A teenager who suffered life-threatening injuries and spent
a month in an induced coma after being hit by a car has been hailed
a miracle by the ambulance crews and hospital teams who saved his
life.
16-year-old Taz Moyo suffered a serious head injury on 16 July
this year and, after receiving life-saving treatment from South
East Coast Ambulance Service clinicians and the air ambulance
service, was airlifted in a critical condition to Southampton
General Hospital.
There he received further expert treatment and, despite a poor
prognosis, defied the odds and was discharged 94 days after his
accident.
Taz, who is now back studying his A Levels at the Sir Robert
Woodard Academy in Sompting, was recently reunited with some of the
ambulance team who treated him at SECAmb’s Tangmere Make Ready
Centre.
Taz met the SECAmb staff along with his mum Claire, sister
Soraya, 14, and Uncle, Rich Hayward.
Taz has no memory of the accident but expressed his thanks to
all those involved in caring for him. “I wanted to thank everyone
for everything they did for me. I don’t have any memory of the
incident. The last thing I remember was playing football nearby
with my friends and then we decided to go to the shop. I’m doing
really well and I’m so grateful for the treatment I received from
the ambulance crews, air ambulance and at the hospital. My family
and friends have also been amazing.”
Taz’s mum Claire was at home nearby when she was informed of the
accident by Taz’s friends. She rushed to the scene with Soraya and
following him to hospital. “He really is a miracle”, said Claire.
“The consultants said he probably wouldn’t walk or talk again and
the worst may happen. But I believed and hoped he would be ok.
We’re all just so grateful for everything everyone did and we
wanted to say thanks in person to everyone.”
One of the first to attend to Taz at the scene was off-duty
Critical Care Paramedic Lewis Allam. Lewis, who came across the
incident was quickly joined by at the scene by SECamb colleagues
Tara Quinn, Mark Durham, Steve MacKenzie, Lisa Finch and Dan Bevis
and shortly later the air ambulance team of Dr Sarah Honess,
paramedic Adam Ormrod and pilots Jon Evered and Rob Foster.
Lewis said: “It’s so nice to see Taz looking so well and it’s
been great to meet with him and his family. I was travelling past
so I obviously stopped to help and I knew straight away that Taz
had serious injuries and we were going to need the help of the air
ambulance too. I rang into control and they were already on to it.
We all worked really well as a team on the night and Taz is an
excellent example of how all the parts of the system work together
to provide the best for patients.”
Taz, a keen musician, and his family raised money at a recent
event featuring local bands. The family has donated the money to
the ambulance service and Southampton General Hosptial
ICU.