Mother issues appeal to trace ‘good Samaritans’ who helped son after Larne collision

Janette Robinson’s son Martin (23) came off his motorcycle on Saturday evening (December 5) on the A8 carriageway.

A number of good Samaritans came to the aid of the software engineering student after the collision.

Following the incident, which saw Martin escape with minor injuries, Janette is hoping to trace the people who helped her son so she can thank them.

Commenting on the kindhearted assistance provided to Martin, she said: “Several people stopped to help, including a lorry driver who was alongside him at the time.

“Two guys who stopped, Andrew Ferguson and David Armour, administered First Aid and kept him warm and as comfortable as they could until the ambulance arrived.

“The lorry driver and a female were directing traffic when I arrived. It was very cold, started to rain and for some reason the road was in complete darkness other than car headlights at a busy time of the evening.

“All of those who stopped were kind enough to stay and help in any way they could until Martin was safely in the hands of the paramedics.

“Whatever plans those people had for Saturday evening were discarded to offer their assistance and we both appreciate that so much.

“In addition to putting themselves at risk on a dark and busy road, I feel it is also important to mention that their first thoughts were to help, showing complete selflessness in the current pandemic.”

Janette added: “I want to thank everyone involved, including the PSNI and Ambulance Service, for their kindness and care shown to Martin and myself.

“I have contact details for Andrew, David and the lorry driver to thank them personally and would be very grateful to get details of the other people who stopped, particularly the female directing traffic who must have been totally soaked and freezing.

“It really is heartwarming to know such kindness and care in our town.

“Martin is getting more sore each day, but that’s to be expected. He has no broken bones or permanent injury, so he is very lucky.”

The incident was reported to the emergency services shortly before 6.30pm.

A Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) spokesperson said: “The NIAS received a 999 call at 6.24pm on Saturday, December 5 following reports of a road traffic collision at Donaghys Lane, Larne

“NIAS despatched one emergency crew to the scene.

“Following assessment and initial treatment at the scene, no one was taken to hospital.”

A PSNI spokesperson added: “Police attended the scene of a one-vehicle road traffic collision in the Ballymena Road area of Larne on Saturday.

“At approximately 6.30pm, a motorcyclist came off their bike and suffered minor injuries as a result of this.”

If you stopped to help Martin, or know who did, contact Janette via Facebook.

--

Thank you for reading this article. We’re more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers. Please consider purchasing a copy of the paper. You can also support trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription of the News Letter.