'I certainly thought my number was up': William back on the farm after devastating accident

William Tait thought his ‘number was up’ after enduring a freak accident — but medical intervention in his kitchen and beyond saved his life

William Tait on his farm in Ballinrostig, Co Cork. Picture: David Keane.

Farmer William Tait recalls his remarkable survival story after an accident on his farm almost two years ago, which saw him slipping on a wet day and getting caught in a Power Take Off (PTO), which caused serious physical damage to his chest and stomach, with broken limbs and heavy bleeding and blood loss. 

Eoin Fogarty, a Consultant in Emergency Medicine and Retrieval Consultant, was part of the rapid response team that gave William early blood transfusions at the scene which was key in saving William’s life. William was patched up on the farm and taken by air ambulance to Cork University Hospital (CUH), where they managed to instigate his recovery, miraculously without any invasive surgery.