Youngsters ‘went above and beyond’ to help lady in accident

A TALLAGHT family want to extend their thanks to members of the community who helped their mother when she suffered a bad fall near The Square last week.

Lorraine Duignan, 65, from Aylesbury, was with her husband Jimmy when she fell on the path near the roundabout outside The Square on Belgard Square West last Thursday evening, February 29.

After Lorraine fell, she experienced severe pain and was unable to move and was left waiting two hours for an ambulance that evening, when it was particularly cold.

However, a number of people passing by offered her assistance and managed to help her up and get her onto a chair, and gave her a blanket, a scarf and a hot water bottle while she waited.

Lorraine’s husband, Jimmy, told The Echo: “When Lorraine fell, she was on the ground and some lads who were walking by helped her back up.

“It took a long time for the ambulance to come. It was cold and it rained, but the people stayed with us.

“We’d never met these people before, we had no connection with them. There was a young girl in her early 20s who stopped, and a young girl stopped her car and got out to help.

“The cousin of the girl who stopped her car also came over to help, and some young lads helped too.

“They stayed with us, and one of the lads got Lorraine a hot water bottle, a scarf and a woolly hat -they really went out of their way.

“There is a lot of bad press about youngsters but on this particular occasion, I was extremely impressed.”

Lorraine and Jimmy’s daughter, Laura, also expressed her gratitude for the help that people gave her mother.

“They went above and beyond,” she said. “I think she would’ve ended up in a much worse way without them.”

Some of the bystanders also offered to drive Lorraine to the hospital, but due to the severity of her injuries and her level of pain, Lorraine couldn’t be moved until the ambulance came.

Her injuries included a broken arm and a broken hip, but she has undergone surgery and is now recovering well, and hopes to be back home within the next fortnight.

“I just want to give a huge thank you to the people that helped,” added Jimmy. “I don’t know what I would’ve done without them. I wouldn’t have been able to manage Lorraine on my own.

“I can’t give them enough praise – I’m so impressed.”