A ten-year-old girl from Rothwell is back at school and enjoying her favourite activities after a dramatic bank-holiday accident on 25 August 2025, when she was flown to hospital by The Air Ambulance Service (TAAS).
Destiny Whitbread had been riding her bike with a friend at the estate’s basketball court when she lost control on a corner and crashed. The bike’s handlebar pierced her leg “like an ice-cream scoop,” leaving her unable to move. Dog walkers who heard her cries called for help immediately while Destiny’s dad was quickly made aware of the situation.
“She was trying so hard to be brave, but she couldn’t move. I could see the pain all over her face when I arrived,” he said.
An ambulance call handler warned that it could be a two-hour wait for transport but luckily, a paramedic arranged a FaceTime assessment, quickly recognising the seriousness of the injury. Within minutes, a land ambulance, fire engine and The Air Ambulance Service arrived at the scene.
The crew administered pain relief and carefully removed the handlebar before airlifting Destiny to a nearby football field close to Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham. A land ambulance then drove her to the Children’s Accident & Emergency department.
“The morphine made her really giggly – she couldn’t stop laughing in the helicopter,” Destiny’s dad said. “But seeing your child loaded into a helicopter is terrifying. The crew were incredible with both of us.”
Doctors later confirmed Destiny had narrowly missed a major artery, with the injury confined to muscle tissue. She spent three nights in hospital, underwent a skin graft, and continued her recovery at home using crutches.
Today, Destiny has been discharged from plastic surgery and is back to her usual, energetic self. She has returned to school for her final year of primary school and is enjoying drawing, building Lego – including a bank, police station and heliport – and playing with her cat, Splodge.
Her classmates also joined her in giving thanks, raising £235.66 for the lifesaving charity. “Our living room was covered in coins for days,” her dad shared. “But it was so worth it. We just wanted to say thank you.”
The family remain deeply grateful for The Air Ambulance Service team who arrived so quickly, worked so calmly, and helped Destiny when she needed them most.
