Prince William flies to rescue woman now fighting for life

Prince William flies to rescue woman now fighting for life

Prince William flew to rescue a missing woman on his last shift as an air ambulance pilot after a police van out searching for her ended up running her over.

William, who will now take up royal duties full time, flew the unnamed victim to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge where she is in a critical condition today.

The pedestrian, who is in her 50s, was hit by a police van responding to a 999 call to find her on the B1135 Wymondham Road in Hethel, about eight miles south-west of Norwich, at 10.20pm last night.

Norfolk Police have called in the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) to investigate how officers out trying to find a missing woman managed to knock her down and leave her fighting for her life.

A mile-long stretch of the B1135 remains closed today as investigators study the crash scene. 

A Norfolk Police spokesman said: 'Officers were in the area responding to a 999 call relating to concerns for the safety of a woman who had been reported missing.

'The road was closed while initial scene investigations were carried out and remains closed this morning.

'In accordance with normal procedure, Norfolk Police has referred the matter to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.' 

The Duke of Cambridge attended the incident on his final night shift as a pilot with the East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA).

William and Kate are reportedly hoping to expand their own Royal Foundation charity and want to focus more on causes like mental health.

The Duke and Duchess, along with Prince Harry, have lent their support to helping people battle mental health issues and launched the Heads Together campaign last year.

They will move from their primary resident at Amner Hall in Norfolk to an apartment in Kensington Palace in London with their two children George and Charlotte.

An EAAA spokesman said: 'The EAAA crew, which last night included William, attended an incident south of Norwich which involved a road traffic collision-related injury, and a patient was treated at scene for severe head injuries then treated at Addenbrooke's Hospital.'

The East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST) said it was called at 10.25pm on Thursday and two land ambulances, the East Anglian Air Ambulance and an ambulance officer were sent to the scene.

An ambulance service spokesman said: 'They treated a woman in her 50s who had suffered serious head and leg injuries.

'She was airlifted to Addenbrooke's Hospital in a life-threatening condition.'

A spokesman for the Independent Police Complaints Commission said: 'An incident involving a collision between a police vehicle and a pedestrian on Wymondham Road, Norfolk, on July 27 has been referred to the IPCC and an independent investigation was launched at 8am this morning.

'IPCC officers have been deployed to the scene.'

A Norfolk Police spokesman said the woman struck by the van was the missing woman officers were searching for.

The air ambulance was called at 11.13pm and the woman was treated at the scene for complex serious head injuries.

The air ambulance medical team administered a general anaesthetic and took control of the patient's breathing.

The critical care team transferred the patient to Addenbrooke's Hospital for further treatment. The team returned to the Cambridge base at 1.30am. 

Earlier Prince William has been spotted landing his helicopter in a park.

The Duke of Cambridge set down at the Templars Gate Estate in Royston, Hertfordshire to treat a patient on his last day with the charity.

William was seen sitting in the helicopter at around 7.05pm after attending an emergency call out with the East Anglian branch of the charity.

The heir to the throne spoke about the horror of witnessing 'things that cannot be unseen' ahead of his final shift as an air ambulance pilot.

The Royal told of his pride at serving with a team who 'save lives across the region every day' but have experiences they have to 'carry with them for life'.

He arrived ten minutes early for his 4.30pm night shift at Cambridge Airport and his final briefing as a pilot with East Anglia Air Ambulance.

Dressed in a regulation blue flight suit with his name William Wales on the breast, he attended two hand-over briefings from the flying and medical day teams, who had just returned from a call-out.

He jokingly told colleagues: 'You're handing over to the A-Team.'

The prince joined the East Anglian Air Ambulance service in March 2015, after serving for nearly five years as a helicopter pilot with the RAF Search and Rescue Force.

He began piloting his first missions with a team of specialist doctors and critical care paramedics in July that year. He is thought to have responded to hundreds of call-outs, from road accidents and heart attacks to suicide attempts.

In an open letter yesterday, he wrote: 'I have the utmost respect for the job that our emergency services carry out, without fuss, on a daily basis.