
'I cheated death when a fairground ride cracked my skull and made me repeat same phrase'
Netflix's latest fly-on-the-wall documentary is set to be a harrowing watch for some, with Critical: Between Life and Death following critical care units across London that are treating those with serious injuries. The first episode takes viewers behind-the-scenes as four patients are rushed to hospital after a ride on a fairground attraction turned into a nightmare on Saturday 8 June last year.
The Lambeth Country Show in London's Brockwell Park ended in disaster last June when a fairground ride failed and flung those on it into the air. For Alison and her boyfriend Nick, the injuries proved to be life-threatening.
"When I came around, I had a memory of going on the ride with Nick and I was asking, 'Where's Nick?' I think people were quite diplomatic with me about how serious Nick's injuries were," Alison tells the documentary. "Just because it was touch and go for him."
Speaking about witnessing Alison and Nick on the ride, Alison's sister Claire says in the episode: "I saw heads and bodies crash into the railings, like crash test dummies. I thought, 'Oh my God, those are my sister's shoes.'
"I immediately jumped up onto the ride and my sisters and Nick were still in their seats. The whole of the side of Nick's face was basically open. Just this big hole. It looked so so serious. I was really concerned he wasn't going to make it.'
After being rushed to King's College Hospital, Alison began to worry doctors when she was not following commands. During a brain scan, the asset management firm director came around and kept repeating the same phrase: "I'm so internat. I'm so internat."
Dr. Lalarukh Asim, Emergency Medicine Consultant, tells the documentary: "Alison has come round but she's still quite confused and not making sense. If someone's incoherent or there's signs of significant brain injury, the main thing you'd be worried about is a bleed on the brain."
A scan later showed that Alison had suffered a skull fracture, however she also required an urgent chest drain to avoid her from going into cardiac arrest after rib fractures had ruptured her lung.
"When I went into see her, I took a deep breath," Claire says. "There were lots of tubes, lots of beeping. She wasn't making any sense. It was so traumatic for me. Bones you can fix, but the head injuries, I was worried about. How bad is that going to be for both Nick and Alison?"
Meanwhile, Nick - who was rushed to St. George's Hospital - had "fractured everything in his face" and "shattered his kidney", according to Dr. Ahmed Mahdi.
Thankfully, on the Monday after the incident, Alison was able to ring her sister from the hospital. "It was an incredible sense of relief that she was making sense again because she really didn't for those two days," Claire says.
Alison adds, "Everybody tells me that when I started to come around, I was talking a load of rubbish and generally, I'm sort of quite good with memory and words.
"Initially, I was told that I would probably be in hospital for five or six weeks. I was stuck in a bed, and didn't even know if I could walk. When can I get out of here? In reality, I managed to get better a lot quicker. So I came out of hospital after two and a half weeks."
Nick also managed to recover - however, it took him several months. "It's the last thing you think is going to happen when you go to a country fair, that you'll be in hospital for a few months," Nick says.
"It brings it home to you, how lucky we are to have the NHS and critical care when something goes wrong. The skill involved in the surgeon who repaired my face, which to me is absolutely astounding." Alison adds, "It's been challenging, but we cheated death, so we look forward."
Critical: Between Life and Death is available to stream on Netflix now.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Michelle Obama MOCKS Barack's presidential ambitions that brought her fame and fortune as divorce rumors continue to swirl
Barack Obama served two terms as the President of the United States, but his wife Michelle has further fueled divorce rumors by belittling his ambitions. The former first lady, who has been outspoken about her support for her husband's career now - admitted she'd previously questioned the lofty goal to become president that he ultimately ended up achieving. The 61-year-old made the remark Wednesday on the latest episode of her podcast IMO, which she hosts with her brother Craig Robinson. Michelle's jibe came after guest Victoria Monét talked about ambition and being embarrassed to share her dreams to become a singer. Michelle agreed with the singer's admission, likening it to Barack's goals of a presidential run. 'It's like my husband,' she quipped. '"I want to be president of the United States"' 'It's like "no, you might want to keep that to yourself honey,"' Michelle said. The former first lady's wisecrack will likely spark pushback, given it was Barack's hard work and ambition that made Michelle one of the most famous and beloved women in the world. His successful presidential run also helped deposit tens of millions of dollars in the couple's joint bank account after they left the White House. Upon entering office, the Obama's had an estimated net worth of $1.3 million. By the time Barack handed over the keys to Donald Trump in 2017, his fortune had reportedly skyrocketed to more than $12 million. The couple have both released memoirs, signed a production deal with Netflix and are regularly engaged to participate in speaking events across the nation. The barb comes as divorce rumors continue to swirl around the couple's 33-year-old marriage, which weathered an eight year stint in the White House between 2009 and 2017. The mom-of-two also spoke about her own career ambitions and taking risks during the episode. Michelle, who attended Harvard Law School before working for a prestigious Chicago law firm, spoke of her 'soul crushing' first job and why she never went back. 'When I came out of law school, I went into a big corporate firm because I went to Harvard and had a lot of debt and that's what you did,' she told Robinson and their guest Victoria Monet. 'I was there for two years, pretty miserable, not because of the place, but because the work was kind of soul crushing to me but I realized I hadn't tried anything else,' she explained. 'And I left and started working in city government and public service and each job , while it paid less, it had me working with people,' the former first lady continued. 'So that year turned into two years, and from that job, you know, working for the deputy chief of staff to working and planning and development and before you know it I was away from law and I've never gone back.' The Obamas met in 1988 when the future president took a job at a law firm in Chicago for the summer where Michelle was already working. The couple have been married for almost 33 years and share daughters, Malia, 26, and Sasha, 24. Over the past few months they have faced ongoing rumors about their marriage status. The rumor mill swirled after her decision to skip both Jimmy Carter's funeral and President Donald Trump's inauguration - with Michelle insisting they were decisions she made for herself. Her absence at the high-profile political events stoked divorce rumors, as did President Obama's admission in April that he was in a 'deep deficit' with his wife. Last week, the couple addressed the speculation that their relationship is on the rocks, When Barack appeared on his wife and brother-in-law's podcast. The pair wasted no time in addressing the rumors of their separation, with Michelle joking that it was nice to be in the same room as her husband, sassily telling her brother: 'When we aren't, folks think we're divorced.' In May, Michelle set the record straight during a podcast with entrepreneur and investor Steven Bartlett following speculation over the former first couple's recent public appearances 'If I were having problems with my husband, everybody would know about it,' she told the host, laughing. She added that she's 'not a martyr' and joked about how she would address such marital strife publicly. Last week, Michelle made a frank admission about life at home with husband after spending months dodging divorce rumors. The mom-of-two shared the insight about being an empty nester with a husband who is no longer serving as the President of the United States on Wednesday's episode of her podcast, IMO, which she hosts with older brother Craig Robinson. 'I mean at this stage in life for me, personally, is the first time I've been completely free,' the mother-of-two told guest Julia Louis-Dreyfus. 'There's been a release where every choice I make is not about my husband, not about his career, not about my family, not about what my kids need or where they're going, it's totally about me,' she admitted, quipping: 'This is when we start living ladies.'


The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
Jenna Ortega feels she is ‘incredibly misunderstood' by the public's perception of her
Jenna Ortega, star of Wednesday, has expressed her discomfort and fear when meeting fans, particularly grown men. She revealed experiencing verbal abuse in public, including being called a 'c*** whore' in front of her mother. Ortega feels 'incredibly misunderstood' by the public and believes her name no longer belongs to her due to assumptions. She previously stated that the pressure and attention from Wednesday's success made her an 'unhappy person'. The first season of Wednesday broke Netflix viewing records upon its release in 2022.


Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Never Have I Ever star Maitreyi Ramakrishnan doesn't look like this anymore, see her now as a glam adult
Never Have I Ever star Maitreyi Ramakrishnan started on the popular series when she was 18-years-old. On her beloved show, which was a high school comedy-drama show co-created by Mindy Kaling, she looked young with hardly any makeup on. There was no glam to her as she faced teen problems like fighting with mom and landing a date with her crush. The first season dropped in 2020 and three seasons followed. These days Ramakrishnan is a stunning 23-year-old woman who likes to get glam for Hollywood events. She was last seen on the red carpet this week for the Lindsay Lohan movie Freakier Friday, in which she has a role. The star had on a plunging pale purple gown that went to the floor as she added a diamond necklace and earrings and a gold nose piercing. Her long black hair was worn down over one shoulder. Ramakrishnan told ET's Cassie DiLaura at the world premiere of Freakier Friday that she plays a pop star named Ella in the long-awaited sequel. The movie is in theaters on August. 8. Next up for Maitreyi is a Bollywood-themed project for Netflix titledBest of the Best. Never Have I Ever was a launching pad for Ramakrishnan. Ramakrishnan, a Canadian actress who like Mindy has Tamil roots, led the cast as bookish teen Devi who is bent on 'rebranding' as cool. As her sophomore year kicks off she wants to be a 'normal teen' with a 'status-enhancing' boyfriend and a sex life. Her mother Nalini, who like Mindy's mother is a doctor, tells her: 'Normal teenagers end up in prison, or worse, working in Jersey Mike's.' Nalini is portrayed by Poorna Jagannathan, known to US audiences from the HBO mini-series The Night Of and Bollywood viewers from the film Delhi Belly. Devi attempts her 'rebranding' exercise all while fumbling in her attempts to cope with the recent death of her father from a sudden heart attack. The cast includes Ramona Young, Lee Rodriguez, Jaren Lewison and Darren Barnet, with Niecy Nash in a recurring role and tennis star John McEnroe narrating. Although Mindy Kaling produced NHIE and co-created it with Lang Fisher, she did not not have a starring role in it herself.