Tyrone GAA injury: 'I knew it was my ankle but I didn’t think an Air Ambulance would be called'

Medics from an Air Ambulance were called to a  serious injury during a Tyrone IFC semi-final at Healy Park. Image via @teamtalkmagLIVE

A Tyrone club footballer has spoken of his injury sustained in a Championship match over the weekend that brought the Air Ambulance onto the Healy Park pitch to attend to him.

Ryan Devine was playing in an Intermediate Championship semi-final for Owen Roes against Gortin. The game was only a matter of minutes old when he got tangled in the legs of an opponent by accident and his ankle was dislocated.

An ambulance was sent for but with none in the locality, the Air Ambulance attended the call out. Much to Devine’s gratitude they were able to put his ankle back into place but he will now attend Altnagelvin Hospital for an MRI scan to find out if his ankle or leg has been broken, once the swelling subsides.

“I wasn’t expecting that. I knew it was my ankle but I didn’t think an Air Ambulance would be called,” he said.

“I am not doing too bad, my pain is not too bad. I am happy enough that way.

“On the pitch, the ambulance people thought it was a fracture dislocation. But by the time I got to the hospital it was swelling so bad so I don’t even know if it is broken yet. It was definitely dislocated but I don’t know if it was broken.

“I was running along with a player and I went to turn, our legs got tangled up and whatever way our legs tangled, before I hit the ground, the ankle was gone at that stage.

“We both fell, but before I landed I was already gone. It was a freak accident, really.

“I am glad that the Air Ambulance people were able to put the ankle back into place on the pitch. The doctors in Altnagelvin were saying about how well they had done their job, they had all the hard work done by the time I got there.” 

The Air Ambulance was not able to bring him to hospital because of an issue with failing light, but their responders gave him the reassurance of travelling by road with his ankle in some level of comfort.

Having injured his cruciate ligament before, Devine is no stranger to serious injury and the game itself was called off. Waiting for the winners in the final are Moortown, who beat The Rock in the other semi-final. The replay of Owen Roes and Gortin will now take place this Saturday and there will be an opportunity to make a donation to the Air Ambulance NI fund.

“It’s all voluntarily funded. I know all our ones in the club will be keen to support them on Saturday,” Devine said.

“What they do is amazing. Only for them, I would have had to travel to Derry with my ankle still dislocated.”