Boy impaled in neck by football training pole airlifted to hospital

Fire crews cut pole before child flown to hospital ‘conscious and in a stable condition’

A boy was airlifted to hospital after his neck became impaled on a football training pole at a playing field in Fegg Hayes, Stoke-on-Trent, on 18 August 2019. (Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service)

A boy was airlifted to hospital after impaling his neck on a football training pole.

Crews from Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service and West Midlands Ambulance Service were called to a playing field in Fegg Hayes, Stoke-on-Trent, shortly after 1pm on Sunday.

The fire service said the pole had to be cut before the boy was flown by air ambulance to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool.

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: “We were called at 1.18pm on Sunday to reports of a patient who been impaled by a metal spike at the bottom of a plastic pole on a playing field near to Oxford Road in Fegg Hayes, Stoke on Trent.

“One ambulance, a paramedic officer and the Midlands Air Ambulance from Staffordshire attended the scene.

“On arrival, ambulance crews discovered one patient, a boy who had been impaled.

“The boy, who was conscious and in a stable condition, was treated for a neck injury before being airlifted to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital by air ambulance.”

A boy was airlifted to hospital after his neck became impaled on a football training pole at a playing field in Fegg Hayes, Stoke-on-Trent, on 18 August 2019. (Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service)

No official update on the boy's condition was given, but the child’s aunt posted on Facebook on Sunday evening thanking well-wishers.

She wrote: “Just an update [on] what has been a traumatic day for us all, the family would like to say thank you to you all for all your love and well wishes.

“My nephew is currently at Alder Hey Hospital and is a very lucky boy. We can’t thank the air ambulance, paramedics and fire service enough. Hoping for a speedy recovery.”