0:00:02 > 0:00:05When you're with someone critically ill or seriously injured,
0:00:05 > 0:00:08every minute you wait for medical aid to arrive can feel like an hour,
0:00:08 > 0:00:13which is why a helicopter like this can be one of the most beautiful sights in the world.
0:00:13 > 0:00:17It certainly was for me when I was a copper. This is the Yorkshire air ambulance
0:00:17 > 0:00:20and their business is saving lives.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43From the Dales to the big cities of Leeds and Sheffield,
0:00:43 > 0:00:47patients in the UK's biggest county are never more than 10 minutes from a hospital,
0:00:47 > 0:00:51thanks to this 150-mile-an-hour life-saver.
0:00:51 > 0:00:56And every day brings a new life-or-death emergency for its team of flying paramedics.
0:00:56 > 0:01:00Two helicopters, four paramedics, 5 million patients.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05Today - a workman's leg is crushed by a mobile crane...
0:01:05 > 0:01:09We've given him some pain relief. It's quite badly crushed.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12..but bad weather could ground his flight to hospital.
0:01:12 > 0:01:17There's a race to save a biker badly hurt in a crash that killed his friend.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20- Were you wearing a helmet and all that?- Yeah.
0:01:22 > 0:01:26A patient comes back to thank his rescuers...all of them.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28It was very, very, very emotional.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33Where are we going to go from here?
0:01:33 > 0:01:37And a flying doctor comes down to earth for a night shift on the streets of Leeds.
0:01:41 > 0:01:45When travelling at 150 miles an hour, even an outsized county
0:01:45 > 0:01:48like Yorkshire shrinks to a more manageable size.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51Cutting out the country lanes sometimes means a half-hour drive
0:01:51 > 0:01:54can be a five-minute flight.
0:01:56 > 0:01:58But out towards the east coast,
0:01:58 > 0:02:01you can be in for a long wait for help, even from the air.
0:02:05 > 0:02:09On a remote farm on the edge of the North York Moors, there's been an accident.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11This crane weighs 7.5 tonnes
0:02:11 > 0:02:15and it's run over drainage- contractor Darren Patterson's leg.
0:02:15 > 0:02:17It's badly broken.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20Helimed 99 is on the case.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23Paramedic Pat has seen accidents like this before.
0:02:23 > 0:02:27If he is as serious as it sounded
0:02:27 > 0:02:29from the caller, then this gentleman
0:02:29 > 0:02:32will need to be in to James Cook hospital
0:02:32 > 0:02:33as quickly as possible.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36It depends on whereabouts on his leg it is -
0:02:36 > 0:02:37if it's the lower leg or upper leg.
0:02:37 > 0:02:41If it's on the femur, he can basically bleed to death,
0:02:41 > 0:02:45if it's crushed and has damaged arteries and veins in his leg.
0:02:45 > 0:02:47So it's a potential life-threatening injury.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51Darren's workmates have been waiting 20 minutes for help to arrive.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54He was walking alongside the crane
0:02:54 > 0:02:57when one of its caterpillar tracks crushed his leg.
0:02:57 > 0:03:01It looks like there's someone by the front wheels of that tractor.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04MUFFLED SPEECH
0:03:10 > 0:03:12Darren was completing the last job
0:03:12 > 0:03:16on the final day of a two-week contract when the accident happened.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19Now all he wants is pain relief.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21My leg is completely crushed.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24Below the knee it's completely crushed.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26Right, which...
0:03:26 > 0:03:28So the track has actually gone over.
0:03:28 > 0:03:32Yeah, right up to the knee there. It's all right above the knee.
0:03:32 > 0:03:33All right above the knee?
0:03:33 > 0:03:36Yeah. It's all right above that. But it's crushed there.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38Can I have a quick look at it, Daz?
0:03:38 > 0:03:40Honestly, cut the BLEEP jeans, because it...
0:03:40 > 0:03:42No, I'll cut the jeans, you're all right.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45Every time I move it's BLEEP and I don't want to see anything.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48The ground crew have driven 20 miles
0:03:48 > 0:03:52and walked half a mile to reach the accident scene.
0:03:52 > 0:03:57What I'm going to do is give you some painkiller, and that will help straight away.
0:03:57 > 0:04:01Pat is carefully assessing whether the weight of the crane
0:04:01 > 0:04:04has crushed the blood vessels supplying Darren's foot.
0:04:04 > 0:04:08If it has, he could lose his lower leg.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11He's in a lot of pain. She's giving him a little bit of pain relief
0:04:11 > 0:04:13before we can put a splint in the leg.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15It's quite badly crushed.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18Sharp scratch coming up in a sec.
0:04:18 > 0:04:23- I feel tired.- You feel tired, mate. Yeah, it's your body just going hey!
0:04:23 > 0:04:24But keep still for me.
0:04:24 > 0:04:29The good news is, Pat thinks he can detect a weak pulse in Darren's foot.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33- I feel like I'm going to pass out. - All right, Daz, just keep going.
0:04:33 > 0:04:35What we need to do is make sure you're safe first.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39Can I confirm again, you've not hurt yourself anywhere else?
0:04:39 > 0:04:41- No.- It was just the track that went over your leg.
0:04:41 > 0:04:43Are you getting a bit cold now, as well?
0:04:43 > 0:04:48- I've been cold for yonks. Shivering like BLEEP.- All right.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51HE MOANS
0:04:51 > 0:04:55Darren's language is a little colourful, perhaps understandably.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58Ohh! BLEEP! BLEEP!
0:04:58 > 0:05:02What he doesn't realise is that paramedic Sammy Wills
0:05:02 > 0:05:05doesn't approve of many of his favourite words.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08and often tells off her colleagues if they use them.
0:05:08 > 0:05:09BLEEP!
0:05:09 > 0:05:12As we approached the gentleman,
0:05:12 > 0:05:14I could hear him before I could see him.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18He was in a lot of pain and verbalising that quite remarkably,
0:05:18 > 0:05:19letting me know
0:05:19 > 0:05:20how much it hurt him.
0:05:20 > 0:05:22Oh, BLEEP! BLEEP!
0:05:22 > 0:05:27I personally choose not to use foul language. He chose to swear
0:05:27 > 0:05:32and I believe it was helping him vent his pain at that time.
0:05:32 > 0:05:34I chose to blinker it out.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37I heard the words that it hurts and where it hurts.
0:05:37 > 0:05:41You've got enough morphine now to knock an elephant out.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43Darren's now been given as many painkillers
0:05:43 > 0:05:47as the paramedics dare dispense. But he's still in severe pain.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51And it's not helping his temper. The workmate who was driving the crane
0:05:51 > 0:05:55is in big trouble with Helimed 99's patient.
0:05:55 > 0:05:59I tell you what, I wish I could get up because I'd BLEEP kick you up the BLEEP!
0:05:59 > 0:06:02There are no hard feelings though.
0:06:02 > 0:06:06Darren needs his workmates to help him carry him to the helicopter.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09It could be worse. The nearest road is half a mile away.
0:06:09 > 0:06:13Pat knows Darren's leg needs urgent hospital treatment
0:06:13 > 0:06:18followed by emergency surgery at James Cook Hospital in Middlesbrough.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21But that's at least an hour away by road.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24And the weather is about to take a turn for the worse.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27We've bad weather coming in from the north.
0:06:27 > 0:06:31If we have difficulty, we'll turn around and go to Scarborough, all right?
0:06:31 > 0:06:34- They can't confirm yet. - We can't confirm,
0:06:34 > 0:06:37We're going to try for Middlesbrough.
0:06:40 > 0:06:44Coming up: their patient turns out to be terrified of flying.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47The crew face a battle with nature to get him to hospital.
0:06:49 > 0:06:50Well, we can't go that way.
0:06:52 > 0:06:57An accident victim is reunited with the watch he lost in a head-on smash.
0:06:57 > 0:06:59I can't thank you enough, honestly.
0:06:59 > 0:07:04And flying-doctor Andy is caught up in a murder investigation.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08Potentially very serious, if not fatally injured.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17The flying paramedics can fly up to 12 missions a day,
0:07:17 > 0:07:19but some cases will stay in their memories for ever,
0:07:19 > 0:07:23often, for the wrong reasons.
0:07:23 > 0:07:27Kyle Turner's mum knew he was born to ride a motorbike.
0:07:27 > 0:07:31He got one of those battery-powered motorbikes when he was one.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34At four, he got a real motorbike.
0:07:34 > 0:07:40He knew every part that a motorbike had and he just lived for motorbikes.
0:07:40 > 0:07:46But one summer's day, Kyle's love for speed resulted in a freak accident.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49He collided head-on with biking friend Scott Moffat,
0:07:49 > 0:07:51while trail riding near his home.
0:07:53 > 0:07:58Within minutes of the crash, Helimed99 dispatcher Chris Solomons is scrambling the chopper.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02It's 40 miles to the former colliery where the accident's happened.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06Even at 160 miles an hour, that's 15 minutes.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09The news from the scene of the accident isn't good.
0:08:09 > 0:08:13'One casualty on scene - left arm fractured.
0:08:13 > 0:08:18'Left leg fractured. One DOA on the scene. I repeat, one DOA.'
0:08:20 > 0:08:24Roger, thanks for that. It's received, thanks.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27In this former mining community,
0:08:27 > 0:08:30everyone knows there has been a major accident,
0:08:30 > 0:08:32including Kyle's mother.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35I'd seen all the fire engines, the ambulances,
0:08:35 > 0:08:37and they were just at the bottom of the street.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40My little girl, Paris, she went running down to the bottom
0:08:40 > 0:08:45of the street and she just came back and she was screaming at me.
0:08:45 > 0:08:46I couldn't make her out.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49She said, "He's at an accident on his bike, it's Kyle!"
0:08:49 > 0:08:54As I got halfway down the street, I saw the air ambulance above.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57I just stood there and I screamed. I just knew.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02I had seen my husband's best friend coming towards me...
0:09:03 > 0:09:05..and I just knew by his face.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08And I just kept saying to him, just smile, smile for me.
0:09:08 > 0:09:10He kept shaking his head and I knew then,
0:09:10 > 0:09:13before he had even got up there that he was gone.
0:09:13 > 0:09:18Helimed 99 is too late to save Kyle, but the battle is on
0:09:18 > 0:09:20to get his friend Scott to hospital.
0:09:20 > 0:09:25Leg fractures can be fatal and he could have a collapsed lung.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28- We've one DOA over there.- OK.
0:09:28 > 0:09:30This one has got a fractured leg.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33OK. Were he helmeted at all?
0:09:33 > 0:09:35Were he helmeted at all?
0:09:35 > 0:09:36- I think so.- Yeah?
0:09:36 > 0:09:38We can see helmets around.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41Scott? Were you wearing a helmet and all that?
0:09:41 > 0:09:43- Yeah.- OK.
0:09:43 > 0:09:47The accident's happened in a remote area of wasteland.
0:09:47 > 0:09:51The ground paramedics had to hitch a lift on an off-road bike to get here.
0:09:51 > 0:09:56Helimed 99 is Scott's only hope of a rapid journey to hospital.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59Anybody witness what happened?
0:09:59 > 0:10:03I weren't on the scene. There were bikes going round and they just stopped
0:10:03 > 0:10:07so we thought something had happened so we came rushing over.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10- Just going to cut your top, mate. - Is he going to be all right?
0:10:10 > 0:10:14Scott's girlfriend, Laura, has also heard about the accident and come running.
0:10:14 > 0:10:16- Laura!- All right, I'm here.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19- Her boyfriend is in severe pain.- Ow!
0:10:19 > 0:10:23- That hurts?- Ow, it hurts, Owww! - Sorry, sorry.- Oww.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26HE GROANS
0:10:26 > 0:10:29Flying-Doctor Andy has his work cut out.
0:10:29 > 0:10:36Scott is in such agony he's going to give him ketamine - a powerful painkiller.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38Please darling, they're making you better.
0:10:38 > 0:10:42- Leave it there. - Come on, you'll be all right. - I'm worried about his chest.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47Scott needs urgent hospital treatment,
0:10:47 > 0:10:50but if he has a collapsed lung, his condition could deteriorate
0:10:50 > 0:10:52rapidly in the air.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55Dr Andy has to be sure it's safe to fly him.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59I'm just exposing this right leg
0:10:59 > 0:11:05because I think it is going to be easier for us to manoeuvre him about with his trousers off.
0:11:05 > 0:11:06Scott, open your eyes.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09That's fine, the ketamine's just knocked him out a little bit.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15The Helimed crew have to balance the need for speed
0:11:15 > 0:11:18with making sure their patients are in a fit state to fly.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20And Scott's not there yet.
0:11:25 > 0:11:29Coming up, Dr Andy decides to make a move
0:11:29 > 0:11:31and police investigate the accident.
0:11:31 > 0:11:35His oxygen levels are OK at the moment so we're happy with that.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37Freak weather forces Helimed 99 out to sea.
0:11:37 > 0:11:42I only had to look out to the left and it was total sea.
0:11:44 > 0:11:49And flying-doctor Andy is called in to help an ambulance crew in trouble.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57When the Helimed team leave their patients at the hospital door,
0:11:57 > 0:12:01they often lose touch with the people whose lives they have saved.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03But sometimes there's a reunion.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10At Helimed 99's hangar at Leeds Bradford Airport,
0:12:10 > 0:12:13they're getting prepared for a special visitor.
0:12:13 > 0:12:15Billy is a former patient of ours.
0:12:15 > 0:12:19He was involved in a bad car smash just over the road from the airport.
0:12:19 > 0:12:24Unusually for him, the fire crew that cut him out
0:12:24 > 0:12:26are his colleagues, he used to be a fireman.
0:12:26 > 0:12:31The surprise for him today is he is coming up to the airbase to visit. What he doesn't know is
0:12:31 > 0:12:36the big surprise, his colleagues, the fire crew will be here today.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39Billy is on his way,
0:12:39 > 0:12:42unaware of the surprise that lies ahead.
0:12:42 > 0:12:44I've been in helicopters.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46I was with the air sea rescue,
0:12:46 > 0:12:50I did a bit of time with them when I was with the fire brigade.
0:12:50 > 0:12:52I've been in a helicopter.
0:12:52 > 0:12:56To be honest, I didn't know it was here, I thought it was further up!
0:12:56 > 0:13:00Sammy remembers the day Billy had his crash well.
0:13:01 > 0:13:06Billy's accident sticks in my memory, not only because it was over the road from the air base
0:13:06 > 0:13:10but there were two casualties, both of them warranted the air ambulance.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13It was a hard decision, whether we were going to fly
0:13:13 > 0:13:17Billy or the other gentlemen who had a massive head injury.
0:13:17 > 0:13:19We were having to breathe for him as well.
0:13:19 > 0:13:23Unfortunately Billy was trapped in the car. It was his colleagues,
0:13:23 > 0:13:26the firemen, that were cutting him out at the time as we left.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29I said to a colleague, "It's Billy."
0:13:29 > 0:13:34When it is one of your colleagues or your friend or family it's even more traumatic.
0:13:36 > 0:13:40It'll be really good to see Billy. I'm looking forward to meeting him.
0:13:40 > 0:13:44Even as he arrives and sees a familiar fire engine on the helipad,
0:13:44 > 0:13:45Billy doesn't suspect a thing.
0:13:45 > 0:13:49There was a fire engine at my old pump like that.
0:13:49 > 0:13:51Hello, Billy!
0:13:51 > 0:13:53Hiya! How are you doing, mate?
0:13:53 > 0:13:56- I am fine, thank you.- Nice to see you. Come on in.- Thank you.
0:13:56 > 0:14:02As the paramedic greets Billy at Air Ambulance Headquarters front door,
0:14:02 > 0:14:05the fire crews go through the hangar doors at the back.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08- Can you fit through?- Yeah.- Good lad.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10You are behind the scenes here.
0:14:12 > 0:14:16Finally, Billy realises he's been set up.
0:14:16 > 0:14:17I ain't going out there!
0:14:17 > 0:14:20'I thought, oh no, what is this about?
0:14:20 > 0:14:22'How am I going to react to this?'
0:14:22 > 0:14:25- Haven't seen you for- BLEEP- ages!
0:14:25 > 0:14:31'They were saying, "I haven't seen you for ages, how are you getting on?"'
0:14:31 > 0:14:33There was tears in my eyes.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35It was very, very, very emotional.
0:14:35 > 0:14:40Did they give you cushions to put up your jumper?! How are you?
0:14:40 > 0:14:43He has nothing but praise for his old fire crew colleagues
0:14:43 > 0:14:45who had to cut him out of his wrecked car.
0:14:45 > 0:14:49'In the time I was in the fire brigade all those years,
0:14:49 > 0:14:52'I've never been to one where I knew the person in the car.'
0:14:52 > 0:14:54Good to see you! God, it must be years!
0:14:54 > 0:14:57I recognised you straight away with this.
0:14:57 > 0:15:02It is OK going to an accident or a fire and looking after someone
0:15:02 > 0:15:05and caring, they do care, they care an awful lot.
0:15:05 > 0:15:07But there is no knowing them, is there?
0:15:07 > 0:15:10And suddenly you know someone who is in there.
0:15:10 > 0:15:15'I don't know how I would feel if I opened a car door and saw
0:15:15 > 0:15:19'a friend of mine in there or a relative, I really don't know.'
0:15:19 > 0:15:23Local farmer, John Penny, witnessed the crash.
0:15:23 > 0:15:29I looked round, opened my door and heard the almighty bang.
0:15:29 > 0:15:33Over my right shoulder behind me, I could see the cars just...
0:15:33 > 0:15:39meet up and go up, like two horses rearing up, and drop back down.
0:15:41 > 0:15:45I got my foot on the handle of the door and pulled the door open.
0:15:45 > 0:15:50All I could think of all the time was the cars were going to explode.
0:15:50 > 0:15:52As I pulled the door open, obviously,
0:15:52 > 0:15:57Billy was there, I seen blood and things, you know.
0:15:57 > 0:16:02I didn't know what to do. All I could think was, the car is smoking, it's going to set on fire.
0:16:02 > 0:16:06I got on the phone, dialled 999 and they were asking me questions.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08"Don't ask me questions, just get the people here.
0:16:08 > 0:16:13"Get whoever, ambulances, police, fire brigade, that's what you need.
0:16:13 > 0:16:14"And get them here quick!"
0:16:14 > 0:16:18It will stay with me for the rest of my life.
0:16:18 > 0:16:20Several weeks after the accident,
0:16:20 > 0:16:24he found something at the scene that he thinks Billy might want back.
0:16:24 > 0:16:26Do you remember John?
0:16:26 > 0:16:28This is the farmer.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31I do thank you. I can't thank you enough, honestly.
0:16:31 > 0:16:33When you got off the phone, I was sat...
0:16:33 > 0:16:35'I wanted to make sure he got it back.
0:16:35 > 0:16:40'Obviously, today is the day I gave him it back, his watch.'
0:16:40 > 0:16:44The fire brigade had not bothered about the watch, cut it off and thrown it away.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47So he said, "I've brought you it." It was only a working watch
0:16:47 > 0:16:50but he said it might have been sentimental
0:16:50 > 0:16:54and that set me off again. That was a tearful afternoon!
0:16:54 > 0:16:56Nice smile. Lovely.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59It was a terrible accident that Billy was involved in.
0:16:59 > 0:17:03It did turn his life upside down, but it was fantastic
0:17:03 > 0:17:07to see the look on his face when he saw his old fire crew.
0:17:07 > 0:17:09I think Billy has made a great recovery.
0:17:09 > 0:17:14It is down to his attitude. He was determined to get well despite everything that happened.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17I now treat every day
0:17:17 > 0:17:19as the last day, as if there's...
0:17:19 > 0:17:21make the best of every day, never be boring.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26If being miserable was going to get me better quicker,
0:17:26 > 0:17:28I would be the most miserable guy in the world.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30It doesn't, does it?
0:17:30 > 0:17:32There's no point, is there?
0:17:32 > 0:17:36I take my hat off to them. To do it not in a hospital but out there in the field.
0:17:36 > 0:17:40They do it at the side of a road, or in a field or wherever,
0:17:40 > 0:17:42and I do, I take my hat off to them. All of them.
0:17:49 > 0:17:53Coming up, there's a life-saving flight for a badly injured biker.
0:17:53 > 0:17:58His airway is good, breathing is OK and keeping on top of everything.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02And it's the weekend, and flying doctor Andy
0:18:02 > 0:18:05is treating the casualties of a night on the town.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07We treat him as though he has a neck injury.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17Air ambulances don't have blue lights and two-tones,
0:18:17 > 0:18:20but get top priority from the air controllers who police the skies.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23Sometimes they need it.
0:18:25 > 0:18:27Darren Patterson was lucky to survive
0:18:27 > 0:18:30when a 7.5 tonne crane drove over his leg
0:18:30 > 0:18:33on a remote farm on the edge of the North York Moors.
0:18:33 > 0:18:38His leg is badly crushed and there are fears he might lose it.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41Paramedics Pat and Sammy are trying to get him to hospital
0:18:41 > 0:18:44as quickly as possible but there is a problem.
0:18:44 > 0:18:49We are going to try James Cook, but the weather is closing in from the north.
0:18:49 > 0:18:53Steve is going to set off and try and head towards James Cook.
0:18:53 > 0:18:54If we have to redivert,
0:18:54 > 0:18:58we will get in touch via the sat phone and redivert to Scarborough.
0:19:00 > 0:19:01To add to the weather worries,
0:19:01 > 0:19:05their passenger is terrified of flying.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08I can't believe you've got me in an aeroplane and I can't see!
0:19:09 > 0:19:13My wife has been trying to get me to go on holiday for five years!
0:19:15 > 0:19:20If Darren could see out of the window, he'd be even more nervous.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23To reach the hospital in Middlesbrough, Helimed 99
0:19:23 > 0:19:26must cross the Cleveland Hills and much of the area is in low cloud.
0:19:26 > 0:19:30Soon, they are flying into a hailstorm.
0:19:30 > 0:19:34Well, we can't go that way.
0:19:34 > 0:19:40- Scarborough and Middlesbrough are both exactly the same distance. - Can they handle something like this?
0:19:40 > 0:19:42Yes, I suspect so.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45They'll be able to manage the trauma, yeah.
0:19:45 > 0:19:50Pilot Steve Cobb must stay in sight of the ground to navigate, but the weather's getting worse.
0:19:50 > 0:19:54It was snow and hailstone quite badly, and I could see it flashing
0:19:54 > 0:19:59past the aircraft. And I'm trying to calm the patient down,
0:19:59 > 0:20:02and allay his fears about flying,
0:20:02 > 0:20:05and I was thinking, "This isn't good."
0:20:05 > 0:20:09It got to the point where I think at one point, Sammy says...
0:20:09 > 0:20:12asks if it would be a good idea to put the aircraft down
0:20:12 > 0:20:16and call for land ambulance to come and take the patient off us and convey the patient.
0:20:16 > 0:20:20But the crew know Darren needs emergency surgery.
0:20:20 > 0:20:22He hasn't got the time to go by road.
0:20:22 > 0:20:27Steve turns back the way he came and decides to head south to Scarborough instead.
0:20:27 > 0:20:33The only sure way to find their destination is by flying over the sea and following the coast.
0:20:33 > 0:20:38We've had to redivert. We originally wanted to go to James Cook Hospital in Middlesbrough
0:20:38 > 0:20:41with this gentleman, but due to the weather
0:20:41 > 0:20:44and the weather closing in on top of us on the Moors,
0:20:44 > 0:20:46we've had to come onto the coast
0:20:46 > 0:20:50and travel down south along the coast to Scarborough.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53So we'll try to avoid all the bad weather,
0:20:53 > 0:20:56these April showers, these hailstones.
0:20:56 > 0:21:01We were flying, literally, with the cliffs on our right-hand side,
0:21:01 > 0:21:05and we use that as our reference, visual reference point.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08I only had to look out to the left, and it was total sea.
0:21:08 > 0:21:13Pat was once a rating in the Navy, but Sammy doesn't like the sea.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16The whole team remember her fear of the dunker,
0:21:16 > 0:21:20a simulator which recreates a crash landing on water.
0:21:20 > 0:21:24Now she's flying over the cold North Sea for real.
0:21:24 > 0:21:28I have done my dunk tank training, I wasn't anxious about that.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31The fear was, how would I then get this patient out
0:21:31 > 0:21:33if we were to go in the sea?
0:21:33 > 0:21:35But they've made it.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38Half an hour after taking off, Helimed 99 arrives in Scarborough.
0:21:38 > 0:21:42It's a moment of relief for everyone on board.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46- Well done, Daz! - You've lapped it, Daz!
0:21:48 > 0:21:51- What a flight for a first flight! - I know!
0:21:51 > 0:21:56Darren is within minutes of specialist care, but he's a worried man.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59You'll even fly your wife to Majorca?
0:21:59 > 0:22:04- Looks like it could be on one leg, now, don't it? - No! Don't worry about that, Daz.
0:22:04 > 0:22:06You're gonna be fine.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13Coming up... Will Darren lose his leg, as he fears?
0:22:13 > 0:22:15We don't know how shattered it is.
0:22:15 > 0:22:20Or will surgeons be able to repair the damage done by seven and a half tonnes of crane?
0:22:20 > 0:22:25And flying doctor Andy is called to a pedestrian knocked down in the city centre.
0:22:25 > 0:22:29We have to treat him as though he's got a neck or a back injury.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38Let's catch up on that rescue operation that's taken the crew
0:22:38 > 0:22:43of Helimed 99 30 miles from base - and the paramedics are worried.
0:22:45 > 0:22:47On a disused coal tip in South Yorkshire,
0:22:47 > 0:22:51the paramedics are fighting to save the only survivor
0:22:51 > 0:22:54of a head-on crash between two off-road motorbikes.
0:22:54 > 0:22:58Biker Carl Turner died in the impact, but his friend Scott Moffatt
0:22:58 > 0:23:02has sustained a broken arm and leg, a collapsed lung,
0:23:02 > 0:23:04and he could have a head injury.
0:23:04 > 0:23:08Flying doctor Andy Pountney has been working to stabilise Scott
0:23:08 > 0:23:10for a life-saving flight to hospital.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13Hopefully we've got the pain under control.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15Keeping an eye on his chest.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18His oxygen levels are OK at the moment, so happy with that.
0:23:18 > 0:23:20Taking him to Pinderfields,
0:23:20 > 0:23:23which is the quickest A&E department for us to get him into.
0:23:23 > 0:23:26At last, Scott's ready for take-off.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29The scene of the accident is a huge area of waste land.
0:23:29 > 0:23:34It's in remote areas like this that Helimed 99 comes into its own.
0:23:34 > 0:23:38Land ambulances simply couldn't make it here.
0:23:38 > 0:23:42Biking here is illegal, but it's been going on for 20 years.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44All the crew of Helimed 99 know
0:23:44 > 0:23:49is the crash had devastating medical consequences for their patient.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52So how did the other guy die?
0:23:52 > 0:23:54I don't really understand what's...
0:23:54 > 0:23:56We can't get any...
0:23:56 > 0:23:58Seem to get any... Nobody's seen it happen.
0:23:58 > 0:24:02- I'm all clear. I've told the coppers we're taking off. - We're clear rear right.
0:24:12 > 0:24:16Scott's condition is carefully monitored throughout the flight.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19Just looking for any adverse observations en route,
0:24:19 > 0:24:22and just keeping an eye on him.
0:24:22 > 0:24:24His airway's good, breathing is OK,
0:24:24 > 0:24:27and just keeping on top of everything.
0:24:27 > 0:24:29Just to make sure that things are all right
0:24:29 > 0:24:31when we arrive at the hospital,
0:24:31 > 0:24:35and we can get him in the ambulance safely and down to casualty.
0:24:35 > 0:24:39Scott was in hospital at Wakefield within 10 minutes.
0:24:39 > 0:24:44Despite the severity of his injuries, he made a good recovery.
0:24:44 > 0:24:48He still finds it difficult to speak about the accident that killed one of his best friends.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54Back home near Doncaster, Carl's mother Michelle, girlfriend Emma
0:24:54 > 0:25:00and their two children have only memories of a bike-mad son, partner and dad.
0:25:00 > 0:25:02He just lived his life at top speed,
0:25:02 > 0:25:05and he just wanted to cram everything in.
0:25:05 > 0:25:07Everything he did,
0:25:07 > 0:25:09I think,
0:25:09 > 0:25:11he just... I suppose he knew... I suppose...
0:25:11 > 0:25:14He would live a short life.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16An inquest revealed that neither rider
0:25:16 > 0:25:21could have seen the other as they approached a blind bend in opposite directions.
0:25:21 > 0:25:25And, crucially, Carl wasn't wearing a helmet.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28You know, I think, parents, if kids have got bikes,
0:25:28 > 0:25:33to make sure they do wear proper head gear and body armour.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35It can save their lives.
0:25:35 > 0:25:39Despite the tragic outcome of the accident, Carl's mum
0:25:39 > 0:25:44is thankful for the paramedics who raced to save both riders.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47I think it is really important,
0:25:47 > 0:25:49you know, the job that they do,
0:25:49 > 0:25:52obviously cos where the accident did happen,
0:25:52 > 0:25:56there was no way an ambulance could get up there.
0:25:56 > 0:26:00So we had to rely on the air ambulance.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07Coming up... The workman run over by a mobile crane is on his way
0:26:07 > 0:26:11to the operating theatre, but can surgeons save his leg?
0:26:18 > 0:26:21The air ambulances are kept in the air by charity and sponsorship,
0:26:21 > 0:26:27and there's very few patients who don't become big supporters after they're rescued.
0:26:27 > 0:26:31But there's another group of donors who keep the service in the air.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33They're doctors like Andy Pountney,
0:26:33 > 0:26:35who give up their own time to help save lives.
0:26:35 > 0:26:40Andy's been flying with Helimed 99's paramedics for three years.
0:26:40 > 0:26:45And today, another patient's going to benefit from his expertise.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48On the outskirts of Doncaster in South Yorkshire,
0:26:48 > 0:26:49a young driver's injured.
0:26:49 > 0:26:53His car's left the road and rolled into a field.
0:26:53 > 0:26:57Andy's one of a new breed of doctors who are venturing out of casualty departments
0:26:57 > 0:27:01and taking life-saving skills to roads and fields across the country.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04For patients who are seriously injured,
0:27:04 > 0:27:08Andy's expertise can make the difference between life and death.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11The paramedics are obviously very experienced,
0:27:11 > 0:27:15very well trained and they can deal with the majority of situations.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18Just occasionally, an incident will come up
0:27:18 > 0:27:20when we can bring something else to that job,
0:27:20 > 0:27:24whether that be, you know, ketamine for very strong pain relief,
0:27:24 > 0:27:27or a small surgical procedure, a chest intervention,
0:27:27 > 0:27:31whether they need an emergency anaesthetic to control their airway
0:27:31 > 0:27:33or their breathing or to control a head injury.
0:27:33 > 0:27:37So in those instances, it is useful to be able to take a medic to the scene.
0:27:37 > 0:27:42ETA, four minutes, and they say the patient's quite agitated, Andy.
0:27:42 > 0:27:43OK, then.
0:27:43 > 0:27:48This is not good news. Andy's used to dealing with patients in hospital,
0:27:48 > 0:27:50with the help and support of an A&E unit.
0:27:50 > 0:27:54But without this back-up, this could be a very difficult situation.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57Give me some big breaths.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00- What are you doing? - Just take some big breaths.
0:28:00 > 0:28:04Andy's with him. The paramedics...
0:28:04 > 0:28:07are on scene, and they've stabilised him to this point.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10We'll just get t'aircraft ready.
0:28:10 > 0:28:14Because he's packaged already, we'll get him off as quick as we can.
0:28:14 > 0:28:19And there's good news. Numerous tests and scans at hospital revealed no long-term damage.
0:28:19 > 0:28:24Back in more familiar surroundings, Andy's back on shift at Dewsbury District Hospital.
0:28:24 > 0:28:26Same on both sides?
0:28:26 > 0:28:28- Yeah.- Yeah. Down here?
0:28:28 > 0:28:34I've been a doctor now for about 10 years or so, working in acute specialities of one sort or another.
0:28:34 > 0:28:36Wiggle your feet a bit for me.
0:28:36 > 0:28:40Working in emergency is great, you get a huge variety of stuff here,
0:28:40 > 0:28:44but when you are out of hospital it's not only the variety of the case mix,
0:28:44 > 0:28:47it's the variety of locations and scenes as well.
0:28:47 > 0:28:51And every incident that you attend, whether it be a road collision or an assault, a shooting,
0:28:51 > 0:28:54stabbing, or a medical problem, they're all different.
0:28:54 > 0:28:59And being out of hospital brings its own challenges, which is quite nice.
0:28:59 > 0:29:03Modern A&E units are full of state-of-the-art equipment
0:29:03 > 0:29:05with specialist staff on hand 24 hours a day.
0:29:05 > 0:29:11Being able to take at least some aspects of hospital directly to a patient is a challenge.
0:29:11 > 0:29:15It could be dark, cold, wet, rainy. Often you're by yourself.
0:29:15 > 0:29:17It can be a very, kind of, lonely place out there.
0:29:17 > 0:29:20You haven't got all the back-up and support.
0:29:20 > 0:29:23It's Saturday night, and in Leeds city centre,
0:29:23 > 0:29:26revellers are downing the pints and swallowing the shots.
0:29:26 > 0:29:30It's going to be another busy night for the ambulance service.
0:29:30 > 0:29:32Tonight, they've got back-up.
0:29:32 > 0:29:37As well as being a flying doctor, Andy also uses a more conventional
0:29:37 > 0:29:39means of transport to get to his patients.
0:29:39 > 0:29:42He's part of the West Yorkshire Medic Response Team.
0:29:42 > 0:29:45Primarily, we're gonna look at trauma jobs,
0:29:45 > 0:29:50so RTCs - road traffic collisions - shootings, stabbings, falls...
0:29:50 > 0:29:53The Leeds Hospital Fund, through Central Ambulance, agreed
0:29:53 > 0:29:56to support the Medic Response Scheme for a period of two years.
0:29:56 > 0:29:58Do you know where this road is?
0:29:58 > 0:30:02And it's not long before the team are dispatched to their first job.
0:30:02 > 0:30:07We've been tasked to an RTA, pedestrian knock-down, in Ossett.
0:30:07 > 0:30:08About nine miles from the job,
0:30:08 > 0:30:12so we should be there in probably seven or eight minutes.
0:30:12 > 0:30:17Tonight, Andy is training another emergency doctor, Ross Hemingway.
0:30:17 > 0:30:20We're waiting for information if a crew get there before us.
0:30:20 > 0:30:24Otherwise, we'll be first on scene and see what injuries we find.
0:30:24 > 0:30:29They might not be in a helicopter, but in a high-performance car with blue lights,
0:30:29 > 0:30:33they can still race to the scene at speeds of well over 80 mph.
0:30:33 > 0:30:37And they need to. It's clear the man has suffered some serious injuries.
0:30:37 > 0:30:40All knock-downs have the potential for serious injuries, but...
0:30:40 > 0:30:43We'll have to wait and see till we get there.
0:30:43 > 0:30:46It depends what speed the car was doing.
0:30:46 > 0:30:49Other emergency services are on the scene, but Andy and Ross can deliver
0:30:49 > 0:30:53life-saving treatment that paramedics can't.
0:30:53 > 0:30:57Tonight, that expertise might prove vital.
0:30:57 > 0:31:01- Where are we gonna go from here, Pinders?- Yeah, mate.
0:31:01 > 0:31:03First job - relieving the man's pain.
0:31:03 > 0:31:06So you're not allergic to anything? No? This is some morphine.
0:31:06 > 0:31:10Might make you feel a bit dizzy, light-headed, but it should help the pain.
0:31:10 > 0:31:15The pedestrian was crossing the road when he was hit by an oncoming car.
0:31:15 > 0:31:20Morphine eased his pain, but Andy must now put his badly broken leg into a splint.
0:31:20 > 0:31:24- Is it any better after the morphine? - A lot better.
0:31:24 > 0:31:26Just tell him we're gonna have to pop it into the box.
0:31:26 > 0:31:28I want him to grit his teeth.
0:31:28 > 0:31:30It'll be done in three seconds.
0:31:30 > 0:31:32Everybody ready? One, two, three.
0:31:36 > 0:31:40Even with the leg stabilised, he needs to be in hospital fast.
0:31:40 > 0:31:44Ross, are you happy to take the head while we do a roll onto the board,
0:31:44 > 0:31:47and explain to him what we're gonna do? Nice one.
0:31:47 > 0:31:53The main injury is his leg. He's got a quite nasty open fracture, which was fairly angulated and displaced.
0:31:53 > 0:31:57He was in pain, but he's had some morphine, which allowed us to reduce it.
0:31:57 > 0:32:01Because he's got a very painful injury, that may distract him from other injuries.
0:32:01 > 0:32:04We have to treat him like he's got a neck or a back injury
0:32:04 > 0:32:06until proven otherwise with X-rays.
0:32:06 > 0:32:10So we're taking him, and he'll be looked at in more detail down there.
0:32:10 > 0:32:13There's only so much Andy can do in the middle of a busy road,
0:32:13 > 0:32:15and he knows better than anyone
0:32:15 > 0:32:21that patients with such serious injuries need the expert care that only a hospital can provide.
0:32:21 > 0:32:25As a doctor attending that job, I was able to administer morphine to that patient,
0:32:25 > 0:32:28which the paramedics couldn't have,
0:32:28 > 0:32:33so that allowed us to get on top of the gentleman's pain quickly and sort out his leg,
0:32:33 > 0:32:37which allowed us to get him packaged and away from the scene quickly.
0:32:37 > 0:32:39Obviously, it's freezing cold tonight,
0:32:39 > 0:32:42so the less time he was laid on his back on the floor, the better.
0:32:42 > 0:32:47'They're on Otley Road. They were heading up towards Leeds 16...'
0:32:47 > 0:32:49It's a hectic start to the night for Andy and Ross,
0:32:49 > 0:32:53but they're about to get a job all ambulance crews dread.
0:32:53 > 0:32:56Three road traffics being called in at pretty much the same time,
0:32:56 > 0:33:01so we're trying to prioritise them through the communications centre.
0:33:01 > 0:33:05The one that appears to be most serious from the information we've got
0:33:05 > 0:33:11is involving an ambulance which was on its way to a job and has been involved in an accident itself.
0:33:11 > 0:33:15It's clear that the ambulance has been involved in a serious accident.
0:33:15 > 0:33:19Andy and Ross know they could end up treating colleagues or friends.
0:33:19 > 0:33:23Particularly if it's people you know,
0:33:23 > 0:33:27obviously there's kind of an emotional side attached to it there.
0:33:27 > 0:33:30But it's a case of just trying to detach from it
0:33:30 > 0:33:32and get on with the job as necessary.
0:33:32 > 0:33:35As you say, it can be difficult if it's people that you know.
0:33:35 > 0:33:38We're the first on the scene, by the look of it.
0:33:41 > 0:33:46Andy and Ross are the first to arrive and quickly start assessing the patients.
0:33:46 > 0:33:50But, much to everyone's relief, the ambulance crew and the car driver
0:33:50 > 0:33:54have had a lucky escape and there's no serious injuries.
0:33:54 > 0:34:01For Andy and Ross, this is a graphic example of the dangers medics face when working out of hospital.
0:34:01 > 0:34:06Back in the city centre, and the night's hard drinking is beginning to take its toll.
0:34:06 > 0:34:10It's 11.30pm now, so all the pubs have kicked out.
0:34:10 > 0:34:14Town is quite busy at the moment, so there's always potential for people
0:34:14 > 0:34:19to start fighting and fall over when they're drunk and so on.
0:34:19 > 0:34:23A bit later in the night, often we start picking up more road accidents.
0:34:23 > 0:34:27Andy's prediction is proved right.
0:34:27 > 0:34:32There's been a fight outside a club and the crew are quickly on their way.
0:34:32 > 0:34:34Andy and Ross have to be careful.
0:34:34 > 0:34:38Every weekend, ambulance crews are the victims
0:34:38 > 0:34:41of violent assaults when they're trying to treat patients.
0:34:42 > 0:34:44Get out of the road, all right?
0:34:46 > 0:34:52This is a volatile atmosphere and it's clear one man has come off worse.
0:34:52 > 0:34:57He's got a nasty facial injury and Andy and Ross quickly call for back-up.
0:34:57 > 0:35:01Gone to M&S and just walked back and seen your car.
0:35:06 > 0:35:08With the man in the hands of a local ambulance crew,
0:35:08 > 0:35:11they leave the clubbers to enjoy the rest of the night.
0:35:11 > 0:35:18But Andy and Ross's hopes for a quiet end to the evening are all quickly forgotten.
0:35:18 > 0:35:22So the job that we've got through is a male,
0:35:22 > 0:35:25a Russian male, we don't know his age, who's been stabbed.
0:35:25 > 0:35:28We don't know exactly where he's been stabbed.
0:35:28 > 0:35:35The caller coming through has said that he's stopped breathing, and...
0:35:35 > 0:35:38his heart has stopped beating, he hasn't got a pulse,
0:35:38 > 0:35:41so it sounds like he's in what we call cardio respiratory arrest.
0:35:41 > 0:35:45A street in Bradford is being transformed into a crime scene
0:35:45 > 0:35:48and police think the attacker might still be in the house.
0:35:48 > 0:35:53He might need anaesthetising. He might have severe chest injuries,
0:35:53 > 0:35:56we can do specialised surgical procedures.
0:35:56 > 0:35:58The injured man is in the basement.
0:35:58 > 0:36:02His survival depends on how fast Andy and Ross can get to the scene.
0:36:02 > 0:36:05But before they can start treating him,
0:36:05 > 0:36:08the police must ensure it's safe for them to even get close.
0:36:08 > 0:36:12We've got information of where the stand-off point is.
0:36:12 > 0:36:17Clearly, an incident like this, out-of-doors, patient's stabbed...
0:36:17 > 0:36:21We think it's potentially very serious, if not fatally injured.
0:36:21 > 0:36:25We don't want to be wading in. The assailant may still be there.
0:36:25 > 0:36:29We haven't got any information, so we need this scene to be safe before we go near.
0:36:29 > 0:36:32We've just been given the standby point.
0:36:32 > 0:36:36We're gonna wait here until we're assured by the armed police
0:36:36 > 0:36:38that the scene is safe for us to go in.
0:36:38 > 0:36:42Finally, the police have the situation under control and the team
0:36:42 > 0:36:46get the call that it's safe to go in, but they could be too late.
0:36:46 > 0:36:49Because the police wanted to preserve evidence,
0:36:49 > 0:36:51they'd asked the staff of the ambulance
0:36:51 > 0:36:54just to go down and confirm that the patient was dead.
0:36:54 > 0:36:59We then got a shout from one of the officers that the patient actually may not be dead
0:36:59 > 0:37:01and that we should go in and assist.
0:37:01 > 0:37:05At that point, everybody went into the house and it was chaos.
0:37:05 > 0:37:09Police were kicking down doors, dragging people out handcuffed.
0:37:09 > 0:37:12We were trying to battle past those, trying to get to the patient.
0:37:12 > 0:37:14We were directed down into a basement.
0:37:14 > 0:37:19When we got down there, it was just kind of carnage, really.
0:37:19 > 0:37:22Andy and Ross perform a surgical procedure on the man's chest
0:37:22 > 0:37:25before racing to the waiting ambulance.
0:37:25 > 0:37:30Despite all of their expertise, Andy and Ross know he'll be lucky to survive.
0:37:30 > 0:37:34The injured man needs surgery as soon as possible, and the team
0:37:34 > 0:37:38work tirelessly just to keep him alive long enough to reach hospital.
0:37:38 > 0:37:40But, this time, it's not enough.
0:37:40 > 0:37:44The man suffers huge blood loss and dies in hospital.
0:37:44 > 0:37:48For Andy and Ross, it's a disappointing end to a long shift,
0:37:48 > 0:37:53but it's jobs like these that show it's not just hospitals that need the life-saving skills of a doctor.
0:38:02 > 0:38:05A ride in the air ambulance is often the start of a long recovery process
0:38:05 > 0:38:08for the patients the Helimed team pick up.
0:38:08 > 0:38:12But, for some, going home is a major milestone.
0:38:12 > 0:38:1639-year-old Darren Patterson is a long way off that day.
0:38:16 > 0:38:22His leg was crushed by a mobile crane as he worked on a drainage contract in North Yorkshire.
0:38:22 > 0:38:26The bones in his leg are broken in several places and paramedic Pat
0:38:26 > 0:38:31fears the blood supply to his right foot may have been compromised.
0:38:31 > 0:38:35The team have battled through appalling weather to reach hospital in Scarborough,
0:38:35 > 0:38:38but Darren fears the worst.
0:38:38 > 0:38:40- It's crushed. - Yeah, you've broken it.
0:38:40 > 0:38:44- Without a shadow of the doubt, you've broken it.- It's shattered.
0:38:44 > 0:38:46We don't know how shattered it is.
0:38:46 > 0:38:47Right, yeah.
0:38:49 > 0:38:52There'll be a lot of work to be done on it, I'll give you that.
0:38:52 > 0:38:56We'll have to find out how good your blood supply to your leg is,
0:38:56 > 0:39:00and the nerve damage and stuff like that, if there's nerve damage.
0:39:00 > 0:39:07So they'll assess all that here and then there probably will be an operation either today or tomorrow
0:39:07 > 0:39:09to stabilise the leg.
0:39:09 > 0:39:12Darren will soon find out the truth.
0:39:12 > 0:39:17He'll be wheeled straight to the orthopaedics department of Scarborough District Hospital.
0:39:17 > 0:39:20For pilot Steve Cobb, it's a chance to talk at last
0:39:20 > 0:39:22about a flight he won't forget.
0:39:22 > 0:39:25He'd never flown in any type of vehicle before,
0:39:25 > 0:39:28so he was a little bit wary about that.
0:39:28 > 0:39:32Although people were thinking, it's raining quite a bit here,
0:39:32 > 0:39:34we didn't like to say anything,
0:39:34 > 0:39:41so it was more of a case of nodding and winking and working out what we were gonna do and say.
0:39:41 > 0:39:43Pick a major road and ask for an ambulance by land.
0:39:43 > 0:39:45We can sit it out.
0:39:45 > 0:39:50Sammy a few times said, "We can use the road ambulance if we need to,"
0:39:50 > 0:39:52just reminding me we did have options.
0:39:52 > 0:39:55We didn't say where we were going.
0:39:55 > 0:39:58We just said, "We'll go to Scarborough instead."
0:39:58 > 0:40:02Just kept it all low-key for the sake of the patient.
0:40:02 > 0:40:05A few days before, bright sunshine. Two hours later,
0:40:05 > 0:40:07it was bright sunshine.
0:40:07 > 0:40:09But just at that time, very widespread thunderstorms
0:40:09 > 0:40:12and we just happened to be in the wrong place for that one.
0:40:12 > 0:40:16Less than a week later, Darren finds out what the future holds.
0:40:16 > 0:40:22He's recovering from a complex operation that could be the first of several.
0:40:24 > 0:40:26And the good news.
0:40:26 > 0:40:28He's improving fast.
0:40:28 > 0:40:30I did think that...
0:40:30 > 0:40:32I'd lose it below the knee at one stage,
0:40:32 > 0:40:36cos I looked at it and it didn't look very good.
0:40:36 > 0:40:39Obviously, I got my boot off,
0:40:39 > 0:40:41and it didn't look very good at all.
0:40:41 > 0:40:44Just marvellous what they can do, innit?
0:40:44 > 0:40:51I've got four pins in, holding what bone that is left together,
0:40:51 > 0:40:54and they're stopping for a week till the swelling goes down,
0:40:54 > 0:40:58then I get another two steel pins to replace the main bones.
0:40:58 > 0:41:01My ankle and my heel are shattered,
0:41:01 > 0:41:04but they're just gonna have to sort of mend themselves.
0:41:04 > 0:41:09Darren won't be forgetting his first flight in a hurry.
0:41:09 > 0:41:14Lucky they got here as quick as they did. That's for sure.
0:41:14 > 0:41:17Well, I feel, if it'd been a lot longer, you could have lost it,
0:41:17 > 0:41:19if it hadn't been for the air ambulance.
0:41:19 > 0:41:26It's a big difference between 20 minutes and 50 minutes if something's vital, innit?
0:41:26 > 0:41:29Never been in a helicopter or an aeroplane in my life.
0:41:29 > 0:41:32I've never been as pleased to see one arrive!
0:41:34 > 0:41:37It's amazing what doctors can do now with fractured limbs.
0:41:37 > 0:41:41It's not that many years ago when maybe Darren would have had his leg amputated.
0:41:41 > 0:41:46He may be a long time on crutches and it may seem a long time for him,
0:41:46 > 0:41:51but it won't be long till he's back up on two feet.
0:41:51 > 0:41:53That's all from Helicopter Heroes.
0:41:53 > 0:41:59When we come back, paramedic Darren is forced to commandeer a car as fog shrouds a major accident.
0:41:59 > 0:42:02The fog is on top of the incident and we can't get in.
0:42:02 > 0:42:06A bird man falls to earth, with painful consequences.
0:42:06 > 0:42:09Being a medical doctor, I knew that, when he hit his back,
0:42:09 > 0:42:11we'd have to treat a spinal injury.
0:42:13 > 0:42:17There's a serious accident on one of the UK's most dangerous roads.
0:42:17 > 0:42:20Combined speeds, 140 mph...
0:42:21 > 0:42:23Any pain down here a bit?
0:42:23 > 0:42:28And the team mount a tricky rescue after a man falls down a rock face.
0:42:48 > 0:42:50Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:42:50 > 0:42:52E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk