Horror accident shows dangers of working alone

I have spent my life working in farming, particularly in the potato sector, and over the past 40-plus years I have been incredibly fortunate to walk away from most incidents with only minor injuries, unlike many of you reading this.

But a recent experience has been a real eye-opener, reminding me just how vital good communication is in an emergency. I wanted to share my experience as a reminder to everyone working alone, often in remote areas and with poor phone signal, to think seriously about emergency preparedness.

I am currently in the process of moving into my dream property, in the middle of Bilsdale in North Yorkshire. I recently experienced an accident that could have been the end of me, and it has opened my eyes to the dangers of lone working.

The property is wonderful and isolated, but that isolation brings serious challenges. There is no reliable broadband and no mobile phone signal at all. Since I need a strong internet connection to do my work with GB Potatoes, I have opted for Starlink satellite broadband.

While out in the garden, scanning the sky for satellite signal, I lost my footing and fell. Normally I would bounce back up with some colourful language deployed, but this time was different.

I landed in a large, woody shrub and felt a sharp pain and thought “Oh dear,” or words to that effect. After lying there for a moment, I realised that I should get up. I tried to get up but couldn’t – I had been impaled on the woody shrub.

Thanks to many hours watching Yellowstone, I knew not to pull the object out. I decided to call for help, but this is where the problem got worse. No matter what I did I could not get a signal to summon assistance. I was on my own, miles from anywhere, and no one who knew where I was. I was stuck and on my own.

Eventually, and with some effort (and a lot more swearing), I managed to pull myself off the shrub. Thank goodness I wasn’t bleeding badly! With the shock kicking in I managed to stagger round to the door of the house, unlock it, and get inside to sit down.

At this point there was only slight pain, and I distinctly remember thinking “I am fine” – that is until I had a look and saw something nasty sticking out of my side and my favourite shirt ruined!

I realised that my initial idea of driving myself to the hospital no longer felt like a smart plan and that I did need emergency assistance. Thankfully, there was a working Starlink connection in the house, and I was able to call emergency services, using wifi calling. The operator was incredibly helpful but had trouble pinpointing my location.

Then I remembered I had the What3words app on my phone. I gave her my exact location, and she stayed on the line until the North Yorkshire Air Ambulance arrived just 21 minutes later. The crew were outstanding, however I missed a ride in a helicopter as they decided a road ambulance was the safer option.

I was taken to hospital, treated in A&E, then into surgery. I am a very lucky man and very conscious that I am lucky to still be here. I still have many ‘what if’ scenarios going around my head. I am so very thankful to the emergency services who saved my life.

The moral of my story is be prepared: I did not know that my iPhone had the ability to make emergency calls via satellite. Do you and your team know how to use that feature?

Thank goodness for Starlink, without it I would not have been able to contact anyone and then What3words allowed the emergency services to find me quickly. This is truly a fantastic way to locate an exact position.

I hope that everyone who suffers from lack of mobile network coverage makes a noise about it. In my case I could see the Bilsdale transmitter mast, which until it burned down about three or four years ago did provide good mobile connectivity, but sadly this hasn’t been reinstated on the new mast.

I sincerely hope it doesn’t take a fatal accident to make the powers that be realise how important good communication infrastructure is in rural areas. Our lives depend on it.

If there’s one message to take from this: accidents can and do happen. Make sure you and your team know what to do if something goes badly wrong.

Stay safe.