A MAN who suffered serious burns after catching fire for a whole minute has had an emotional reunion with the ambulance crew that helped save his life.

Dean Beggs’ arms and face were badly burned after a workplace fire in January. The incident saw him engulfed in flames after opening a door and causing a backdraft explosion

In a state of panic, the 22-year-old team leader, from Linwood, was forced to dash for the nearest water source he could find – a muddy puddle.

He frantically jumped in and rolled about, desperate to douse the flames as they scorched three layers of clothes off his body.

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A colleague dialled 999 and ambulance crews dashed to the scene shortly afterwards.

Reliving the horror of the day, Dead said: “My face and arms were on fire – my clothes melted off my arm pretty quickly. I just remember bouncing off a container, landing and seeing I had no sleeves.

“The crews seemed to arrive all at the same time – I was given oxygen straight away and, from the very first moment, I knew I was in good hands.

“The paramedics who attended couldn’t have done anymore and made my horrific injury easier to deal with thanks to their care.

“I think they were all wondering how to get me into the ambulance without touching me. It was very, very painful.”

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Dean, who is due to get married next year to Kayleigh McDonald, was rushed straight to surgery at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary. He spent five days in intensive care, then two weeks in the burns unit, before he was discharged three weeks after the incident.

He has had skin grafts on both hands and still visits the burns unit, as well as a psychologist. Once home, he was assisted by his fiancé throughout his recovery, which is still ongoing.

Dean added: “It’s still painful – my skin is tight and simple tasks are difficult. It’s painful all day, every day.

“I don’t sleep at all, really – I can’t remember the last time I slept well. There’s no escape from it. It’s all still quite raw. I didn’t know if I was going to make it.”

Thankful to be alive, Dean decided to reach out to the Scottish Ambulance Service staff who helped him.

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He recently had an emotional reunion with three members; Suzie Thomson, of the trauma team, technician Craig McLean and paramedic Gaye McLean, both based at Greenock.

Neil Sinclair, of the trauma team, also assisted Dean on the day of the accident.

Dean said: “It was a good end to a horrific story. Getting to see the team who helped – I suppose you could say – save my life, was quite emotional and I was taken back and was shaking when I first saw them.

“I’m not normally like that - I couldn’t think of the words to describe how grateful I was for their fast response and help. It’s overwhelming how quick they got there. I could easily not be here if they weren’t so quick.

“I would just like to say a massive thank you to the Scottish Ambulance Service for their assistance and all the surgeons, nurses and doctors who helped me in my recovery - I wouldn’t be the person I am today if it wasn’t for the NHS.”