In his youth, Steve Knight was a marine biologist but now lives a more rural life living amongst 8-acres of former farmland in Chumleigh. In summer 2022, Steve was using his tractor to carry cold-lay tarmac up the drive to fix some potholes. However, Steve’s tractor had no working handbrake and he had to stop and start the engine manually.
Unfortunately, on this day, Steve’s well-practiced routine of starting and stopping his tractor did not go to plan, and he found himself pinned between a running tractor and a fence. Steve said:
‘When I usually stop it, I either leave it in gear or, more typically, set it so it is resting against something to stop it rolling down a hill. Starting it is also a problem as the starter button doesn’t work, so I have to get out of the cab and short out the starter solenoid. Usually, I check that it is not in gear first, but presumably either I did not check this time, or quite possibly I checked, and it seemed to be out of gear – it is not always obvious. So, I shorted the solenoid, the engine started, and the tractor started running. I would normally push the hand throttle off (which stops the engine quickly) but before I could do this, I was caught by the back wheel, pulled into robust fence posts, and crushed.’
I remember being pulled down between the tractor and the fence, but I don’t really remember feeling much pain. My right arm was pinned under the wheel of the tractor.
As luck would have it, the farmer in the neighbouring field was out earlier than normal that day, and he saw the incident unfold and heard Steve calling for help. When the farmer reached him, Steve recalls telling him, ‘I think we’re going to need the Air Ambulance.’
Within what seemed like just minutes, I saw the air ambulance coming in over the fields and it landed in the same field I was in. I remember them cutting my trousers and belt off to be able to treat me.
Serious internal injuries
Upon arrival, the crew fully assessed Steve to establish what sort of injuries he may have sustained, and the tractor was moved to enable his arm to become free. He was given a clotting agent to help his body to produce extra blood clots, to stop the bleeding quicker, as well as pain relief to make him more comfortable. The team prepared Steve for a flight to Derriford Hospital.
Steve was found to have suffered extensive internal injuries from the force of the tractor pinning him against the fence which included multiple broken ribs, some in multiple places, a punctured stomach and lung and a fractured clavicle. He was placed into an induced coma to help his body recover for almost two months.
Steve had no idea that he was so poorly and during his many operations, his heart stopped multiple times and he received CPR.
Once he was well enough, Steve was moved by land ambulance from Derriford Hospital to the North Devon District Hospital and he is still undergoing physiotherapy a little closer to home at South Molton Hospital to this day.
A slow but steady recovery
Steve was reasonably active before the incident:
‘My recovery took a surprising amount of time. I am used to being so active, but I had to regain normal feeling in my feet and I have faced many other physical challenges since the incident. I feel I owe Devon Air Ambulance so much, but don’t have much money to donate. Volunteering my spare time seems the least I can do to help in some way.’
In January 2024, Steve began volunteering to give back to the charity that helped him on one of his hardest days. Steve is an avid photographer, making him the perfect fit for the role of retail photographer supporting both of our online shopping teams.
Steve takes high-quality images of the stock that has been generously donated by supporters across Devon, ready for listing online. In the future, Steve hopes to help the charity’s marketing team by using his photography skills to take photos of the aircraft and critical care cars at the Eaglescott airbase.
We are so grateful that Steve is keen to donate his time and support us by volunteering. Everyone at Devon Air Ambulance is thrilled to welcome him to the team! Are you interested in becoming a volunteer?
