. I got the telephone in my pocket… I rang 999. She said there’d be up to two hours—and I said I’d be dead in two hours.”

Keith was injured and trapped, with no one around. Waiting two hours for help simply wasn’t an option. Thankfully, a LIVES volunteer was already on the way.

“LIVES got there first. And that’s very reassuring. You see a smiley face come out of the truck and you think—yes. High as hope.”

Within 15 minutes, or even less, LIVES were by his side.

“LIVES got to me in 15 minutes or less, which is absolutely fabulous. We had fire engines, policemen and all sorts, most of which I could only see the tops of their heads, because I was literally pinned in the middle of the ditch. All the time I was there, the LIVES chap was with me.”

After being taken to casualty, fortunately, Keith had no serious injuries.

He returned home safely, with his sense of humour firmly intact.

“As soon as I got home, the first thing I did was have a large glass of beer. My wife wanted to know whether it would affect my tablets, and I said, I really don’t care. I said, I’m still here, I’m alive… I feel a lot better after that.”

The only lasting damage? A very expensive pair of boots.

“They did cut a pair of Wellingtons in half. That cost £100. But I did manage to glue them back together again.”

Support the volunteers who were there for Keith

Keith’s story shows the difference a fast, trained response can make. LIVES volunteers are often first on scene, offering life-saving care when every second counts.

But they can only do it with your support.
Help us be there for the next call.