0:00:02 > 0:00:08When you're with someone seriously injured, every minute you wait for medical aid can feel like an hour,
0:00:08 > 0:00:14so a helicopter like this 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 > 0:00:46patients in the UK's biggest county
0:00:46 > 0:00:52are never more than ten minutes from hospital, thanks to this 150mph life-saver.
0:00:52 > 0:00:56Every day brings a new emergency for its flying paramedics.
0:00:56 > 0:01:00Two helicopters, four paramedics, five million patients.
0:01:00 > 0:01:05Today, on Helicopter Heroes, there's a freak accident
0:01:05 > 0:01:09and two ramblers are trapped under an overturned van.
0:01:09 > 0:01:13One of them can't feel his legs at the minute.
0:01:13 > 0:01:18The team is scrambled to a workman who has fallen 30 feet from a roof.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21Get him somewhere warm and dry.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25A biker is thrown down a ravine.
0:01:25 > 0:01:29Are you OK? Can you feel me touching you?
0:01:30 > 0:01:37And paramedic Daz comes to the rescue of an elderly couple trapped in their upturned car.
0:01:42 > 0:01:48Yorkshire's flying paramedics are trained to deal with some of the worst injuries
0:01:48 > 0:01:55and often tackle in the open air cases that would challenge the staff of a fully equipped Casualty unit.
0:01:55 > 0:01:59We've been tasked to a job up North Yorkshire.
0:01:59 > 0:02:04We've got reports of a road accident involving a van and a pedestrian.
0:02:04 > 0:02:10It sounds like the pedestrian has been run over and may be trapped under the van.
0:02:10 > 0:02:15On a remote country lane, there's been a terrible accident.
0:02:15 > 0:02:20We've got two persons trapped under a hedge the other side of this van.
0:02:20 > 0:02:27We've applied two winches to the front and back of this van to hold it from tipping any further that way.
0:02:27 > 0:02:34Even at two-and-a-half miles a minute, the crew of Helimed 99 sometimes wish they could fly faster
0:02:34 > 0:02:37and today is one of those days.
0:02:37 > 0:02:41Helimed 99 - do you have any further updates? Over.
0:02:41 > 0:02:47'Helimed 99, a van lost control on a corner and knocked two people down.'
0:02:47 > 0:02:52But first, they must find the crash scene on the North York moors.
0:02:52 > 0:02:57- What's that over there? - That's it. Good spot.
0:02:57 > 0:02:59This could be nasty, couldn't it?
0:02:59 > 0:03:03- Clear of the wires behind. - Rising down my side...
0:03:03 > 0:03:09Paramedics Pete Vallance and Darren Axe know the casualties' chances are not good.
0:03:09 > 0:03:15Being crushed by a three-ton van is about as serious as accidents get.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18We had a coffee morning for you.
0:03:18 > 0:03:24Rambler Simon Cooper has just been to a coffee morning to raise funds for the Air Ambulance,
0:03:24 > 0:03:28but didn't expect to be needing the helicopter paramedics.
0:03:28 > 0:03:35Simon is trapped between a spiky hawthorn hedge and the jagged metal of the van which could slip,
0:03:35 > 0:03:38despite the fire brigade's precautions.
0:03:38 > 0:03:44Paramedic Pete is more concerned about Simon's rambling partner Tom.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47- Is somebody else under there? - Yeah, two in there.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51- It's Tom down here?- Yeah. - Can you hear me?- Yeah.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55- Are you in pain anywhere, sir? - From my legs downwards.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58- Can you feel your legs there?- No.
0:03:58 > 0:04:03Hiya, Dave, it's Daz. Both conscious at the minute.
0:04:03 > 0:04:10Both look to be in maybe late 50s, early 60s, and one can't feel his legs very well at the minute.
0:04:10 > 0:04:16- Tom...- Yeah.- The fire brigade are on hand sorting this vehicle out.
0:04:16 > 0:04:23As soon as the vehicle is secure, we'll get in and get you out. Your colleague will have to come as well.
0:04:23 > 0:04:30Tom's still trapped under the vehicle with his legs. They're pinning him to the ground.
0:04:30 > 0:04:35He's got pain in his legs. He's talking to us. The only pain he's got is in his legs.
0:04:35 > 0:04:41Tom, if it hurts any more, squeeze my hand and tell me straight away.
0:04:41 > 0:04:48Hopefully, once the fire brigade have shored the vehicle up a bit more, we can pull him out.
0:04:48 > 0:04:55To free the ramblers, the fire brigade must cut away the hawthorn hedgerow propping up the van.
0:04:55 > 0:05:01And for Tom, any movement could be fatal. It's going to be a difficult, dangerous rescue.
0:05:05 > 0:05:11Coming up on Helicopter Heroes, the delicate operation to free Simon and Tom begins.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14Try not to push on the van, Simon.
0:05:14 > 0:05:19The team rush to rescue a biker who has plunged down a ravine.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22Got any pain in your legs anywhere?
0:05:22 > 0:05:27And on a motorway, a passenger is trapped in a badly damaged car.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31The police are happy to close the motorway.
0:05:36 > 0:05:40Gravity can do an awful lot of damage.
0:05:40 > 0:05:45You don't have to fall very far to be very badly hurt.
0:05:47 > 0:05:54In a wet and windy North Yorkshire village, Keith Ryder is in agony after falling from this church.
0:05:54 > 0:06:01On board Helimed 99, paramedics Lee Davison and Simon Cavanagh know it could be serious.
0:06:01 > 0:06:06It sounds like a serious injury, suggesting it's a significant drop.
0:06:06 > 0:06:10If he's fallen on his head or injured his back, it's a concern.
0:06:10 > 0:06:15The wet weather is hampering visibility from the air
0:06:15 > 0:06:19and the crew are looking for clues to spot the accident scene.
0:06:19 > 0:06:24- Response car just going in at two o'clock. Can you see it?- Yeah.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28You see the tall building which looks like it used to be a church?
0:06:28 > 0:06:32There's a guy to the side of that on the ground.
0:06:32 > 0:06:36As they come in to land, the weather gets even worse.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40Driving rain and bitter wind.
0:06:40 > 0:06:44Their patient is freezing cold and in terrible pain.
0:06:44 > 0:06:52From the landing site, it's a quick walk to where Keith landed after falling from the top of the church.
0:06:52 > 0:06:54We think he fell off this church.
0:06:54 > 0:06:59Simon's just going to have a chat with him to see what's happened.
0:06:59 > 0:07:05His right leg is knackered, he says. He's got no back or spinal pain, he says.
0:07:05 > 0:07:09The high wind played its part in this accident.
0:07:09 > 0:07:13As 46-year-old Keith was boarding up the high windows,
0:07:13 > 0:07:17he was blown off and fell on the concrete path below.
0:07:17 > 0:07:21One of his knees took most of the impact.
0:07:21 > 0:07:26We'll get him somewhere warm and dry before we give him pain relief.
0:07:26 > 0:07:31He's having gas and air just now to take the edge off the pain.
0:07:31 > 0:07:38Before Helimed 99 arrived, Keith was cared for by a villager who heard his screams and came running.
0:07:38 > 0:07:45She's been by his side for more than 20 minutes, but now the medical team need to get him to hospital.
0:07:45 > 0:07:49- SCREAMS OF PAIN - Mate, don't stretch out for me.
0:07:49 > 0:07:56The patient looks like he's got a right lower leg fracture, so we'll give him some morphine.
0:07:56 > 0:08:00It's quite deformed. So it'll just help him...
0:08:00 > 0:08:04Just twist the top for us. It'll help him with his pain.
0:08:04 > 0:08:09It's important that we get him pain relief, then we take it from there.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12We'll fly him down to Harrogate.
0:08:12 > 0:08:17Before Keith can fly to hospital, he needs to be made more comfortable.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20OK, here it goes...
0:08:20 > 0:08:24For a patient in this much pain, morphine is the answer.
0:08:24 > 0:08:31Once he's dosed up, the crew can safely move him for the short flight to Harrogate.
0:08:35 > 0:08:40For someone whose job is up a ladder, this accident is bad news.
0:08:40 > 0:08:46And paramedic Simon thinks an X-ray could reveal yet more problems for Keith.
0:08:48 > 0:08:53He's quite stable. Although he fell 15 feet, he's landed on his feet
0:08:53 > 0:08:58and the force of the impact has transmitted into his knee.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02He seems to have broken both bones in his lower leg.
0:09:02 > 0:09:08The medical team are waiting for Keith. He's going to need surgery.
0:09:08 > 0:09:10If it is as bad as the crew think,
0:09:10 > 0:09:16today's fall off a ladder could be more costly than Keith could ever imagine.
0:09:20 > 0:09:25Coming up, will Keith ever climb a ladder again?
0:09:25 > 0:09:31I thought I'd land on both legs and do a roll, like you see on telly, but I didn't.
0:09:31 > 0:09:37The battle to free two ramblers trapped in a freak accident enters a critical stage.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40Don't lean too far into it.
0:09:41 > 0:09:46And Sammy finds out what it's like to be trapped in a car crash.
0:09:46 > 0:09:50- Are you trashing my car?- No, we're just trying to get you out.
0:09:55 > 0:09:59It's easy to get away from it all in Yorkshire's national parks.
0:09:59 > 0:10:05The dales and moors are famous, but if you dial 999, you could be in for a long wait.
0:10:05 > 0:10:10Just finding the scene of your accident can be a problem.
0:10:10 > 0:10:16At the Air Ambulance HQ, Dave Gardiner is scrambling Helimed 98 to an emergency on a road so remote,
0:10:16 > 0:10:19it's barely on the map.
0:10:19 > 0:10:24If you go from Stocks Reservoir, go directly north,
0:10:24 > 0:10:30then there's Bowland Knotts and then Clapham Common, but that's just a little track.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34We're currently en route to Clapham Common,
0:10:34 > 0:10:37for a motorcyclist who has left the road
0:10:37 > 0:10:40and gone down an embankment.
0:10:40 > 0:10:44It depends on what speed they're doing when they come off,
0:10:44 > 0:10:47what protective clothing they have,
0:10:47 > 0:10:52but more than anything, whether they hit anything once they've come off.
0:10:52 > 0:10:59For paramedics Sammy Wills and Tony Wilkes, this incident is horribly reminiscent of a rescue last year.
0:10:59 > 0:11:06Then they risked their own lives to save a biker who had come off in identical circumstances.
0:11:06 > 0:11:08It was a traumatic battle they lost.
0:11:08 > 0:11:13They remember an emotional meeting with biker Graham Chaplin's family.
0:11:13 > 0:11:18- Hiya, Denise.- Thank you very much for all you did for him.
0:11:18 > 0:11:22Now it looks like it's happening all over again.
0:11:22 > 0:11:26No wonder Sammy has strong views about bikes.
0:11:26 > 0:11:32I've been to too many accidents and too many people don't go home.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38Is that some people at one o'clock?
0:11:38 > 0:11:40Roger.
0:11:40 > 0:11:46Sammy and Tony are relieved to find this roadside ravine isn't lined with trees,
0:11:46 > 0:11:49lethal obstacles for bikers,
0:11:49 > 0:11:54but the rider is lying on a very steep slope. It doesn't look good.
0:11:54 > 0:12:01He is down a ravine. Tony is going down to him and he'll get back to me if it's going to be winch job.
0:12:01 > 0:12:07- Did anybody witness this happening? - I think Dave there saw her.
0:12:07 > 0:12:13- What was the speed, Dave? - We came round at probably about 50 miles an hour.- About 50.
0:12:13 > 0:12:20You can see the mud puddle that was on the edge there. She went wide, so it was a clean bit of road.
0:12:20 > 0:12:28Next thing I saw was just the bike coming down the side and she was going over the side of the hill.
0:12:28 > 0:12:32The biker's horrified friends stopped to help her.
0:12:32 > 0:12:38Tsitsi Muchayingeyi, or Melody as she's known to her mates, is lucky to be alive.
0:12:38 > 0:12:44SHE GROANS OK, sweetheart, it's Air Ambulance. We've come to have a quick look.
0:12:44 > 0:12:49Melody's friends knew not to move her or take her helmet off.
0:12:49 > 0:12:56She may look uncomfortable, but being left as she fell could have saved her from further injury.
0:12:56 > 0:13:03- You're OK down to your waist. Have you got any pain in your legs anywhere?- No.- No.
0:13:03 > 0:13:05OK, so that feels OK.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08- Are you OK down there?- Yeah.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12- What about this leg? No pain at all?- No.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15- Can you feel me touching you? - No.- OK...
0:13:15 > 0:13:19Tony and Sammy fear Melody may have broken her neck.
0:13:19 > 0:13:23If so, one move could paralyse her for life.
0:13:23 > 0:13:28- Do you feel like you're sliding or are you OK where you are?- I'm OK.
0:13:28 > 0:13:36- Melody's apologetic.- I've caused too much bother.- Too much bother? Give over! There I was, doing nowt!
0:13:36 > 0:13:41The ravine is treacherous. Some long grass brought Melody to a halt
0:13:41 > 0:13:45before she plunged down to a moorland stream.
0:13:45 > 0:13:51Melody's in safe hands, but the paramedics and helpers know she is not out of danger yet.
0:13:51 > 0:13:58Everybody OK down there? You've got an awkward lift, so get somebody else in between you.
0:13:58 > 0:14:04Melody is one of a small band of women bikers who love the thrill of two wheels.
0:14:04 > 0:14:08Now she's experiencing the painful down side to biking.
0:14:08 > 0:14:13Nice and steady. There you go. Does that feel a bit flatter for you?
0:14:13 > 0:14:17'If this lady's momentum hadn't stopped where she was,
0:14:17 > 0:14:22'she would have continued on to the bottom and been severely injured.
0:14:22 > 0:14:27'And as a regular Air Ambulance, we couldn't have got her out.
0:14:27 > 0:14:32'We hold a patient's head in line. We try and immobilise the spine.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35'It's the back we're concerned about.'
0:14:35 > 0:14:40She's been a model patient, but it turns out that isn't surprising.
0:14:40 > 0:14:46I was unaware that Melody was a midwife. Often medical knowledge makes us the worst patients!
0:14:46 > 0:14:50'I think she's been quite lucky actually.
0:14:50 > 0:14:58'The whole operation's been within normal limits. She's got tenderness to her neck which is not surprising.'
0:14:58 > 0:15:03Bit of pain down one of her arms, but essentially, she seems OK.
0:15:03 > 0:15:11Tony's right. Hospital tests confirm that she's escaped with nothing more serious than a few bruises.
0:15:13 > 0:15:19A few days later and biker Melody is back at work in Leeds as Tsitsi the midwife.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23INAUDIBLE
0:15:24 > 0:15:28I think he's hungry. You might want to feed him again.
0:15:28 > 0:15:34Hospital colleagues have been giving her a hard time about her split personality -
0:15:34 > 0:15:38leather-clad biker and deliverer of babies.
0:15:38 > 0:15:42Most of my colleagues think I'm absolutely mad.
0:15:42 > 0:15:46I think they feel that I, of all people,
0:15:46 > 0:15:50should realise the dangers of biking.
0:15:50 > 0:15:54But like anything else in life, everything has risks
0:15:54 > 0:15:57and it's a risk I'm willing to take.
0:15:59 > 0:16:05And amazingly, her accident hasn't dampened her enthusiasm for two wheels.
0:16:06 > 0:16:13Whenever she can, Tsitsi leaves the babies behind and heads off into the Yorkshire Dales.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17It's just such a sense of freedom.
0:16:17 > 0:16:21It's just you and your bike and nobody can get to you.
0:16:21 > 0:16:25There's no mobile phone. It's just you and the bike.
0:16:25 > 0:16:32You're out in the country and it's just beautiful roads, beautiful scenery. What more can you ask for?
0:16:32 > 0:16:37A midwife with two very different passions in her life -
0:16:37 > 0:16:40delivering babies and riding motorbikes.
0:16:40 > 0:16:45When I'm at work, I get on with it, I'm quite passionate about my work.
0:16:45 > 0:16:51But on my days off when I'm out on my bike, that's what I'm passionate about.
0:16:55 > 0:17:01Coming up on Helicopter Heroes, a workman has been lucky to survive a terrifying fall.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04But will he work again?
0:17:04 > 0:17:08It's not just a couple of bits. It's shattered.
0:17:10 > 0:17:16When an elderly lady is trapped in an upturned car, the paramedics have to join her.
0:17:16 > 0:17:18You're glad you put your lippy on!
0:17:24 > 0:17:28Speed is the edge Helimed 99 gives its paramedics,
0:17:28 > 0:17:33but sometimes they have to wait before treating their patients.
0:17:33 > 0:17:37That's what happened one day on a country lane near York.
0:17:37 > 0:17:44Rambler Simon Cooper has been trapped by a van that crashed and overturned on the verge,
0:17:44 > 0:17:49but paramedics Pete and Darren are more concerned about his friend Tom.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52He's pinned under the van by his legs.
0:17:52 > 0:17:58Freeing him will mean cutting away the bushes that may be preventing his legs being crushed.
0:17:58 > 0:18:06The saving grace is the thickness of the hedge and the posts. Otherwise, there'd have been more injuries.
0:18:06 > 0:18:10If we take more weight off this van's side, it might lift out.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13- Tom, can you hear me?- Yeah.
0:18:13 > 0:18:19Once Simon's out, it's gonna give you a bit more leeway and we can get you out then.
0:18:19 > 0:18:23It's time for the fire brigade to start cutting.
0:18:23 > 0:18:28- Can I take this off now? - Do you want to, Simon?- I think so.
0:18:28 > 0:18:35Are you OK with my arm on your shoulder? I just want to support you so you're not leaning too far in.
0:18:37 > 0:18:41Just one minute. Just bring your arm up for me.
0:18:41 > 0:18:45This branch is going through my gloves.
0:18:45 > 0:18:49Simon is trapped in a tangle of sharp thorns.
0:18:49 > 0:18:53Freeing him will be painful for patient and paramedics.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56Try not to push on the van, Simon.
0:18:56 > 0:19:02The fire crew are more used to freeing people from the wreckage of cars than hedges
0:19:02 > 0:19:04and the hawthorn is fighting back.
0:19:04 > 0:19:12- Is that hurting you?- No.- Once Simon's out, it'll give you a bit more leeway and we can get you out.
0:19:12 > 0:19:19Simon is entangled by hedgerow and branches. It's a struggle, but they are making progress.
0:19:21 > 0:19:26At last, after a 20-minute battle, Simon is free.
0:19:28 > 0:19:32We started at the Moors Centre at the top of Sutton Bank
0:19:32 > 0:19:36and walked down past the White Horse at Kilburn,
0:19:36 > 0:19:40then we were just walking along here for half a mile,
0:19:40 > 0:19:43then we would turn left and back up to the top.
0:19:43 > 0:19:47And, uh... And never got there.
0:19:47 > 0:19:52I'm very relieved to be in one piece, but I'm worried about Tom.
0:19:52 > 0:20:00I couldn't raise him immediately after the accident and I was quite relieved when he started talking.
0:20:00 > 0:20:02Have we got a spare helmet?
0:20:02 > 0:20:06Tom's head is bleeding. He needs protection.
0:20:06 > 0:20:13Paramedics Pete and Darren are worried. Tom has been trapped for nearly half an hour.
0:20:13 > 0:20:20If the weight of the van is cutting off the blood supply to his legs, severe complications could set in.
0:20:20 > 0:20:27He'll be thinking, "Why aren't they getting us out?" But you've got to risk-assess the whole situation.
0:20:27 > 0:20:33- Are your legs stuck? - I don't know.- Is it OK if we try and ease you out?
0:20:33 > 0:20:37Simon appears to have had a miraculous escape.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40I just hope Tom's all right.
0:20:40 > 0:20:42I thought he was dead.
0:20:42 > 0:20:46- On your call.- Yeah. Two, three, pull!
0:20:46 > 0:20:51No, his legs are trapped. You'll have to lift it some more.
0:20:51 > 0:20:57It's hopeless. The fire brigade will have to move the van and that's a risky proposition.
0:20:57 > 0:21:01Tom's leg, perhaps his life, are in the balance.
0:21:05 > 0:21:09Coming up - Simon's free, but can they reach Tom in time?
0:21:09 > 0:21:14Keep your head still. We'll pop a collar on to protect your neck.
0:21:14 > 0:21:19There's a tricky landing on an urban motorway after a rush-hour crash.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22Put your arms across you, Rita.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30Now let's catch up on that case we brought you earlier.
0:21:30 > 0:21:35Keith Ryder is in agony after his fall. His leg is broken.
0:21:35 > 0:21:42He was boarding up these windows on a disused church when the wind caught him and he fell.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46He landed on his legs, but the impact on the concrete was immense.
0:21:46 > 0:21:51The paramedics take him to hospital as quickly as possible.
0:21:51 > 0:21:56Simon Cavanagh thinks his leg break is only part of the problem.
0:21:56 > 0:22:01The force of the impact has transmitted into his knee.
0:22:01 > 0:22:05Only an X-ray will reveal whether Simon is right.
0:22:05 > 0:22:11A week later and Keith is still in hospital and the news isn't good.
0:22:11 > 0:22:16At Harrogate, the broken bones in his leg were bolted together,
0:22:16 > 0:22:22but the force of the impact as he landed has shattered his knee. It's in little pieces.
0:22:22 > 0:22:27I thought I'd land on both legs and do a roll, like you see on telly.
0:22:27 > 0:22:32But I landed on one leg. That all took the weight, so I was in agony.
0:22:32 > 0:22:37He is in the hands of surgeon Toby Branfoot at Leeds General Infirmary.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40Yeah, it looks bad, doesn't it?
0:22:40 > 0:22:44It's not just the odd couple of bits. It's shattered.
0:22:44 > 0:22:48Today, Toby is going to try and put this shattered knee back together.
0:22:48 > 0:22:54We'll get you something that bends and you can stand up and walk on.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57We'll get you out of hospital as soon as we can.
0:22:57 > 0:23:01A floor below and the operating team are getting ready.
0:23:01 > 0:23:09A mind-boggling array of metalwork awaits. Bolts, drills, wrenches and other tools you find in a workshop
0:23:09 > 0:23:12are on hand to rebuild this knee.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15For Keith, it's vital Toby gets this right.
0:23:15 > 0:23:20He sounds confident and I'm confident in him as well, so...
0:23:20 > 0:23:24From what he said and everything, it should be OK.
0:23:24 > 0:23:29But it's my own business, so I'll just have to play it by ear.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32We'll see what happens after this operation.
0:23:32 > 0:23:36The operation is under way.
0:23:36 > 0:23:43An X-ray machine is placed next to Keith's knee, giving the surgeon a clear picture of what's going on.
0:23:43 > 0:23:47And his first assessment isn't promising.
0:23:47 > 0:23:52At the front, there's a lot of fragments that are floating up high
0:23:52 > 0:23:57and I'm trying to get some of them down, but it's seriously damaged.
0:23:57 > 0:24:03Surgeon Toby has said this operation will be like putting a shattered biscuit back together.
0:24:03 > 0:24:07But things are beginning to take shape.
0:24:07 > 0:24:11It looks like a knee. It's broken and it's mush at the front,
0:24:11 > 0:24:17but some of those X-rays are starting to look like a knee held together tenuously.
0:24:17 > 0:24:22With bits of knee now in the right place,
0:24:22 > 0:24:27Toby must fix it all together with what looks like a giant Meccano set.
0:24:27 > 0:24:32I'm hoping that in a month or two, he'll be walking around using crutches a bit,
0:24:32 > 0:24:38but this'll allow him to bend his knee and take weight through it.
0:24:38 > 0:24:40He's pleased with the way it's gone,
0:24:40 > 0:24:46but has some doubts about Keith getting back on a ladder any time soon.
0:24:46 > 0:24:52We'll give him the best knee we can and he's clearly determined and motivated,
0:24:52 > 0:24:57which is probably what matters as much as anything with patients -
0:24:57 > 0:25:01their motivation and the way they're setting out.
0:25:01 > 0:25:06He's got his own business, so he'll push himself as hard as he can,
0:25:06 > 0:25:14but long-term, the chance of him spending all day on ladders for the next 20 years is gonna be difficult.
0:25:15 > 0:25:19Try and keep it as straight as you can. Straighten out.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22Two weeks later, Keith's back home.
0:25:22 > 0:25:26- Apart from pulling your toes up, you're doing really well.- Good.
0:25:26 > 0:25:32Luckily for Keith, his niece is a physiotherapist, so he's getting lots of extra help
0:25:32 > 0:25:35and this patient is very determined.
0:25:35 > 0:25:40I'm glad to be home. Each day, I presume it'll get better and better.
0:25:40 > 0:25:44I can walk round in the house OK, but it'll take a bit longer
0:25:44 > 0:25:48before I can start going outside for a walk to the shop.
0:25:48 > 0:25:52Keith is doing better than everyone expected.
0:25:52 > 0:25:59He hasn't put the accident behind him yet and there's one person in particular he wants to thank.
0:25:59 > 0:26:07I've had accidents before and you never get flashbacks, but for some reason with this one, it comes back.
0:26:07 > 0:26:11I can picture myself falling off the ladder with the wind.
0:26:11 > 0:26:15And, uh...everything happening.
0:26:15 > 0:26:22I'd like to say thank you to Rachel who was the lady who actually phoned up the Air Ambulance
0:26:22 > 0:26:29because our mobiles wouldn't work and I was in agony. She held my hand and everything. She was brilliant.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32- Bend your knee down.- Down?- Yeah.
0:26:32 > 0:26:36He's improving fast, but what about getting up a ladder again?
0:26:36 > 0:26:41I don't think people want to even get in a car with me, to be honest!
0:26:41 > 0:26:46I don't think anybody wants me to get up a ladder. No...
0:26:46 > 0:26:50I suppose that's something I'll have to face.
0:26:50 > 0:26:55Which is probably a wise decision, given Keith's track record.
0:26:55 > 0:26:59I've had loads of bad accidents in my life.
0:26:59 > 0:27:04A fractured skull, a broken arm, scalded, everything!
0:27:04 > 0:27:08But at least it wasn't my head or owt like that.
0:27:08 > 0:27:13I know it sounds daft, but you can get over this.
0:27:17 > 0:27:24Coming up on Helicopter Heroes, the battle to free the last victim of a freak accident reaches its climax.
0:27:24 > 0:27:29Tom, I'll take you off this oxygen for two minutes while we move you.
0:27:34 > 0:27:41Now, when your car is involved in a crash, it's designed to keep you safely pinned in your seat.
0:27:41 > 0:27:45Airbags and seatbelt tighteners can save your life and that's great
0:27:45 > 0:27:49until the emergency services need to get you out.
0:27:49 > 0:27:55This is probably the most terrifying place you could ever find yourself.
0:27:55 > 0:27:59Hiya, sweetheart. Leeds Ambulance Service. Are you OK?
0:27:59 > 0:28:05Trapped inside a wrecked vehicle, frightened, disorientated and badly injured.
0:28:05 > 0:28:10Paramedic Sammy Wells has been called out to hundreds of accidents.
0:28:10 > 0:28:16But today she's come to Rotherham Fire Station to find out just how terrifying it is
0:28:16 > 0:28:21to be wedged inside a car and what it's like to be cut out.
0:28:21 > 0:28:25- John...- How are you? - Very well, thank you.- Good.
0:28:25 > 0:28:29- I'm here to be your crash test dummy.- We'll do a basic scenario.
0:28:29 > 0:28:34We've got a two-car collision. You'll be in this car on the left.
0:28:34 > 0:28:40South Yorkshire's Extrication Team are among the best in the business and Sammy's volunteered
0:28:40 > 0:28:44to play the part of the victim in one of their training exercises.
0:28:46 > 0:28:51Despite Sammy's experience, these are still a tense few moments.
0:28:51 > 0:28:58It's a situation the Air Ambulance paramedics have to deal with all the time in real life.
0:28:58 > 0:29:03In North Yorkshire, Helimed 99 is circling above an accident scene
0:29:03 > 0:29:06and this isn't a training exercise.
0:29:06 > 0:29:10Paramedics Lee Davison and Pat Greaken are told
0:29:10 > 0:29:14that four men are trapped in a car that's rolled off the A1.
0:29:14 > 0:29:19It's quite tricky. Obviously, it's a multi-agency operation.
0:29:19 > 0:29:21The fire service are here.
0:29:21 > 0:29:26With it being on this embankment, it's making it quite tricky.
0:29:26 > 0:29:33As the firefighters get ready to cut into the car, Pat can try and pull one more man from the vehicle.
0:29:33 > 0:29:36Brilliant. Well done.
0:29:36 > 0:29:40He's out, but getting to the driver won't be as easy.
0:29:40 > 0:29:44Can we get the boot open? Get rid of this tree.
0:29:44 > 0:29:49Extrication has to be precise, but it isn't a fine art.
0:29:49 > 0:29:54Sometimes it's as simple as pulling a car apart piece by piece.
0:29:54 > 0:29:58And paramedic Lee is first through the car's new back door.
0:29:58 > 0:30:03At more than six feet tall, he's not the ideal candidate.
0:30:03 > 0:30:09I'm just gonna tie this off, then we should be there. I just want that head rest out.
0:30:09 > 0:30:11I reckon he'll come out this way.
0:30:11 > 0:30:15They will slide the driver out through the boot,
0:30:15 > 0:30:22but he could have a serious head injury, so he must be kept stable. Pat squeezes inside the wreck.
0:30:22 > 0:30:25On your count then, Pat. Ready?
0:30:25 > 0:30:30- Have we all got a bit?- Yeah. - Ready, one, two, three, move!
0:30:30 > 0:30:34The driver has a shoulder injury causing him incredible pain,
0:30:34 > 0:30:41but the important thing is he's out just 24 minutes after the Air Ambulance arrived at the scene.
0:30:41 > 0:30:48Back in South Yorkshire, paramedic Sammy Wills is lucky. She hasn't been in a real car crash.
0:30:50 > 0:30:57Helping firefighters on a training exercise will give her a taste of what her patients go through.
0:30:57 > 0:31:01I knew there'd be noise, bangs, pops, cuts, glass.
0:31:01 > 0:31:03But it all felt very close.
0:31:03 > 0:31:08When I work round a patient, I'm not aware of how confined it might feel.
0:31:08 > 0:31:15When it comes to getting the victim out fast, the firefighters can't show any concern for the vehicle.
0:31:15 > 0:31:23- Are they trashing my car?- No, we're just trying to get you out of this vehicle in a safe manner.
0:31:23 > 0:31:29The team know which parts of the car need to be cut and they use a well-planned and rehearsed system,
0:31:29 > 0:31:32a system that saves lives every day.
0:31:33 > 0:31:38And extrication doesn't always involve industrial power tools.
0:31:38 > 0:31:44In fact, as paramedics Simon Cavanagh and Darren Axe are about to find out,
0:31:44 > 0:31:48sometimes you don't need to cut anything at all.
0:31:48 > 0:31:55Helimed 98 is responding to a report of a car on its side in a remote part of Yorkshire.
0:31:55 > 0:32:01Simon and Darren know that help could be miles away. They might have to deal with it on their own.
0:32:01 > 0:32:04- Anybody still in there?- Yes, a lady.
0:32:04 > 0:32:10Alf Mead and his wife Win were out for a country drive when they clipped a dry-stone wall.
0:32:10 > 0:32:14- Hello there, sir. Are you OK? - Yeah. It's my elbow.
0:32:14 > 0:32:20- Bit of a cut. Any pain in your neck or your head?- No.- Give us a shout if anything comes up.
0:32:20 > 0:32:25Alf has escaped with a cut to his arm, but Win is still inside.
0:32:27 > 0:32:29Hello.
0:32:29 > 0:32:35Without any firemen on the scene, paramedic Simon steps forward to the rescue.
0:32:35 > 0:32:38- What's your name?- Winifred Mead.
0:32:38 > 0:32:45It's a huge relief. Win is just tangled up in her seatbelt, but Simon still has to work carefully.
0:32:45 > 0:32:50The car is unstable and could tip over at any minute.
0:32:50 > 0:32:54- This is Darren. How are we going on?- All right.
0:32:54 > 0:32:58- You've been better, haven't you? - A bit out of breath.
0:32:59 > 0:33:06Right, listen, trust me. Just lean back to me, to the back of that seat. Are you all right?
0:33:06 > 0:33:08I won't drop you.
0:33:10 > 0:33:12What's your first name?
0:33:12 > 0:33:15Winifred. Thanks a lot.
0:33:15 > 0:33:21What could have been a terrible accident has turned out to be an easy extrication.
0:33:21 > 0:33:23Darren lightens the mood.
0:33:23 > 0:33:28You're glad you put your lippy on! Did you do a course in stunt driving?
0:33:29 > 0:33:36At the fire station, the Extrication Team have almost made all the cuts they need to paramedic Sammy's car.
0:33:36 > 0:33:41There's just one last one - the windscreen.
0:33:41 > 0:33:48This last cut is potentially the most dangerous. The saw is just inches from where Sammy is sitting.
0:33:49 > 0:33:52Ready, steady, go.
0:33:52 > 0:33:56- Now I have a cabriolet! - You have a new cabriolet, yes.
0:33:56 > 0:34:01But as paramedics know all too well, when a roof comes off a wrecked car,
0:34:01 > 0:34:06the hardest part, treating the victim, is about to begin.
0:34:06 > 0:34:11And that's exactly what's happening on the M621 in West Yorkshire.
0:34:11 > 0:34:15Two women are trapped in a car that's collided with a lorry
0:34:15 > 0:34:22and the back seat passenger, 65-year-old Rita Cook, has taken the full force of the impact.
0:34:22 > 0:34:26She's had the worst impact, looking at the damage to the car.
0:34:26 > 0:34:33Air Ambulance paramedic Pete Vallance is on the ground after being dropped off nearby.
0:34:33 > 0:34:38Pilot Steve Cobb and Darren Axe are circling above waiting for instructions.
0:34:38 > 0:34:42The police are happy to close the motorway.
0:34:42 > 0:34:46As soon as you get overhead, I'll get them to do that. Over.
0:34:46 > 0:34:50Dr Andy Pountney has arrived at the scene by road.
0:34:50 > 0:34:58His experience in the air means he can direct Steve and Darren into a very tight parking space.
0:34:58 > 0:35:00Put your arms across you, Rita.
0:35:00 > 0:35:06Paramedic Pete is carefully coordinating the final stage of Rita's extrication.
0:35:06 > 0:35:09He has to be incredibly careful.
0:35:09 > 0:35:14The extent of her injuries won't be clear until she gets to hospital.
0:35:14 > 0:35:17Until then, one wrong move could cause untold damage.
0:35:17 > 0:35:23It's a motorway, a fast road, big lorry involved and quite a small car.
0:35:23 > 0:35:26Yeah, it could have been fatal.
0:35:26 > 0:35:32Hospital tests showed that Rita had dislocated her hip and broken two ribs.
0:35:32 > 0:35:38If she hadn't been extricated with such care, her injuries could have been far worse.
0:35:38 > 0:35:42At the fire station, Sammy is almost out of the car.
0:35:42 > 0:35:49At a real accident, this would be the stage in an extrication where she'd be taking the lead herself.
0:35:49 > 0:35:56- But today, she's experiencing it all from the victim's point of view.- OK, nice and easy.
0:35:56 > 0:36:03It was a really weird sensation to be sat there one minute and laid on a long board the next.
0:36:03 > 0:36:08Just moving, without moving, I was being moved, was a weird sensation.
0:36:08 > 0:36:12- Ready, steady...- I'll take it from here.- Tilt the board.
0:36:12 > 0:36:17It's taken less than 20 minutes to get her out. If this was real,
0:36:17 > 0:36:24she'd be on her way to life-saving treatment, thanks to practice, teamwork and quick thinking.
0:36:24 > 0:36:31Top bananas! It was really cool being cut out of a car, especially at this stage in my career.
0:36:31 > 0:36:37We get to play at doing stuff when you first start, but now having experienced it,
0:36:37 > 0:36:43and comparing it to other patients I've been involved with, the firefighters were superb.
0:36:43 > 0:36:48It's made me look at how I will treat and talk with my patient.
0:36:48 > 0:36:52It was a good insight, a great insight.
0:36:52 > 0:36:58Sammy Wills on the wrong end of a rescue. Let's catch up on the operation to free a trapped rambler.
0:36:58 > 0:37:03On a remote road on the edge of the North York Moors,
0:37:03 > 0:37:09rambler Tom Jackson is trapped under an overturned van after a freak accident.
0:37:09 > 0:37:12I'll take you off this oxygen while we move you.
0:37:12 > 0:37:15His friend Simon Cooper had a lucky escape.
0:37:15 > 0:37:22The fire brigade start the delicate task of moving three tons of vehicle to free Tom's legs.
0:37:22 > 0:37:27Keep your head still. We'll pop a collar on just to protect your neck.
0:37:27 > 0:37:31- My neck's OK.- I know. We want to make doubly sure.
0:37:31 > 0:37:35- One, two, three.- Oh. - Great stuff, Tom.
0:37:35 > 0:37:40- At last, Tom's on the move. - You're out, Tom.- Well done.
0:37:40 > 0:37:42The tension there was unbelievable.
0:37:42 > 0:37:50Considering the position they wound up in, when you've got a vehicle in that position, you must secure it.
0:37:50 > 0:37:55The last thing you want to do is work under unsupported wreckage.
0:37:55 > 0:37:57Simon's relieved.
0:37:57 > 0:38:04Tom won't be walking for a while, thanks to a badly broken leg, but at least he's alive.
0:38:07 > 0:38:11- 890 pounds.- Agreed. Engine control switches.
0:38:11 > 0:38:13- Flight confirmed.- Flight confirmed.
0:38:13 > 0:38:18Tom's nearly an hour from a trauma unit by road,
0:38:18 > 0:38:21just ten minutes by air.
0:38:24 > 0:38:28Tom's in the right place now. The surgeons are waiting.
0:38:28 > 0:38:36Helimed 99 and the paramedics have done their job. It's time to reflect on what could have been.
0:38:36 > 0:38:41I've come across so many situations where you arrive at a job and think,
0:38:41 > 0:38:44"There's nobody getting out of that."
0:38:44 > 0:38:51You look into the wreckage and the next thing, somebody taps you on the shoulder and says, "It's me."
0:38:51 > 0:38:58I'm always amazed. You go to other ones and the accident looks like nothing and people have passed away.
0:38:58 > 0:39:02You can never, ever predict what you're gonna find.
0:39:02 > 0:39:08It's six weeks after the accident and Simon is back out in the Yorkshire countryside,
0:39:08 > 0:39:11but he's walking on his own.
0:39:11 > 0:39:15Up until the last moment, I hoped it was going to miss.
0:39:15 > 0:39:20But it didn't. A screech of brakes and lots of white smoke.
0:39:20 > 0:39:24We had virtually no time to get out of the way.
0:39:24 > 0:39:28The following day, my wife and I were out walking.
0:39:28 > 0:39:33It's just amazing how I came through almost unscathed.
0:39:33 > 0:39:40So for Simon, a miraculous escape, but Tom, remember, was wedged under three tons of van.
0:39:40 > 0:39:44You can't just get hold of this guy and yank him out,
0:39:44 > 0:39:50especially when his limbs are trapped under unforgiving, unmerciful metal.
0:39:50 > 0:39:54I asked the fire service if we could ease the van a bit higher,
0:39:54 > 0:39:59with just manpower alone. We only needed two or three inches.
0:39:59 > 0:40:03That's what we did. The fire service guys gave it a bit of a push
0:40:03 > 0:40:10and it just freed him up enough, so we could move his legs and bring him out towards us.
0:40:10 > 0:40:16He had sustained some quite nasty lower leg injuries, but, you know, he was alive.
0:40:16 > 0:40:21Six weeks later, Tom is still in hospital and missing the hills.
0:40:21 > 0:40:25I'm OK. I just want to get out of here.
0:40:25 > 0:40:31His leg is badly broken. His pelvis is in eight pieces and held together with metal,
0:40:31 > 0:40:35but for this man, walking again is top priority.
0:40:35 > 0:40:39I don't know what I'd do if I wasn't out walking.
0:40:41 > 0:40:45If I couldn't walk, I don't know what I'd do.
0:40:46 > 0:40:49Steady now, Tom. That's lovely.
0:40:49 > 0:40:57'They could have both been dead quite easily. It was so unusual, the job. I'm really pleased that they're OK.'
0:40:57 > 0:41:03I hope they carry on walking as they've done for a lot of years.
0:41:03 > 0:41:08- How bad is the pain at the moment? - About one or two.- That's fantastic.
0:41:08 > 0:41:15Just before all this had happened, Tom and Simon had been doing a bit of fundraising. Guess who for?
0:41:15 > 0:41:20These guys had just come from a coffee morning raising funds for the Air Ambulance.
0:41:20 > 0:41:24So we gave them a bit of a refund really!
0:41:24 > 0:41:31When Helicopter Heroes comes back, a workman's leg is crushed by a mobile crane.
0:41:31 > 0:41:34We've given him a bit of pain relief.
0:41:34 > 0:41:38But bad weather could ground his flight to hospital.
0:41:38 > 0:41:43There's a race to save a biker in a crash that killed his friend.
0:41:43 > 0:41:46Were you wearing a helmet...? Yeah.
0:41:47 > 0:41:52A patient comes back to thank his rescuers - all of them!
0:41:52 > 0:41:55It was very, very, very emotional.
0:41:56 > 0:42:03And a flying doctor comes down to earth for a night shift on the streets of Leeds.
0:42:17 > 0:42:22Subtitles by Subtext for Red Bee Media Ltd 2008
0:42:22 > 0:42:24Email subtitling@bbc.co.uk