A little boy who was "internally decapitated" and not expected to survive the same horrific road crash which killed his mother and great-grandmother has met the aircrew which saved his life.

Logan Murdoch, from Carlisle, was left in a serious condition after the collision on the A595 at Newby Cross, to the west of the city.

His mother, Hayley Murdoch, 29, and great-grandmother Sheila Dixon, 70, died in the crash on February 23 when their car collided with a van. Sheila’s husband, Jonah Dixon, was also seriously injured.

Logan, his father John Murdoch, and grandmother Karen Rooney, visited the Great North Air Ambulance Service's (GNAAS) Langwathby airbase to meet doctor Laura Duffy and paramedic Colin Clark who were flown to the scene in the immediate aftermath of the incident.

Miss Rooney, 52, of Castlesteads, Carlisle, said: “I lost my mother and my daughter. It’s been horrendous. A nightmare. There are no words to describe how I’ve felt. Without Logan, I wouldn’t have got through this.”

Logan suffered an internal decapitation - a separation of the spinal column from the base of the skull, as well as brain injuries, a punctured lung and a broken collar bone. He was not breathing when the GNAAS crew arrived at the incident.

The youngster was resuscitated at the roadside before being taken to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle.


Logan Murdoch GNAAS' Dr Duffy said: "Logan was one of our ‘unexpected survivors.’ That means that statistically, with the injuries he sustained, he was unlikely to survive."

Mr Murdoch, 32, a roof fitter, said: “It’s been like hell. That’s the only way I can describe it. Devastating.”

Miss Rooney continued: “Hayley was my only child. She was my world and best friend. When I lost her, a part of me died too. My grief for her has taken over everything in my life.

“My mother Sheila was kind and generous. She was a bubbly person. Her family were her everything. We miss them both so much.

“Logan is the gift Hayley left me. He is the only thing that keeps me going in this tragedy.”

Logan has since gone on to make a full recovery.