York Student Back at University after Horror Cycling Accident

York University student Rebecca Neal has a big day today (Monday 3rd October 2016) as she starts her final year and will feature in a new prime time television series.

Rebecca, 21, suffered multiple injuries after being hit by a car while cycling home from the gym last May. Her accident and recovery will be shown in tonight’s episode of Helicopter ER on UKTV’s Really channel, which follows the life-saving work of Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

“I had submitted my last assignment for the year the night before and, after spending days in my room getting it done, I wanted to get out and so cycled to the gym for a swim the next morning,” said Rebecca, a film and television production student.

She was on her way home on Hull Road when the accident happened. Rebecca suffered multiple skull and facial fractures as well as a broken leg, dislocated ankle, serious knee and ankle ligament damage and open leg wounds.

The new television series graphically captures her treatment by paramedics on the roadside before being airlifted to Leeds General Infirmary by Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

After eight days in hospital, Rebecca was discharged but has spent the summer at her family home in Maidstone, Kent, in a leg brace and then crutches during what has been, and still is, a tough and painful recovery.

But she was determined to make it back for her final year in York and is fitting in weekly physiotherapy sessions and orthopaedic and ENT hospital appointments around her studies.

“It has been hard but my family and friends have been great. The Air Ambulance crew were brilliant and I’ve had the chance to visit them since the accident which has brought home how lucky I was.”

Rebecca’s story features in tonight’s episode of Helicopter ER, broadcast on UKTV’s reality channel Really at 10pm on Monday nights for the next 11 weeks.

The new series is being made by many of the team behind the popular BBC programme Helicopter Heroes, who have again been flying with Yorkshire Air Ambulance pilots, paramedics and doctors.

Other stories featured in tonight’s episode include the dramatic rescue of a teenager who falls through the roof of a pig farm and a girl with brittle bone disease who has a schoolyard fall.

Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) serves 5million people across Yorkshire and carries out over 1,250 missions every year. The charity needs to raise £12,000 every day and are currently replacing their two ageing aircraft with brand new, state-of-the-art Airbus H145 helicopters.