Man's thanks after wife and daughter hit by tractor

A man has thanked the "amazing people" who came to the aid of his wife and daughter after they were hit by a tractor while walking through a market town on New Year's Eve.

Gerry Rogerson said his wife Ali was trapped under the tractor's wheels while 22-year-old Izzy was "catapulted into metal railings" after they were struck on Bridge Street in Helmsley, North Yorkshire.

Mr Rogerson said the family had been out for birthday breakfast with friends and were walking on the pavement when the tractor mounted the pavement and hit them from behind.

He said: "The scene was so traumatic that many of the dozens of people who came to help were covered in blood and we are so thankful for what they did."

Describing the moments leading up to the collision on Wednesday afternoon, the 58-year-old, who lives in nearby Stonegrave, said after their meal, he had gone to see a colleague nearby while his wife and daughter walked to a shop.

"We split up for a short time and then the next thing my name was being called out by a stranger.

"There was my wife on the floor and my daughter just yards away on the floor and there was blood all over.

"There were these amazing people who just came to help. It must have been so hard for them because of the horror of it all."

Mr Rogerson said the impact of the collision had catapulted Izzy into some metal railings and that one of the spikes had penetrated her eyelid.

Meanwhile, his 57‑year‑old wife, a teacher at Ampleforth College, was trapped under the tractor by her leg.

They were both taken to James Cook Hospital in Middlesbrough, with Izzy having suffered a head wound and skull fracture and Mrs Rogerson crush injuries to her muscles and ligaments.

Mr Rogerson said: "We are all in a a state of shock. I haven't really eaten since it happened and Izzy and Ali are having awful flashbacks.

"Out of something so horrible though has been the amount of messages and care people have shown."

Mr Rogerson said it was hoped both women would be discharged from hospital in the next few days but their recovery would take some time.

"Izzy is in her fourth year studying architecture at Bath University and she was supposed to be going back next week but now that will change.

"Ali also was supposed to be back at work next week and she's worrying about letting her students down."

Mr Rogerson has urged people to respond to an appeal by North Yorkshire Police for witnesses or anyone with relevant CCTV or dashcam footage to get in touch.

"There is going to be a long process in the road to recovery and part of that is to understand how this happened and that's important, otherwise it just spins around your head.

"If anyone has got any information because they've seen something or they've got CCTV or doorbell footage, then it's all little pieces in a big jigsaw puzzle that police are trying to pull together to show what happened in the blink of a moment that has been quite life-changing."

North Yorkshire Police said no arrests had been made and that the tractor driver had been assisting with the investigation.

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