Basingstoke girl learns to walk again after being hit by a car

Mother of two Kimberley Creighton-Wilson, from Basingstoke, faced every parent's nightmare when her daughter Summer was hit by a car in May 2019.

Summer had stepped out to cross the road and was hit by an oncoming car. She was sent flying through the air and was left unconscious on the road with a catalogue of serious injuries. 

The incident happened when Summer went out to the shop on her own for the first time.

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As Kimberley and Summer's grandma waited patiently for her to return, Kimberley's phone started ringing - it was Summer - but when she answered she was met with an unknown voice on the other end of the phone - informing her about the incident.

“I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t even cry,” said Kimberley, “not until I got to the road and saw her lying there on the ground surrounded by police, paramedics and the air ambulance team trying to save her life.”

Due to the severity of Summer’s injuries, paramedics from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance were called to provide critical care on the scene and to give her the best chance of survival before reaching the hospital.

The team stabilised Summer and loaded her into the back of an ambulance and travelled with her to the hospital, allowing them to continue providing advanced care en route.

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Summer stayed in the hospital for three to four months learning how to walk, talk, eat and swallow all over again.

“But Summer survived,” said Kimberley. “She’s my miracle child.”

She continued: “If the air ambulance wasn’t there to provide the help that Summer needed, I wouldn’t have my little girl today. I will always be indebted to Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance for bringing my baby back to me.

“Four years on and she’s just remarkable."

Summer visited Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance's base (Image: Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance)

Specialist lead paramedic Tom Nickisson-Richards was one of the duty paramedics who responded to the call.

He said: “I remember the day we attended Summer very well. My colleague and I had spent a busy day on the emergency response vehicle, and we were on our way back to base. Fortunately, we were very close to the scene of Summer’s incident when we were dispatched, and we began the 10-minute journey to the scene.

“We knew that a young patient had been hit by a car at speed and that she was unconscious. There was certainly a feeling of concern about what we might find when arriving, but we focused on maintaining safe progress through rush hour traffic.

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“On arrival, several ambulance service staff were already there, along with numerous members of the public and some of Summer’s family. It was very obvious that Summer was extremely unwell.

“We received a handover from the paramedics on scene, who had done a superb job in the initial stages of major trauma care. Summer had been witnessed to fly through the air after the impact and had been deeply unconscious since then.

“Summer had some issues relating to her airway and, recognising that she needed urgent treatment at a major trauma centre, we moved her into the back of the ambulance as expediently as we could, whilst delivering the early interventions and medications she needed to mitigate the impact of her injuries."

Summer has not let the crash hold her back and is now getting amazing grades at school and has become a fantastic artist.

Recently Summer and her family visited the air ambulance's base in Thruxton, near Andover.