Father praises Air Ambulance after daughter's crash

A father praised the Air Ambulance Service after they treated his 10-year-old daughter following a serious cycling accident.

Destiny Whitbread, from Rothwell near Kettering, had been riding her bike with a friend at a basketball court when she lost control and crashed on 25 August last year.

The bike's handlebars pierced her leg, leaving her unable to move.

Destiny's father, Mike, said: "Seeing your child loaded into a helicopter is terrifying. But the [Air Ambulance Service] crew were incredible with both of us."

The Air Ambulance Service provides emergency medical transport by helicopter or plane, reaching patients faster than ground crews.

In 2025, the Air Ambulance Service crews handled 405 emergencies in Northamptonshire, with helicopters attending 222 missions and critical care cars deployed a further 183 times.

Last August, within minutes of the emergency call, an ambulance, fire engine, and the Air Ambulance Service arrived to treat the 10-year-old.

The crew administered pain relief and carefully removed the handlebars before airlifting Destiny to a nearby football field close to Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham.

An ambulance then drove her to the Children's Accident & Emergency department.

Doctors later confirmed she had narrowly missed a major artery, with the damage confined to muscle tissue.

She spent three nights in hospital, underwent a skin graft and continued her recovery at home using crutches.

Five months on, Whitbread has returned to school for her final year of primary school.

Her classmates also raised £235.66 for The Air Ambulance Service.

"Our living room was covered in coins for days. But it was so worth it. We just wanted to say thank you," Mike Whitbread added.

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