Farmer urges public to donate to St John appeal

Logan Hall (front) with partner Tynesha Harris (left), daughters Ryleigh (2) and Paityn (4) Harris, with St John intensive care paramedics Annabel Taylor and Peter Walker-Nell. Photo / Stephen Jaquiery

A Lee Flat farmer who says St John ''saved his life'' after he was seriously injured in a motorcycle crash is urging the public to give generously during the organisation's annual appeal this week.

Logan Hall and his 10-year-old son Connor were spending a sunny Saturday last month riding their motocross bikes on the Black Rock Rd farm where he lives and works, when he launched off a jump but crashed on landing.

The next thing he remembers is the whirr of the Otago Rescue Helicopter's rotors.

Shortly afterwards, the 32-year-old said he saw a familiar face looming above him - St John intensive care paramedic Annabel Taylor, whose sister and brother-in-law owned the farm next door.

Ms Taylor and her St John colleague Peter Walker-Nell, who both regularly serve on the rescue helicopter, had reached Mr Hall from the helicopter's Taieri Airfield base within 15 minutes.

St John ambulance officers Tristan James and Matt McKenzie also attended in a road ambulance.

''They must have driven there pretty quick!'' Mr Hall said yesterday when reunited with Ms Taylor and Mr Walker-Nell at the rescue helicopter hangar for St John's annual appeal week.

Mr Hall said he could not thank St John staff enough for their prompt and professional treatment, before he was flown to Dunedin Hospital and found to have broken his neck, back, jaw, wrist and arm.

He was in hospital for 10 days.

''You guys saved my life,'' he told Ms Taylor.

Mr Hall is making a good recovery, now walking easily but still in a neck brace and with one arm in a cast - emblazoned with a Honda logo and his and his son, Connor's shared racing number, #574.

He would probably not be back on his Honda CRF-450 this year, and could not yet eat solid foods, he said.

Ms Taylor was honoured to be thanked in person.

The intensive care paramedic said she was not fazed on realising she knew the victim, going into ''auto-pilot'' as she and her colleagues treated Mr Hall before loading him into the rescue helicopter for the short flight to Dunedin hospital.

Mr Hall was humbled by the ''amazing'' treatment St John provided and strongly urged the public to give generously during the organisation's annual appeal this week.

Members of the public who make an online donation of $25 or more during this year's appeal will get their name emblazoned on the side of a new ambulance, which would then be toured around the country before being deployed where needed.

To make your online donation visit the St John website here.