'I cheated death when a fairground ride cracked my skull and made me repeat same phrase'

Critical: Between Life and Death follows the trauma team at various London hospitals(Image: Courtesy of Netflix)

Netflix's latest fly-on-the-wall documentary is set to be a harrowing watch for some, with Critical: Between Life and Death following critical care units across London that are treating those with serious injuries. The first episode takes viewers behind-the-scenes as four patients are rushed to hospital after a ride on a fairground attraction turned into a nightmare on Saturday 8 June last year.

The Lambeth Country Show in London's Brockwell Park ended in disaster last June when a fairground ride failed and flung those on it into the air. For Alison and her boyfriend Nick, the injuries proved to be life-threatening.

"When I came around, I had a memory of going on the ride with Nick and I was asking, 'Where's Nick?' I think people were quite diplomatic with me about how serious Nick's injuries were," Alison tells the documentary. "Just because it was touch and go for him."

Alison's skull was fractured after she was involved in a fairground ride malfunction

Speaking about witnessing Alison and Nick on the ride, Alison's sister Claire says in the episode: "I saw heads and bodies crash into the railings, like crash test dummies. I thought, 'Oh my God, those are my sister's shoes.'

"I immediately jumped up onto the ride and my sisters and Nick were still in their seats. The whole of the side of Nick’s face was basically open. Just this big hole. It looked so so serious. I was really concerned he wasn’t going to make it.”

After being rushed to King's College Hospital, Alison began to worry doctors when she was not following commands. During a brain scan, the asset management firm director came around and kept repeating the same phrase: "I'm so internat. I'm so internat."

Dr. Lalarukh Asim, Emergency Medicine Consultant, tells the documentary: "Alison has come round but she's still quite confused and not making sense. If someone's incoherent or there's signs of significant brain injury, the main thing you'd be worried about is a bleed on the brain."

A scan later showed that Alison had suffered a skull fracture, however she also required an urgent chest drain to avoid her from going into cardiac arrest after rib fractures had ruptured her lung.

"When I went into see her, I took a deep breath," Claire says. "There were lots of tubes, lots of beeping. She wasn't making any sense. It was so traumatic for me. Bones you can fix, but the head injuries, I was worried about. How bad is that going to be for both Nick and Alison?"

Both Alison and her boyfriend Nick were hospitalised with horrific injuries

Meanwhile, Nick - who was rushed to St. George's Hospital - had "fractured everything in his face" and "shattered his kidney", according to Dr. Ahmed Mahdi.

Thankfully, on the Monday after the incident, Alison was able to ring her sister from the hospital. "It was an incredible sense of relief that she was making sense again because she really didn't for those two days," Claire says.

Alison adds, "Everybody tells me that when I started to come around, I was talking a load of rubbish and generally, I’m sort of quite good with memory and words.

"Initially, I was told that I would probably be in hospital for five or six weeks. I was stuck in a bed, and didn't even know if I could walk. When can I get out of here? In reality, I managed to get better a lot quicker. So I came out of hospital after two and a half weeks."

Nick also managed to recover - however, it took him several months. "It's the last thing you think is going to happen when you go to a country fair, that you'll be in hospital for a few months," Nick says.

"It brings it home to you, how lucky we are to have the NHS and critical care when something goes wrong. The skill involved in the surgeon who repaired my face, which to me is absolutely astounding." Alison adds, "It's been challenging, but we cheated death, so we look forward."

Critical: Between Life and Death is available to stream on Netflix now.

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