0:00:02 > 0:00:05When you're with someone that's seriously injured,
0:00:05 > 0:00:10every minute you wait for medical aid feels like an hour,
0:00:10 > 0:00:14so a helicopter can be one of the most beautiful sights in the world.
0:00:14 > 0:00:20This is the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and their business is saving lives.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43From the dales to the big cities of Leeds and Sheffield,
0:00:43 > 0:00:51patients in the UK's biggest county are ten minutes from a hospital, thanks to this 150mph life-saver.
0:00:51 > 0:00:56And every day brings a new life or death emergency for its paramedics.
0:00:56 > 0:01:01Two helicopters, four paramedics, five million patients!
0:01:01 > 0:01:07Today on Helicopter Heroes, a sports car takes off and hits a roadside building.
0:01:07 > 0:01:11- Now two people are trapped. - She's very cold.
0:01:12 > 0:01:17Three motorcyclists badly need help high in the dales.
0:01:17 > 0:01:22Several motorcycles went into the wagon as they went round the corner.
0:01:22 > 0:01:28- There's an accident with a saw and a man loses his hand. - It's taken most of his fingers off.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31Can surgeons sew it back on?
0:01:31 > 0:01:36And Daz saves a woman in a diabetic coma with an old-fashioned remedy.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39Can you get me some jam and bread?
0:01:42 > 0:01:48This is the type of transport I'd like to have if I could afford the tax disc,
0:01:48 > 0:01:54but a high-performance vehicle like this has its dangers, as one couple found out near Bradford.
0:01:54 > 0:02:01On one of West Yorkshire's busiest motorways, an open-top sports car has had a huge accident.
0:02:01 > 0:02:07It's the M606 that goes from Bradford down to the M62. It's a Ferrari or it could be a Porsche.
0:02:07 > 0:02:13In minutes, Helimed 98 are in the air and will soon be at the scene.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15Bradford is only three minutes away.
0:02:15 > 0:02:22This is a bad one. The Porsche has hit the side of a factory building and landed upside down.
0:02:22 > 0:02:26The two people inside are trapped and can't get out.
0:02:26 > 0:02:28It's off the road.
0:02:28 > 0:02:33The crew are quickly overhead. Their response time is so quick,
0:02:33 > 0:02:37the police haven't had time to shut the motorway
0:02:37 > 0:02:43for the chopper to land, so Plan B is to land in the nearby industrial estate.
0:02:43 > 0:02:49- In the middle of the car park? - Come down like that, you're fine.
0:02:49 > 0:02:54Paramedic Paul Bradbury knows that when a car comes off a motorway,
0:02:54 > 0:02:59it usually means serious injuries and he sprints towards the scene,
0:02:59 > 0:03:05but he's about to find a big obstacle between him and his patients.
0:03:05 > 0:03:09Or a ladder. The motorway's not been closed down yet,
0:03:09 > 0:03:13so we couldn't land. The nearest place was this warehousing complex.
0:03:13 > 0:03:18Unfortunately, we've got a lock on the metal gate.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22The fire service will get the bolt croppers and we'll get through.
0:03:22 > 0:03:29It's hugely frustrating. Paul's stuck behind the metal gates, but his patients could be deteriorating.
0:03:29 > 0:03:34It's not good news. The two people inside the car are still trapped.
0:03:34 > 0:03:40Paul decides he can't wait for the fire crews and finds his own way over the fence.
0:03:40 > 0:03:46He has found a way to the scene of the accident, but now Paul must find a way to free the couple.
0:03:46 > 0:03:53The problem is that where that is, we're working on the theory of getting some big winches over.
0:03:53 > 0:03:58But we're gonna have to hold it there while we get 'em out.
0:03:58 > 0:04:05Helen Rowley and Paul Williamson are trapped between their seats and a muddy drainage channel.
0:04:05 > 0:04:11The soft top was ripped off and although both seem to have escaped serious injury,
0:04:11 > 0:04:13they are in a dangerous situation.
0:04:13 > 0:04:20The car has a full fuel tank and rain water is draining into the space where they're pinned.
0:04:20 > 0:04:28The fire service have got a special tender and they can winch this car from where it is up on its side.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31Obviously, it's in a precarious position.
0:04:31 > 0:04:38The plan is to pull the car up, so paramedic Paul can get under the car to treat the couple.
0:04:38 > 0:04:40And they need to be quick.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44She's starting to feel dizzy. She's very cold.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47We'll try and get her a space blanket.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52I'll throw it. Can you reach it if I throw it?
0:04:52 > 0:04:56- Got a blanket round Helen yet? - Just doing it now.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59This is a very dangerous situation.
0:04:59 > 0:05:05A fireman has crawled underneath the front of the car to talk to Helen and Paul.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09Fire crews are hastily attaching the winch to lift the car up.
0:05:09 > 0:05:16There may be concerned faces outside the car, but inside, Helen and Paul are keeping remarkably calm.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19Are you still talking, you two?
0:05:19 > 0:05:24- I've got bad cramp.- Helen's got a head injury and you've got cramp!
0:05:24 > 0:05:28Eh? That's a typical bloke, that is, Helen!
0:05:28 > 0:05:33- I tell you! His cramp will be worse than your head injury!- Like man flu!
0:05:33 > 0:05:37The feet are both on the ground. They're on this itself.
0:05:37 > 0:05:42So what if you start taking it up? They're not gonna go anywhere?
0:05:42 > 0:05:48Helen and Paul have been trapped inside their upturned Porsche for over half an hour
0:05:48 > 0:05:53and although they both seem OK, Paul is worried they could go into shock.
0:05:53 > 0:06:00The only way to free Helen and Paul is to lift the car up and with them still trapped underneath,
0:06:00 > 0:06:02that is a risky manoeuvre.
0:06:02 > 0:06:06We're just gonna take the tension in these wires.
0:06:06 > 0:06:13We don't want the car to fall back and crush the two patients. So the fire service is chocking it up.
0:06:17 > 0:06:22Coming up, Paul risks his own safety to reach his trapped patients.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25You just get in and do your job.
0:06:27 > 0:06:31The chopper touches down in a housing estate to rescue a handyman.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34Can't find any other digits.
0:06:35 > 0:06:43Daz goes back on the road to treat a retired miner whose time down the pit is catching up with him.
0:06:43 > 0:06:45How's your breathing? Is it better?
0:06:51 > 0:06:59Bikers love an empty, twisting road and the remote dales of Yorkshire attract riders from 100 miles away.
0:06:59 > 0:07:03But some routes aren't as idyllic as they seem.
0:07:04 > 0:07:09Helimed 99 is on its way to help an injured motorist in the dales.
0:07:09 > 0:07:14It's an RTA on the A65, Ingleton.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18- 16 minutes, Tony.- 16?- Yeah.
0:07:18 > 0:07:23Just to let you know we're en route to Cowan Bridge near Kirkby Lonsdale.
0:07:23 > 0:07:2930 miles away, there's been another accident and it's a bad one.
0:07:29 > 0:07:36On a country lane near Sedbergh, four prison officers enjoying a day out on their motorbikes
0:07:36 > 0:07:38have collided with a lorry.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41I'll stand you down from that one.
0:07:41 > 0:07:47Air Ambulance Dispatcher Dave Gardner diverts the crew and they're on their way.
0:07:47 > 0:07:53It's on the A684 near Garsdale, Sedbergh to Garsdale.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56Three motorcycles and a lorry.
0:07:56 > 0:08:03Just to let you know, Helimed 58, obviously, Cumbria, are asking for a second air ambulance.
0:08:03 > 0:08:10It's chaos with the injured bikers and the wreckage of their bikes strewn across the narrow lane.
0:08:10 > 0:08:17One air ambulance is already on the scene, but with four seriously injured patients, they need back-up.
0:08:17 > 0:08:24In the remote area that it is, they've got a critical patient that needs taken from site quickly.
0:08:24 > 0:08:28A second patient and there may even be a third patient.
0:08:28 > 0:08:33They must have made an assessment and they need air transport.
0:08:33 > 0:08:38They've provided the initial response and we're there to back 'em up.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42- Is that a helicopter there? - Yeah, it is.
0:08:43 > 0:08:48- Yeah, it's just at our 11 o'clock on the main road.- OK.
0:08:48 > 0:08:55Within minutes, they're over the scene and a field in the dales is about to become a makeshift helipad.
0:08:55 > 0:09:00Steve Cobb parks a safe distance from the Great North Air Ambulance
0:09:00 > 0:09:04and Tony and Lee quickly make their way towards the scene.
0:09:04 > 0:09:10It's clear emergency crews have been waiting for them and they're just in time.
0:09:11 > 0:09:18Looks quite a nasty incident and several motorcycles went into the wagon as they went round the corner.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20I'll be back in a second.
0:09:20 > 0:09:24Paramedic Tony starts with the basics.
0:09:24 > 0:09:30- What's your name, matey?- Ian. - What's your surname?- Walton. I'm in agony, I'm sorry.
0:09:30 > 0:09:34This is an accident any motorcyclist dreads.
0:09:34 > 0:09:41The bikers were riding along the narrow lane when they faced a ten-ton lorry on a blind bend.
0:09:41 > 0:09:46One crashed and slid under the lorry. Another hit it head-on.
0:09:46 > 0:09:52Another biker and his pillion collided with it before hitting a dry-stone wall.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54Amazingly, they're all still alive.
0:09:54 > 0:09:59I'll just give you some oxygen, matey. Head up slightly.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01I came up this end,
0:10:01 > 0:10:04got waved down, so I stopped.
0:10:04 > 0:10:11I came up and three of my friends had been in an accident. Well, four, cos a lady was on pillion.
0:10:11 > 0:10:18- How bad is this pain now? If it was six before, what are we talking about now?- Seven.- Seven.
0:10:18 > 0:10:23Helimed 99 will take the most seriously injured biker, Ian Walton.
0:10:23 > 0:10:28He's got several broken bones and may have serious internal injuries.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31We've requested a trauma team.
0:10:31 > 0:10:35He's got bilateral arm fractures, a knee injury,
0:10:35 > 0:10:40and he could have other things which we've not yet found out about.
0:10:40 > 0:10:47The accident is putting huge pressure on the emergency services. More ground ambulances are en route.
0:10:47 > 0:10:51Lee and Tony want to get Ian to hospital quickly.
0:10:51 > 0:10:56The nearest hospital's helipad only has room for one helicopter,
0:10:56 > 0:11:02but with two seriously injured bikers, Lee must come up with a solution and fast.
0:11:02 > 0:11:10Can you just liaise with Dave, where that next landing site is? Great North were gonna go to Lancaster.
0:11:14 > 0:11:21Coming up, they're on one of the most remote roads in England, but where can they take their patient?
0:11:21 > 0:11:26The team treats a trapped couple to a little light humour.
0:11:26 > 0:11:31- Is it a Cabriolet you're in? - A convertible, yeah.- It is now!
0:11:33 > 0:11:39And I join paramedic Daz on a ground shift in one of Yorkshire's toughest mining towns.
0:11:45 > 0:11:49A helicopter ride is something few people forget.
0:11:49 > 0:11:55Most of them have no idea they're gonna need it until something unexpected happens
0:11:55 > 0:11:58and leaves them in urgent need of medical help.
0:11:58 > 0:12:04In a quiet cul-de-sac on the outskirts of Bradford, there's been a gruesome accident.
0:12:04 > 0:12:11The owners of this house were doing home improvements when they hired a handyman to shift some wood.
0:12:11 > 0:12:16He was using this power saw when he severed most of his left hand.
0:12:16 > 0:12:21Right across his fingers, right across there in a circular motion.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24We've just got a bit of tissue.
0:12:24 > 0:12:28I've packed it out and given him a lot of pain relief.
0:12:28 > 0:12:34Neighbours ran out to find him staggering into the street with blood pouring from his arm.
0:12:34 > 0:12:39We just ran over once it happened. He said, "I've chopped my hand off!"
0:12:39 > 0:12:44I didn't know whether... I didn't know what he'd done at first.
0:12:44 > 0:12:49But when I saw that he had done it bad, then I got lots of towels.
0:12:49 > 0:12:56Ten years ago, Steve McGraffin would have had little hope of regaining the use of his lost fingers.
0:12:56 > 0:13:03But the Helimed team and advanced microsurgery could yet save his hand.
0:13:03 > 0:13:07We don't know if there are any contaminants on the hand.
0:13:07 > 0:13:13These days, the techniques are fantastic. It depends on the nature of the injury.
0:13:13 > 0:13:19The patient's daughter Sarah rushed around after hearing of the accident.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22Steve has to tell her the bad news.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24- His hand?- Yeah.
0:13:24 > 0:13:30Steve personally doubts whether her dad's hand can be saved, but they'll give it a go.
0:13:30 > 0:13:35Both the patient and his family know the odds aren't good,
0:13:35 > 0:13:40but Helimed 99's crew will save Steve's hand if they can.
0:13:40 > 0:13:45They're heading into a densely populated housing estate,
0:13:45 > 0:13:52but pilot Steve Cobb is a local lad and he knows there's a helipad less than 200 yards from the scene.
0:13:52 > 0:13:56It's just 15 minutes since the accident.
0:13:56 > 0:14:02Ground paramedics gave Steve painkillers, but they have barely had time to start working.
0:14:02 > 0:14:07- The four fingers are off. Completely across there.- Thumb still on?- No.
0:14:07 > 0:14:12- What's his pain score? - Pain score's ten.- Ten?- Ten.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15We've tried a bit of morphine.
0:14:15 > 0:14:20He's going to LGI. Just making sure we go to the primary landing site.
0:14:20 > 0:14:26But if the team can get him to the Advanced Microsurgery Unit at Leeds General Infirmary,
0:14:26 > 0:14:29there's a chance it can be re-attached.
0:14:29 > 0:14:35There's no time to waste. 48-year-old Steve's hand has been wrapped in a plastic bag.
0:14:35 > 0:14:38It's slowly dying.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41It's a single piece of tissue.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44- All in one...? - He just cut that section off.
0:14:44 > 0:14:49Somewhere like that. I can't find any other separate digits.
0:14:49 > 0:14:53- Just one piece of... - It's in a bag?- It's in a bag.
0:14:53 > 0:14:57- And in ice.- With some ice. Cool. Thank you.
0:14:57 > 0:15:01Steve, do you understand what's happening?
0:15:01 > 0:15:07We're taking you to Leeds General Infirmary to get your hand put back on if we can.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10We're about two, three minutes away.
0:15:10 > 0:15:15Just preparing some more morphine for him. He's in quite a bit of pain.
0:15:15 > 0:15:20We want him to be as comfortable as we can get him before we travel.
0:15:20 > 0:15:24As Helimed 99 lifts off, ten miles away in the middle of Leeds,
0:15:24 > 0:15:31plastic surgeon Rob Winterton is gathering his team together to try and save Steve's hand.
0:15:31 > 0:15:38There is a lot of evidence which tells us that the quicker we can get an amputated part and re-attach it,
0:15:38 > 0:15:44the better chance of success we have, so the fact that he was helicoptered in very quickly,
0:15:44 > 0:15:49everybody in the hospital was mobilised very quickly,
0:15:49 > 0:15:54allowed us to get the blood supply to the hand as quickly as possible.
0:15:54 > 0:16:02This is a hugely complex operation and it involves a large number of medics and support staff.
0:16:02 > 0:16:06It's a huge number of people that get pretty quickly involved.
0:16:06 > 0:16:11On the day, probably 40 people would have been directly involved
0:16:11 > 0:16:14in looking after Stephen.
0:16:14 > 0:16:20A week later and Steve has now been back to the operating theatre several times
0:16:20 > 0:16:24as the team have tried to re-attach his hand.
0:16:24 > 0:16:29I thought I'd lost a finger. Then I realised my hand had disappeared.
0:16:29 > 0:16:34Everything from the wrist down had gone. Imagine how much blood's about!
0:16:34 > 0:16:41Given that his hand arrived in a carrier bag, it is remarkable that the surgeons were able to save it.
0:16:43 > 0:16:47I've lost two of the fingers. They died.
0:16:47 > 0:16:51But my small finger and my ring finger, they managed to save.
0:16:51 > 0:16:55They've now been sewn back on in the right position.
0:16:55 > 0:16:59I thought I were gonna end up with just a stump.
0:16:59 > 0:17:0412 months down the line, I might have the best part of a hand back.
0:17:04 > 0:17:11Because Steve's injury was so severe, Rob Winterton had to attach Steve's fingers to his forearm
0:17:11 > 0:17:16to keep them alive before putting them back on to his hand.
0:17:16 > 0:17:20It's something the Leeds team has done before.
0:17:20 > 0:17:26Rather than putting the fingers back in their anatomical position poking out of the end of his hand,
0:17:26 > 0:17:31we felt that the blood vessels to the fingers weren't good enough,
0:17:31 > 0:17:38so we re-attached them into the wrist where we knew the blood vessels were of better quality,
0:17:38 > 0:17:44so we could keep the fingers alive and try another day to put them back on the end of the hand.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46And it's not over yet.
0:17:46 > 0:17:51Steve has no thumb. But the surgeons have a back-up plan.
0:17:51 > 0:17:58One of the ways which is popular and we're keen on in this hospital is to use the second toe from either foot.
0:17:58 > 0:18:04You can take it off the foot and micro-surgically implant it into the hand.
0:18:04 > 0:18:10That survives on the hand and we re-attach the blood supply. And that acts just like a thumb.
0:18:10 > 0:18:15And Steve knows that it's speed and skill that saved his hand -
0:18:15 > 0:18:22the speed of the helicopter and the paramedics and the skills of the surgeons that put it together again.
0:18:22 > 0:18:27I don't think I'd have had any sort of a hand if it hadn't been for them
0:18:27 > 0:18:31with the speed that they got across to Leeds.
0:18:31 > 0:18:35I couldn't have got anywhere else fast enough, to anywhere,
0:18:35 > 0:18:40not even to a local hospital, to have any chance of saving anything.
0:18:46 > 0:18:53Coming up, there's a near miss as Helimed 99 meets the RAF on a high-speed dash to hospital.
0:18:54 > 0:18:59And Daz saves the life of a patient who has lapsed into a coma.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01Open your eyes. Hello!
0:19:07 > 0:19:11Let's get back to West Yorkshire as the team struggle
0:19:11 > 0:19:15to reach a couple trapped in their upturned Porsche.
0:19:15 > 0:19:22It's a dramatic scene. The Porsche has come off the motorway and hit the side of a factory
0:19:22 > 0:19:25before landing upside down.
0:19:25 > 0:19:31Paul Williamson and his partner Helen Rowley are trapped between the seats of their Porsche
0:19:31 > 0:19:35and a muddy culvert has been slowly filling with water.
0:19:35 > 0:19:42Now their rescue teams must work out how they are going to move the car without injuring them further.
0:19:42 > 0:19:46She's feeling dizzy. She's very cold.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49We'll take the tension in these wires.
0:19:49 > 0:19:54We don't want the car to fall back and crush the two patients.
0:19:54 > 0:20:01The fire service is chocking it up at this side, so if anything moves, it falls back onto the wood.
0:20:01 > 0:20:07We've got some airbags down, so anything falling lands on them and not the patients.
0:20:07 > 0:20:13They've been trapped for 45 minutes, so shock could be a problem.
0:20:13 > 0:20:18Paul wants to find out from the driver how the accident happened.
0:20:18 > 0:20:22It may help him work out what injuries they have.
0:20:22 > 0:20:28- Did you lose it on the corner? - I were going in a straight line and it just went off the road.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32- And I was only going about 60 miles an hour.- Right.
0:20:32 > 0:20:37- Is it a Cabriolet you're in? - A convertible, yeah.- It is now!
0:20:37 > 0:20:43The plan is to winch the car up and support it underneath with airbags,
0:20:43 > 0:20:50so paramedic Paul can scramble underneath the car and free Helen and Paul, but it's very dangerous.
0:20:50 > 0:20:57The wall is bowed in, so they're worried about the wall collapsing, as well as removing the car.
0:20:57 > 0:21:01They're trying to secure it on one side, so when they tip it,
0:21:01 > 0:21:06it's not gonna slide down and trap the people even more.
0:21:06 > 0:21:10A fireman who has spent half an hour with the couple is exhausted,
0:21:10 > 0:21:17but finally, his colleagues begin to lift the car, allowing paramedic Paul to squeeze underneath.
0:21:17 > 0:21:21All that's stopping the car crushing paramedic and patients
0:21:21 > 0:21:27is a couple of cables, but the fire service know what they're doing.
0:21:27 > 0:21:33'You've got the smell of the petrol, it's damp, it's dark. The torches provided a little bit of light.
0:21:33 > 0:21:41'It's quite confined. You've got fluids dripping on you. Not somewhere you want to be
0:21:41 > 0:21:45if you're claustrophobic, but you just get in and do your job.
0:21:45 > 0:21:51Working in the dark and in cramped conditions, paramedic Paul manages to free Helen.
0:21:52 > 0:21:57And he's soon carefully manoeuvring her out from under the car.
0:21:57 > 0:22:03'Helen was quite anxious, as anyone would be stuck upside down in a car for an hour.'
0:22:03 > 0:22:10We decided to get Helen out. There was just enough room to free Helen from where she was on the floor.
0:22:10 > 0:22:14On a nylon sheet, I managed to get her out.
0:22:14 > 0:22:20It was three or four minutes from where she was at to being out and checked by an ambulance crew,
0:22:20 > 0:22:23so it was a good decision all round.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26Incredibly, Helen appears to be unhurt,
0:22:26 > 0:22:33but it is essential paramedic Simon immobilises her back and neck, in case she suffered a spinal injury.
0:22:33 > 0:22:40Helen will soon be receiving a full examination in hospital, but Paul is still trapped.
0:22:44 > 0:22:48Coming up, the operation to free Paul begins.
0:22:50 > 0:22:54And a biker crashes with his teenage son on the pillion.
0:22:54 > 0:22:58- What hospital?- Harrogate District. - Harrogate District.
0:23:04 > 0:23:08They don't call it the great outdoors for nothing.
0:23:08 > 0:23:12From the size of the hills to the distances back to the cities,
0:23:12 > 0:23:17everything about the UK's national parks is a bit large.
0:23:17 > 0:23:24On a narrow road in the Yorkshire Dales, three motorcyclists have been in a smash with a heavy lorry.
0:23:24 > 0:23:26They are lucky to be alive.
0:23:26 > 0:23:34We're just getting sorted out here. Great North are going to Lancaster Hospital with their patient.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37We're going to Harrogate, the next nearest.
0:23:37 > 0:23:43Ian Walton is seriously hurt. Both arms are broken and he is in severe pain.
0:23:43 > 0:23:47Helimed 99 is one of two air ambulance crews on the scene.
0:23:47 > 0:23:54We're gonna try and bring your feet together now. Tell me if there's any pain in your groin when I do this.
0:23:54 > 0:23:59The team try to relieve Ian's pain before going to the helicopter.
0:23:59 > 0:24:03Once we've got you all strapped, your pain will be a bit better.
0:24:05 > 0:24:07Ready, steady, lift.
0:24:09 > 0:24:16Across the road, medics from the Great North Air Ambulance are working on Ian's friend AD.
0:24:16 > 0:24:24He's in quite a bit of pain, but he's stable. We've splinted him and we're taking him to Lancaster Hospital.
0:24:24 > 0:24:30But there's a problem. Few hospitals can accept more than one helicopter at once.
0:24:30 > 0:24:34- We're going to Harrogate cos you're going to Lancaster?- Yeah.
0:24:34 > 0:24:37- Great stuff.- Cheers.- All right.
0:24:37 > 0:24:41I've never seen a bike with the front end completely off.
0:24:41 > 0:24:46Ian will have to be flown to a trauma unit over 40 miles away.
0:24:46 > 0:24:51It's a long journey, but for Helimed 99, it takes just under 20 minutes.
0:24:52 > 0:24:54'Yeah, go ahead, mate.'
0:24:54 > 0:24:59- Yeah, just on our way down. - 'Yeah, we're ready for you here.'
0:25:00 > 0:25:04The accident is already making the local headlines.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07'This is BBC Radio Cumbria.
0:25:08 > 0:25:13'Three motorcyclists were badly hurt in a crash near Sedbergh today.
0:25:13 > 0:25:17'The A684 has been closed this afternoon.'
0:25:17 > 0:25:19Towards me. That's it.
0:25:22 > 0:25:26The only issue is obviously we can't both go to the same hospital.
0:25:26 > 0:25:31They're going to Lancaster, so we're going to Harrogate instead.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34Steve Cobb rides a 1960s scooter.
0:25:34 > 0:25:40For him, this is a reminder that riding any bike can be dangerous.
0:25:40 > 0:25:46The bikes I ride on, I'd have had time to stop and have a cup of tea before I hit the lorry.
0:25:46 > 0:25:51Those guys go faster than me and they were scattered all over the road.
0:25:51 > 0:25:55Ian has broken three of his four limbs.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59OK, we'll take you over.
0:25:59 > 0:26:01It looks like a query of femur,
0:26:01 > 0:26:06definitely two bones in his arm, his humerus, and a fractured wrist.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09- Ready?- Yeah, clear right.
0:26:11 > 0:26:15Paramedic Tony is carefully monitoring his blood pressure.
0:26:15 > 0:26:20Internal bleeding following a broken leg can be fatal.
0:26:20 > 0:26:24One thing we'll be monitoring is his blood pressure.
0:26:24 > 0:26:29At the moment, that seems fine. His heart rate has not increased.
0:26:29 > 0:26:35Their patient is OK, but there is a surprise for Helimed 99's crew.
0:26:35 > 0:26:40- Harrier, is it?- Big jet coming down the right-hand side. Can you see it?
0:26:40 > 0:26:45- A near miss with two military jets. - Gone either side of us, them two.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48Up in the dales, there is no radar.
0:26:48 > 0:26:53Pilots must rely on their eyesight to avoid mid-air collisions.
0:26:53 > 0:26:57Back at base, Dave briefs the waiting trauma team.
0:26:57 > 0:27:02Hello, Doctor, it's Dave at the Air Ambulance. Just updating you...
0:27:02 > 0:27:05They've left scene now. Their ETA is 15 minutes.
0:27:05 > 0:27:11With fractures like these, Ian is likely to need complex surgery.
0:27:11 > 0:27:15It looks like he may never ride a bike again.
0:27:15 > 0:27:21But just three weeks later, he is back at home and on the road to recovery.
0:27:21 > 0:27:25Ian, I've seen the footage of your horrendous crash. What happened?
0:27:25 > 0:27:30I came round the left-hand bend, all I can remember from that
0:27:30 > 0:27:36is looking forward after the bend, seeing my friend hit a large vehicle.
0:27:36 > 0:27:43- And all of the road was covered in bike and truck.- So how do you feel about biking now?
0:27:43 > 0:27:47Has this accident put you off completely?
0:27:47 > 0:27:52I won't get back on a bike again. We were riding safely and sensibly.
0:27:52 > 0:27:59I had the proper equipment. If that can happen when I'm riding sensibly, I wouldn't put my family through it.
0:27:59 > 0:28:06Ian and his mates will be off work for months. They work with some of the UK's most dangerous men,
0:28:06 > 0:28:11but the accident has even brought out the soft side in some of them.
0:28:11 > 0:28:17I believe there's a card coming from some of the prisoners I look after which is very nice.
0:28:17 > 0:28:21The public will think it's us and them,
0:28:21 > 0:28:27and it's nice that some prisoners believe I'm good enough to send me a "get well" card.
0:28:31 > 0:28:36Coming up, a driver who wrote off his Porsche is freed at last.
0:28:42 > 0:28:48Many flying paramedics have become local heroes, opening fetes and attending charity events.
0:28:48 > 0:28:53But they never forget their original jobs on the front line of the NHS.
0:28:53 > 0:28:58For every month they spend in the air, they do another on the ground.
0:28:58 > 0:29:05Flying paramedic Darren Axe has worked for the ambulance service for nearly 15 years
0:29:05 > 0:29:09and joining the Helimed crew is the highlight of his career.
0:29:09 > 0:29:16How he gets to patients isn't important. It's the life-saving treatment he can give that's vital.
0:29:16 > 0:29:20Today, he's about to help a pair of bikers who are in trouble.
0:29:20 > 0:29:26Darren is a big man with an outsized personality that he uses to reassure his patients.
0:29:26 > 0:29:31- We're gonna sort your dad out. - Will he be all right?- Agh!
0:29:31 > 0:29:34- How do you feel there? OK?- Yeah.
0:29:34 > 0:29:40Laurence Delaney has fallen off his bike and collided with an oncoming car.
0:29:40 > 0:29:46He has some painful injuries, but is more worried about his son David who was sitting on the back of the bike.
0:29:46 > 0:29:49He's on the phone to his mum.
0:29:49 > 0:29:53- What hospital?- Harrogate District. - Harrogate District.
0:29:53 > 0:29:56Your pain is where you're holding?
0:29:56 > 0:30:00All this side. When I breathe, I've got a pain in my back.
0:30:00 > 0:30:06Despite agonising back pain, Laurence has managed to stagger to a nearby wall,
0:30:06 > 0:30:11but Darren knows accidents like this can cause serious spinal injuries.
0:30:11 > 0:30:14But he's always ready with a reassuring word for his patients
0:30:14 > 0:30:16and most enjoy his sense of humour.
0:30:16 > 0:30:19We won't drop you. We only drop people on Sundays.
0:30:19 > 0:30:26David seems to have had a lucky escape, but after watching his dad undergo some distressing
0:30:26 > 0:30:30medical treatment, Darren and Pete know he needs reassuring.
0:30:30 > 0:30:33David, are you all right? We're going to take your dad to
0:30:33 > 0:30:37- the same hospital, but he'll go in the helicopter and the crew will take you. OK?- Yeah.
0:30:37 > 0:30:39Where's the pain apart from in your shoulder?
0:30:39 > 0:30:46Thanks to Darren and Pete, both Laurence and David made a swift recovery.
0:30:46 > 0:30:51Darren's job means that one day he can be flying at 150mph,
0:30:51 > 0:30:56the next, he's swapping the helicopter for a fast response car,
0:30:56 > 0:30:58here in his hometown of Castleford.
0:30:58 > 0:31:03My geography of Yorkshire's not the best, but I do know
0:31:03 > 0:31:06that Castleford's a mining town, they like Rugby League,
0:31:06 > 0:31:09and a bit of a crack - they're nice hardworking people.
0:31:09 > 0:31:13Do you find it's better that you're a local lad, dealing with these people?
0:31:13 > 0:31:15Yeah. Without a doubt.
0:31:15 > 0:31:17We've got some real good characters -
0:31:17 > 0:31:20good, honest folk in and around the area where I live.
0:31:20 > 0:31:23They're not real complainers as such.
0:31:23 > 0:31:27If they're complaining, they're generally in need.
0:31:27 > 0:31:32I always try to speak to them on a level. I worked down a pit.
0:31:32 > 0:31:37Castleford's a tough town with major health problems.
0:31:37 > 0:31:40One study found one in three people were in poor health,
0:31:40 > 0:31:42with one in ten permanently sick, or disabled.
0:31:42 > 0:31:47It has high rates of smoking. The coal industry is all but gone now,
0:31:47 > 0:31:52leaving one in three people in some areas out of work.
0:31:52 > 0:31:55And today, it's a former miner who needs Darren's help.
0:31:55 > 0:31:59You've just got to be aware of everything around you -
0:31:59 > 0:32:01I mean you're driving above normal road speed.
0:32:01 > 0:32:04You're driving to a system in an effort to make sure
0:32:04 > 0:32:08that the public know what your intentions are
0:32:08 > 0:32:10and they all try to get out of the way.
0:32:11 > 0:32:14And with the help of a fast response vehicle
0:32:14 > 0:32:18that means he gets to many of his patients in under 10 minutes.
0:32:18 > 0:32:22Darren's first patient of the day needs a fast response.
0:32:22 > 0:32:2573 year old Selwyn Law is struggling to breathe.
0:32:25 > 0:32:30- I'm just going to do a few checks - check your blood pressure. All right?- Yeah.
0:32:30 > 0:32:32You've definitely not got any chest pain?
0:32:32 > 0:32:37Selwyn has emphysema - a common condition in old mining communities
0:32:37 > 0:32:40as years of inhaling coal dust damages the lungs.
0:32:40 > 0:32:45Even small changes in the weather can trigger episodes like this
0:32:45 > 0:32:48and if left untreated it can be fatal.
0:32:48 > 0:32:53Selwyn, how's your breathing now? Does it feel better with that oxygen?
0:32:53 > 0:32:54A little bit.
0:32:54 > 0:32:58The first thing Darren needs to do is help him breathe
0:32:58 > 0:33:00and that's down to pure oxygen.
0:33:03 > 0:33:04Take a deep breath for me.
0:33:07 > 0:33:09And again.
0:33:09 > 0:33:12But he must carefully monitor Selywn's condition.
0:33:12 > 0:33:17It sounds strange, but too much oxygen could cause him to stop breathing altogether.
0:33:17 > 0:33:23Like an onion. It's going to be cold.
0:33:23 > 0:33:26Finally, Darren has Selwyn's breathing under control,
0:33:26 > 0:33:30but he still wants to get him checked out at the local hospital.
0:33:30 > 0:33:33BM is good. I've just checked it - 6.8.
0:33:33 > 0:33:37He's having difficulty in breathing. He's had two lots of antibiotics to no effect.
0:33:37 > 0:33:42He's not got any chest pain, but he does suffer with chest pains from time to time.
0:33:42 > 0:33:47'I'm willing to give Selwyn some supplementary oxygen'
0:33:47 > 0:33:50to settle him down a bit cos he was struggling to breath
0:33:50 > 0:33:52and that tires you out.
0:33:53 > 0:33:58We've taken him out on a chair so he didn't have to exert himself.
0:33:58 > 0:34:00He's on his way now to get further treatment.
0:34:02 > 0:34:05In the initial part of my career with the ambulance service
0:34:05 > 0:34:08we had lots of patients with lung disorders, emphysema,
0:34:08 > 0:34:12chronic bronchitis and these were all mainly due to
0:34:12 > 0:34:15the mining environment and the people that worked there.
0:34:15 > 0:34:20The percentage of those patients is now decreasing over the years
0:34:20 > 0:34:23as the older miners pass away and things.
0:34:23 > 0:34:28My dad worked underground for 35 years and he suffers with his lungs,
0:34:28 > 0:34:32because of working underground for so long.
0:34:36 > 0:34:39When you're an ambulance man there's rarely time for a breather.
0:34:39 > 0:34:43Darren's soon speeding across Castleford to another patient.
0:34:45 > 0:34:49This time, actually getting to the scene is the easy part.
0:34:49 > 0:34:50Hello.
0:34:50 > 0:34:53Hello. Ambulance.
0:34:53 > 0:34:56Eventually Darren gets into the house and is just in time.
0:34:56 > 0:35:02Rose Vanfield has diabetes and must carefully control her blood sugar,
0:35:02 > 0:35:05but she's been unwell overnight and her blood sugar has dropped so low,
0:35:05 > 0:35:07she's in a coma.
0:35:07 > 0:35:11Darren quickly tests Rose's blood sugar level -
0:35:11 > 0:35:14a reading below three is life threatening.
0:35:14 > 0:35:16Rose's is 1.2.
0:35:16 > 0:35:20Darren quickly injects Rose with a drug called glucagon.
0:35:20 > 0:35:22This helps the body release more glucose,
0:35:22 > 0:35:25but he now needs a more unconventional medicine.
0:35:25 > 0:35:28- Can you get me some jam and bread? - Yeah.- Please.
0:35:28 > 0:35:31- Not for me!- No.
0:35:32 > 0:35:35Rose. Open your eyes for me, Rose.
0:35:35 > 0:35:40Rose's husband, Eli, found her lying motionless in bed.
0:35:40 > 0:35:42Rose, open your mouth for me.
0:35:42 > 0:35:47Rose, open your eyes. Hello. How are you doing?
0:35:47 > 0:35:52As Rose's blood sugar begins to rise, there's an amazing transformation in her condition.
0:35:52 > 0:35:58Open your mouth. Open. Close. That's lovely.
0:35:58 > 0:36:00You keep that on.
0:36:00 > 0:36:04In many cases, patients like Rose don't need hospital treatment.
0:36:04 > 0:36:05Sit up a bit, Rose, for me.
0:36:05 > 0:36:07- Ooh.- That's it.
0:36:07 > 0:36:10I tell you what, Rose, swing your legs out, now you're sat up,
0:36:10 > 0:36:14and we'll get you cooled off because you're sweating like a racehorse.
0:36:14 > 0:36:17Darren wants to make sure there's no other reason why she had the attack.
0:36:17 > 0:36:20Two more of his colleagues arrive to take her to hospital.
0:36:22 > 0:36:23Shall we dance?!
0:36:24 > 0:36:25Take your time.
0:36:25 > 0:36:28Thanks to Darren and a quick check-up in hospital,
0:36:28 > 0:36:30Rose was soon back home.
0:36:31 > 0:36:34Daz, you're known as a bit of a joker amongst your team-mates,
0:36:34 > 0:36:39do you think that helps when you give a bit of humour back to your patients that you're dealing with?
0:36:39 > 0:36:42Yeah, without a doubt. You can get a long way
0:36:42 > 0:36:45by being reasonable and asking people the right questions,
0:36:45 > 0:36:48try to take their mind off their troubles a little bit.
0:36:48 > 0:36:52And do you think that helps, that you're a local lad? And that you talk to them on their level?
0:36:52 > 0:36:56- Do you think that helps?- I think it does. It's not a massive advantage,
0:36:56 > 0:36:58but I think if people hear a familiar accent
0:36:58 > 0:37:01and a familiar voice then I think that eases them a little bit
0:37:01 > 0:37:05and makes your life easier and gets them where they need to be.
0:37:05 > 0:37:07It's turning into a busy day for Darren.
0:37:07 > 0:37:11And he's now been called to an incident he's all too familiar with.
0:37:12 > 0:37:14On the outskirts of Castleford,
0:37:14 > 0:37:16a car has hit a lamppost hard.
0:37:16 > 0:37:23As a helicopter paramedic, Darren is used to treating patients amongst the wreckage of serious accidents.
0:37:23 > 0:37:27The car's driver and passenger seem to have got away with it,
0:37:27 > 0:37:29and although they're both a little shaken up,
0:37:29 > 0:37:33Darren's happy they haven't suffered any serious injuries.
0:37:34 > 0:37:37One's got an abrasion on the side of her left arm,
0:37:37 > 0:37:41other one's got some shoulder pain. Other than that, nothing.
0:37:42 > 0:37:44One thing's for sure,
0:37:44 > 0:37:47Darren wouldn't happily give up either of his life-saving jobs.
0:37:49 > 0:37:54Do you find there's a different type of job that you get on the land, as to the ones in the helicopter?
0:37:54 > 0:37:57The variations are because they're different types of work.
0:37:57 > 0:38:0299% of this work will be trauma and the work back on the road will be medical incidents.
0:38:02 > 0:38:08Varying types of patients from kids right through to old age pensioners.
0:38:08 > 0:38:14You need to have a rounded skill level and if you tended to stay with the helicopter all the time,
0:38:14 > 0:38:17your medical skills would fade because of that.
0:38:23 > 0:38:27It doesn't matter how safe your car is, or how quickly these guys arrive,
0:38:27 > 0:38:31how you come out of a car smash is entirely a matter of luck.
0:38:33 > 0:38:35On an urban motorway in Bradford,
0:38:35 > 0:38:40a couple are lucky to have survived after their Porsche left the road and took off,
0:38:40 > 0:38:42hitting a warehouse wall ten feet off the ground.
0:38:42 > 0:38:47Fire-fighters are worried that the wall they hit may have been weakened
0:38:47 > 0:38:50but they've just managed to free Helen Rowley
0:38:50 > 0:38:53now they're preparing to extricate her partner, Paul Williamson.
0:38:53 > 0:38:55This is a delicate task.
0:38:55 > 0:38:59But at last, the driver of the Porsche is free.
0:39:00 > 0:39:02They're both extremely lucky.
0:39:02 > 0:39:05It's one of those situations where you get to the scene of a job
0:39:05 > 0:39:07and you sort of think, "Oh dear", you know.
0:39:07 > 0:39:11"I think we're possibly looking at fatalities with this job."
0:39:11 > 0:39:15And, you know, I think the way they've landed,
0:39:15 > 0:39:17obviously with the build of the car,
0:39:17 > 0:39:22and the fact that they've landed in such a position, it saved their life.
0:39:22 > 0:39:28His patients safe, paramedic Paul is also carefully prised out from under the car.
0:39:30 > 0:39:33Helen and Paul have only suffered a few cuts and bruises
0:39:33 > 0:39:36and they don't even qualify for a flight to hospital.
0:39:37 > 0:39:39They'll go by road for a thorough check-up.
0:39:40 > 0:39:43And just a few weeks later,
0:39:43 > 0:39:48they're fit to tell me about their terrifying two hours trapped under their car.
0:39:48 > 0:39:53So, I've just seen the footage of a pretty nasty looking crash,
0:39:53 > 0:39:56tell us, what was it like when you were heading towards that wall?
0:39:56 > 0:39:58I couldn't actually see anything.
0:39:58 > 0:40:00We were already rolling in the air.
0:40:00 > 0:40:03I didn't have a clue that we were hitting a wall.
0:40:03 > 0:40:06It just seemed to go on for ever until we landed in the ditch.
0:40:06 > 0:40:10- I didn't know we'd hit the wall until the next day.- What happened then?
0:40:10 > 0:40:16Well I could feel a little bit of impact cos it were on my side.
0:40:16 > 0:40:20As soon as we'd landed at the bottom we both unclipped ourselves out of the seatbelts.
0:40:20 > 0:40:22We were upside down.
0:40:22 > 0:40:26And we both realised we were actually trapped
0:40:26 > 0:40:28and at that point Helen says to me,
0:40:28 > 0:40:30"I hope it's not gonna catch on fire."
0:40:30 > 0:40:34- My hair was trapped so I couldn't move my head either. Paul had to yank my hair out from...- Really?
0:40:34 > 0:40:36..part of the ground and the car, yeah!
0:40:36 > 0:40:41What was it like when you finally realised what had happened and you were upside down?
0:40:41 > 0:40:44I knew they had it in hand. I knew we'd eventually get out,
0:40:44 > 0:40:47but I wasn't being impatient or anything,
0:40:47 > 0:40:49I just basically knew we'd eventually get out of there
0:40:49 > 0:40:51and they'd do the best job to get us out.
0:40:51 > 0:40:56A pretty long time to be under there. What happened once the car was finally lifted off?
0:40:56 > 0:41:00Well, what they did was, they raised it from the front bonnet
0:41:00 > 0:41:03and when they'd got it to a decent amount up,
0:41:03 > 0:41:07they smashed the front windscreen and they took us out the windscreen.
0:41:07 > 0:41:11- Pulled you through here?- Pulled us through the windscreen, yes.
0:41:11 > 0:41:13So you both own this Porsche, it smashed into a wall,
0:41:13 > 0:41:15it's upside down on top of you,
0:41:15 > 0:41:18and then the Fire Brigade say they're gonna smash the windscreen.
0:41:18 > 0:41:21What was it like?! This is a Porsche!
0:41:21 > 0:41:24Well, we kind of knew that there wasn't much left of it really,
0:41:24 > 0:41:27so at that point it wasn't really a problem.
0:41:27 > 0:41:29And what do you think now? Will you buy another one?
0:41:29 > 0:41:32Maybe one day. Maybe a couple of years down the line.
0:41:32 > 0:41:34Not for a long time, I don't think.
0:41:34 > 0:41:39Helen and Paul reckon they might replace their sports car with a 4X4.
0:41:39 > 0:41:44And who can blame them for looking for something with a roof next time.
0:41:44 > 0:41:46That's all from Helicopter Heroes.
0:41:46 > 0:41:48But when we come back -
0:41:48 > 0:41:52a walker is seriously injured when he's attacked by a herd of cows,
0:41:52 > 0:41:55and pilot Tim has to use the chopper to protect his patient.
0:41:57 > 0:42:01The team are scrambled to rescue an injured climber in the Derbyshire Peak District
0:42:01 > 0:42:04- And it did make a loud noise. - Did it?
0:42:06 > 0:42:09A teenager falls 15ft from a rope swing,
0:42:09 > 0:42:11and there's fears for her spine.
0:42:13 > 0:42:19And the Great British summer threatens to ground Helimed 98 as low cloud shrouds the Pennines.
0:42:20 > 0:42:21We wouldn't fly in this.
0:42:32 > 0:42:34Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:42:34 > 0:42:36E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk