The grieving daughter recounts the terrifying moment she witnessed paramedics struggle to save their parents trapped in a wrecked car.

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A grieving daughter spoke of the horrific moment she witnessed as paramedics struggled desperately to save her parents in the wake of a horrific accident.

Catherine Patterson was trapped in the driver’s seat after the head-on collision that killed her father, Gary Patterson, on the A713 near Patna in East Ayrshire.

The 35-year-old was helpless as she sat trapped in the car as ambulance crews scrambled to rescue Gary and her mother, Miriam, after the July 22 accident, earlier this year.

One grandfather Gary, 65, was tragically pronounced dead at the scene while his wife, Miriam, 62, was taken by ambulance to Ayr Hospital in critical condition before being airlifted to Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow.

Catherine’s injuries were very minor, and fortunately Miriam, a retired guidance teacher, returned to her home in Kilmarnock after miraculously recovering.

Catherine, Miriam and Gary were all in the car when it crashed (Image: Family) Read more related articles Read more related articles

Catherine, who was conscious when the horror unfolded before her eyes, told The Record: “It was an absolutely surreal experience because I couldn’t believe what actually happened.

“It was like watching it from afar. Even though I was in the car and could see what was going on with my dad, I could see what was going on with my mom—I just couldn’t take it all in.”

The family had driven to Castle Douglas for a day outside during a sweltering heat wave before the accident.

Catherine said: “My dad used to play golf with my uncle and my mom and I and two of my cousins ​​were just hanging out in the stores.

“We had a nice day and were heading back on the road, then near Patna we had a bump.

“As a driver I could see the accident as it was about to happen, which is difficult.

Miriam and Gary with Freddy Patterson’s grandson and family (Image: Family)

“My injuries were nowhere near as bad as my mum’s – I was conscious throughout the event.

“My dad was taken out first, and he was in the back.

“The emergency services were great, they did their best to save him first.

“My mom was about to get me out, and then I was the last time. I was trapped in the car for about two hours while this was happening.”

Gary was one of two men who died in a collision between their blue BMW 4, a black Volkswagen Scirocco and a silver Vauxhall Mocha. The 35-year-old truck driver, Sirocco, also died.

On her way to Cross House Hospital in Kilmarnock, Catherine – who had suffered minor injuries including internal bruising – called her sister Judith Roberts, who had gone to Glasgow to see her mother.

Her brother Adam Patterson – who works south – drove seven hours on the road to be with the family.

Catherine, already devastated by the loss of her father before her eyes, admits that she does not believe that her mother will succeed.

Miriam and Gary with Catherine, Judith and Adam (Image: Family)

She said: I watched them work on my father and knew that he died at the scene of the accident.

“Then I worried I would lose my mom too, based on what I could see when I was in the car.

“The nurses at Crosshouse were fantastic, they called Glasgow to keep me updated on my mum’s performance.

“My mum was rushed for surgery when she arrived at the hospital to save her life.

“I don’t know how these people do their job there, with the pressure they’re under and everything else. But she got to the hospital and my sister saw her for a very brief time, and then she was taken for the life-saving surgery.”

Miriam says she does not remember the accident and was tragically told what happened to her husband while she was recovering after surgery.

Myriam said, “I don’t remember the accident. When I got close I was looking at my phone and playing music on Spotify, so I didn’t see anything.”

“My first memories were when I was in a major hospital dependency. After I had surgery and then stayed in the intensive care for a few days, I was given good sedation.

Judith asked, ‘What about your father? How is your father? “

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“When things started turning up on me, I would ask myself, ‘Where am I? Why am I here ”- then I realized that I must ask this question.

“Unfortunately, she had to tell me that Gary had passed away. That was very difficult.”

The incident happened 10 days before the couple’s sapphire anniversary, and retired music teacher Gary had planned for the whole family to go on vacation to celebrate 40 years of marriage.

Instead, the family celebrated the occasion at the hospital on August 1 – and Miriam was very grateful to be allowed to attend her husband’s funeral.

Miriam, Catherine, Judith and Adam celebrated their Sapphire wedding anniversary in hospital 10 days after the accident (Image: NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde)

Catherine said: “The ward staff went to great lengths to ensure that my mother could be released for a short time to attend my father’s funeral, which was a huge request, given the extent of her injuries at the time.

“We are very grateful for the great care and compassion of the ward crew and their kindness in supporting our mother.”

Miriam had multiple injuries, including four broken limbs – two ankles and two wrists – and extensive damage to internal organs.

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After the accident, she spent the next seven days in intensive care as doctors worked to keep her alive.

Once stable, she was the first patient ever to be transferred to the new dedicated 1C main trauma ward, where she received highly integrated care from a group of specialists who worked closely on both her immediate recovery and rehabilitation.

Myriam said: “The staff were great. I couldn’t even feed myself but I had staff, nurses and care assistants to help me.

“Then my counselor spoke to me about this great new trauma unit, and that I would be an ideal candidate to be the first patient with the trauma we’ve been through.”

Miriam was significantly laid off in less than ten weeks. She added: ‘Having spent time there the most impressive thing for me was how they joined in the work between the counselor, nursing staff, care assistants and occupational therapists – the work is so coordinated and collaborative.

Miriam has returned home after her miraculous recovery (Photo: NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde)

“They will all talk to you at the same time about how you are going allowing the occupational therapists and physiotherapists to plan their program of work with you. They hear what the consultant has to say, and then they know what the next steps should take you further in the rehabilitation process.

“I am so grateful to the NHS. The care and support were fantastic, from the consultants down to the housekeepers who came to clean my room. Everyone was so wonderful and so supportive. I don’t think I could have had better care.”

Miriam has now returned home to recover from seven weeks and hopes for a full recovery.

Catherine says that her mother’s courage and determination to continue her rehabilitation despite the trauma she faced inspired the entire family to do the same.

“I hope to be able to make a full recovery,” Miriam said. “My mobility is very good, I am able to move around and even able to take stairs now once a day.

“I am a completely assertive and realistic person. What we had to deal with was difficult for the whole family.

“We had a lot to deal with – but I am a determined person and I have had to get better with my family and I hope to get my mobility and manual dexterity back to full strength soon. I just need to keep working hard.”

Catherine, who is also a mentoring educator, added: “I am so grateful that we were able to get my mum home as quickly as we did.

“In the early stages I would give up my job and everything just to be there for it if need be. But the difference from then until now is totally unbelievable how far my mum has come and gone.

“Every day doing something new and getting better, so the future feels more positive now. I can see her recovering and getting back to doing the things she used to enjoy, while in July our whole world was crumbling in seconds and I couldn’t imagine how we would proceed from this.

“My mom inspires us every day. She’s not going to lie on this – she’s determined to recover, so we all have to follow in her footsteps.”

A Police Scotland spokesman said: “Investigations into this incident are still ongoing.”

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