Jonno Stubbs, who survived a 50ft fall down a well at his property in Cheadle, Staffordshire, has been reunited with the firefighter who rescued him. The pair met on Monday, months after the incident, when Stubbs personally thanked Jack Gaskell for saving his life.
Stubbs suffered multiple injuries in the fall in February and faces a long recovery. After spending months trying to track down Gaskell, he arranged a meeting at Knutsford Fire Station, where the two shared stories of the incident and reflected on the rescue.
Rescue operation details
Gaskell, a member of Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service's Technical Rescue Unit, was among the firefighters called to assist Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service. He was lowered into the confined space, where he reassured Stubbs, fitted him with a rescue harness, and helped bring him safely back to the surface.
For Gaskell, who has served in the fire service for 22 years, the reunion was a first. He said: "In 22 years in the fire service, I've never had anyone reach out and find me after an incident. To have Jonno get in touch and show his appreciation really meant a lot."
Emotional reunion
Speaking about the meeting, Gaskell added: "We do this job to help people. We go to an incident, do everything we can to make a difference and then move on to the next call. You don't often get the chance to see somebody again afterwards. Meeting Jonno and seeing how far he's come since the rescue was really special."
Stubbs told the BBC: "If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be sitting here today. I just walked across the yard and the next thing I knew, I was dropping down this hole and seeing this big disc of light getting smaller and smaller. I thought my time was up, then there was a big splash. I was in a lot of water, freezing cold."
