Kealie Bulmer, her partner Kevin Austin and son Kyle dropped by Millbank Police Station to say thanks to student PC Ami Matthews & Inspector Simon Wotton The relieved parents of a schoolboy who suffered a fractured skull in a freak bicycle accident have been reunited with the officers who helped bring their son to safety. Kealie Bulmer and partner Kevin Austin feared the worst when they heard their 11-year-old son Kyle had come off his bike, ploughing through a hedge before plummeting 8 ft into a large pond. The accident in Sunderland’s Barnes Park was witnessed by student PC Ami Matthews and Inspector Simon Wotton, who had never met but both happened to be off-duty in the park on the afternoon in question – and quickly sprang into action. Ami – who was only inducted into the Force in March and is currently undergoing her two-year course to become a fully-fledged officer – took control and together with Simon helped to carry Kyle out of the water. Kyle suffered a fractured skull and eye socket as well as a broken collarbone and wrist in the incident – but thankfully is now on the mend. Last week, mum Kealie and dad Kevin visited Millbank Police Station along with Kyle to thank Ami and Simon personally – and passed on their praise to Area Commander Chief Superintendent Sarah Pitt. Kealie, 40, said: “Kyle was in a right state – his eye was totally closed and swollen, but it would have been so much worse had Ami and Simon not have been there. “Simon was able to do the heavy lifting and bring Kyle to safety while Ami did an amazing job in keeping him calm and managing the crowd that had started to gather. “When we got a call saying Kyle had come off his bike and the ambulance was on its way, my heart just sank – we feared the worst, as any parent would. “Thankfully Kyle is now slowly improving, but as a whole family – myself, Kevin and his older sister Abbey – we all wanted to thank Ami and Simon for what they did for our son. “They were so caring and compassionate, and we thought it was only right to say thank you to them personally.” Speaking about the incident, Ami – just six weeks into her qualification at the time of the incident – said: “The most important thing is that Kyle is OK. “I’d actually only just completed a first aid module a couple of weeks earlier, so that definitely helped. “I wanted to join the police because my husband always says I can never turn a blind eye to anything, I always want to do the right thing and help people – but I didn’t expect this to happen so early into my policing journey!” Ami and Simon have both since been presented with Commander’s Compliments by Chief Supt Pitt in recognition of their actions. We’re currently recruiting for officers and detectives so if you think you have the same mind-set and skills as Ami and Simon then search ‘Northumbria Police careers’ to see all of the available entry routes and get your career with #TeamNP started.
