RAF reserve Leeds nurse who helped saved mway bridge fall man's life is commended

An RAF reservist nurse from Leeds has been commended by the Royal Air Force after she stopped on a busy a busy motorway to help save a young man's life.

Corporal Liz Drain was driving on the M621 in Leeds last January when she came across a man lying in the left hand lane after he fell from the bridge above.

She immediately stopped and started to treat the man as traffic swerved around her, keeping him calm until help arrived.

She said: "I just did what anyone would have done. As I was treating him, a student nurse called for the emergency services and an off-duty policeman diverted traffic, but there's no doubt my RAF Reserves training and not just my nursing experience helped me respond and control the scene."

When not working as an A&E nurse at Leeds Teaching Hospital's NHS Trust, Corporal Drain serves as a Flight Nurse with 4626 (Aeromedical Evacuation) Squadron based at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.

She provides specialist in-flight care for sick and wounded personnel in the back of aircraft travelling at 35,000 feet as they return to the UK.

Liz's commanding officer, Wing Commander Colin Mathieson, said: "We are all immensely proud of Liz for what she did.

"I think it speaks volumes of the training we provide in the RAF Reserves that she was able to keep calm under pressure, control the situation and help a young man in need.

"Serving in the reserves can have personal benefits, but this event also demonstrates the unique value of Reservists to society too."