James Corden presents 999 Hero Award at The Sun’s Who Cares Wins Health Awards 2023

The Sun’s Who Cares Wins health awards celebrate our healthcare heroes from the frontline NHS staff to the ordinary people who go above and beyond to keep us all safe. 

Dr Benjamin Marriage, Chris Doyle and Kevin Cuddon from London's Air Ambulance Charity were awarded 999 Hero presented on stage by James Corden. 

When mum-of-two Sarah De Lagarde fell onto the track and was hit by two Tube trains in September last year, it seemed unlikely she would survive, but her life was saved by Dr Benjamin Marriage and paramedics Chris Doyle and Kevin Cuddon of London's Air Ambulance Charity. Kevin helped rescue Sarah from under the train and all three administered life-saving treatment on the platform. 

Sarah, 45, who lost two limbs, said: "Thanks to them I am able to watch my children grow up."

On stage Doctor Benjamin said: “We would like to dedicate this award both to Sarah and everyone else involved in trauma care.”

Advanced paramedic Kevin said: “Thank you so much for this amazing privilege, to receive this honour, we want to say a big thanks to everyone involved to get us here today.”

James Corden said: “Tonight shows how special the NHS is. You only realise how truly brilliant and unique it is.

“I’ve just come back from a country where healthcare isn’t something that is readily available for every single person. We should be so proud of the NHS. We all hope that somebody will be there for us in an emergency, be there to hold our hand to reassure us, to be a friend to tell us that everything will be alright.”

Some of Britain’s best-loved charity campaigners and famous faces were on hand to present the awards including James Corden, Anthony Joshua, Katherine Ryan and Bear Grylls. 

Broadcast on Channel 4 and produced by Thames (a Fremantle label), the awards are sponsored by The National Lottery. 

The rest of the winners will be revealed when The Sun’s Who Cares Wins Awards air on Channel 4 on Sunday 24th September at 6:30pm. 

Sarah was on her way home from work when the accident happened in September 2022.

Sarah said: “I was really tired. I remember closing my eyes for a second but I must have fallen asleep. I woke up disoriented and jumped off the train, but it wasn't my stop. I turned on my heel to try and board the train again but it was wet and I slipped. I fell against the carriage. I broke my nose and my front teeth. I fell down between the train and the platform and as the train departed, it crushed my limbs.”

“I was on the tracks calling for help but a second train came in and crushed me again.”

Someone spotted Sarah and raised the alarm and a crew from London's Air Ambulance Charity was called.

Paramedic Kevin helped rescue Sarah from under the train and the team applied tourniquets on both limbs. 

Sarah said: "That is what saved me or I would have bled out for sure. All this happened on the train platform. I remember saying: ‘Do you mind hurrying up as I'm going to die right here’.

“Dr Marriage was holding my hand and said: ‘You can't die right now, we have lots of people on the platform and they are all here to save you. Hold on a bit longer and we will get you out'. I remember his calming words as if it were yesterday."

Sarah was taken by London’s Air Ambulance emergency response car to the Royal London Hospital. Surgeons later amputated both her right arm and leg.

Kevin, 42, said: "Sarah was trapped in a very awkward position so I crawled under the train to help the London Fire Brigade get her out. We had to carry her about 30 metres under the train and put her on a device to lift her up to the platform. Her right foot had been amputated at the ankle and her right arm was separated from the shoulder. She was really quiet, pale and had lost a lot of blood.”

Sarah recently became the first person in the world to operate a new £250,000 AI bionic arm that can read her mind, after her husband Jeremy launched a GoFundMe to help pay for it. 

All other winners are strictly embargoed until 9pm, Sunday 24th November.