A wagon driver who suffered serious injuries and lost a lot of blood in an accident on the A66 has met the medics who saved his life.

Ben Finlinson, 28, suffered a severe facial laceration, badly broken arm, spinal fractures, bruised lungs and solar plexus injuries in the collision at Warcop, near Appleby.

He lost control of his wagon, which veered onto a verge and then over to the other side of the road where it hit an oncoming lorry.

Mr Finlinson met Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) paramedic Andy Dalton, who was part of the team that flew to help him, as the service marks 15 years of being an independent registered charity.

“It’s been a long road to recovery but I wouldn’t be here without GNAAS," said Mr Finlinson, of Cleator Moor.

“Thank you for saving my life. I’m just pleased I am able to say a proper thanks.”

On the day of the accident in January 2013, the GNAAS on-board trauma team was dispatched to Mr Finlinson alongside a BASICS rapid response doctor and paramedics from the North West Ambulance Service.

His mum, Shirley Finlinson, 55, said: “The lorry was carrying an oil rig which acted like a bit of a guillotine. It basically sliced the cab off Ben’s side.

"He was badly injured. He lost an awful amount of blood.

“I could cry thinking about it, seeing your kids have to suffer. It’s horrible.

"An off-duty police officer who was at the scene told us later that he’d never seen as much blood.”

The GNAAS aircrew administered advanced pain relief and treatment to Mr Finlinson, who was trapped in the lorry for about an hour. He was then flown to James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough where he spent four days in the high dependency unit and a further six days on a ward.

Mr Finlinson underwent five operations including two nerve transfers. The surgical technique is used when a patient has a nerve injury resulting in loss of muscle function and involves moving nerves from one area to another to regain movement.

Mr Finlinson, a self employed wagon driver, now has around 70 per cent use of his arm and told his story as part of GNAAS' 15th anniversary.

Mrs Finlinson, a team leader at the Co-op in Cleator Moor, said: “Being a fit lad and always doing something, it was traumatic for him. He had his arm strapped to his body for six weeks.

“I am so proud of how far he’s come.”

Since the accident, Mrs Finlinson has shown her gratitude to the GNAAS by taking on a parachute jump and raising £1,600.

She was keen to give something back and said it was one of the best things she's ever done.

She said: “I can’t praise GNAAS enough. It’s of absolute massive importance.

“It was nice for us as a family to be able to thank Andy. We will remember our day with the GNAAS team for a long time.”