Episode 11 Helicopter Heroes

If you're critically ill or injured in a place like this

there's only one thing that can save you, and that's speed.

Wherever you are, this helicopter with a team of pilots and paramedics

will fly to your rescue at two and a half miles a minute.

These are Yorkshire's helicopter heroes.

'When people in Britain's biggest county dial 999,

'there's a good chance help will come from the skies.

'The Yorkshire Air Ambulance is ready to scramble 365 days a year,

'and each brings a new life-or-death emergency.

'Today, a man severs his hand in an accident,

'but the Helimed team are determined to save it.'

Hopefully, they can stitch it back on.

'A race against the sun as an injured rider is flown to hospital.'

Ten to 15 minutes, maximum.

'The chopper rescues an ambulance bogged down on a rugby pitch.'

We're going to push the ambulance off the field!

'There's a touchdown on the motorway after a pile-up

'brings gridlock to the M6.'

Almost everything in the emergency services is tied to the clock.

People need help in minutes.

That's why we have blue lights, sirens and 150mph helicopters.

But sometimes, time is especially critical.

'Emergencies don't come more acute than this one.'

I'm going to ring you back.

'A carpenter has dialled 999,

'claiming to have sawn off his hand.'

They're getting suited and booted at the moment.

'Helimed 99 is heading north at top speed.

'When a limb is amputated cleanly,

'there's a good chance microsurgery can stitch it back on.

'But it has to be done quickly.'

-Is it a work or home address?

-Home address.

'With the patient at his home 25 miles from the nearest hospital,

'the helicopter ride is the only chance of saving his hand.'

It's where it's been cut off, how cleanly it's been cut off.

We don't want to take him somewhere they can't do the surgery.

We'll make that decision when we get on scene.

'The paramedics Paul and Pete know the odds are stacked against him.'

-Try Harrogate.

-See what the injuries are first.

-Apparently, it's clean off!

'Accidents with power tools are common and potentially lethal.

'The clock is against them.

'Helimed 99's landing site is tight but this case is urgent.'

Yeah, you're fine there, Steve.

'There's a familiar face to meet them.

'Dave Gardner works for the Helimed team, but was first on the scene as a ground medic.'

He's not sure what's fully happened. It's off there completely.

That's in there. He thinks he's just injured his hand.

'Malcolm Pipes is a professional carpenter

'and has been making furniture for over 40 years.

'He's in deep shock, and so is the neighbour who first found him.'

He's a cabinet maker. Came running across saying he cut his hand.

Cut it right off!

'Malcolm was using this saw in his workshop when the accident happened.

'The results were devastating.'

-Malcolm, how do you feel?

-All right.

We're just going to stick a little needle into your arm.

-Are you in any pain?

-I've got pins and needles.

In your...? In this arm, yeah?

'Malcolm's left hand is in cold storage.'

We've got frozen peas round it.

Hopefully, that'll preserve the hand.

He's going to LGI. Hopefully, they can stitch it on.

'Malcolm's wife and daughter did the right thing when it happened.

'They sat him down and dressed his wrist.

'They could have saved his life.'

What we're going to do, Malcolm, is take you to Leeds General Infirmary.

-That's a long way.

-Not for us. It only takes ten minutes.

The reason we're taking you there is, what you've done,

they're the best place to try and sort it out for you.

'Malcolm's so shocked, he can't feel anything. That may not last.

'He's given morphine to tide him over

'until hospital doctors anaesthetise him for surgery.'

We're going to put a sling on your arm.

-Can you put your hand up there? Is that all right?

-Yeah.

Slide that underneath.

'Malcolm could have bled to death, but he's safe now.'

Can you ease forward a touch? That's it.

Give me your hand so I can help you up.

-There you go, Malcolm.

-Take a seat, sir.

'25 miles away in Leeds,

'surgeons are preparing to graft Malcolm's hand back on.'

Keep your arms in. We're going to wrap you in a blanket.

'It's going to be a complicated procedure,

'and one that surgeons in Leeds have never attempted before.

'Coming up, the race to get Malcolm and his hand to surgery begins.'

It needs to be back on as quick as possible.

'Paramedic Lee gets his partner out of a sticky situation.'

I'm going to be at home on me own, Valentine's night.

He taught me how to drive.

'And a man is knocked down on the trans-Pennine motorway.'

If you fly one of these, you have a thorough medical every six months.

Fail, and you're grounded. But rules don't stop with your health.

There are strict regulations as to when pilots must stop work, which can be a problem.

'It's a sunny Saturday afternoon.

'Helimed 98 is leaving the urban sprawl of Leeds

'and heading for the west Yorkshire countryside.'

We've been tasked to a male who's been thrown off a horse.

He's complaining of pain to one of his thighs.

He may have broken his femur.

'The sun is already low in the sky. This is the last job of the day.'

He's down a dirt track away from the equestrian centre we're tasked to.

It's a matter of finding him before we start to treat him.

There's the mast, which is some sort of water carrier.

'As they fly over, it's all eyes out for the injured rider.'

-Did they describe it as in a ditch?

-No. On a track.

That white thing down there. Is that a horse?

Helimed 98 to Leeds air desk, we've now found the scene.

Hold his head for me. This is Phillip. He's fallen...

'Six foot four Phil Thomason came off his 16-hand horse.

'That's a long drop.'

Phillip, we're going to give you something for that pain, OK...?

'The biggest bone in his body is broken and he's miles from anywhere.

'He was out riding with Shelley Catch.'

There was a twig and the horse jumped sideways.

He sort came off to the side but the horse is so big.

Then he's gone up in the air and he's come down on his side,

hip first, then his shoulder and onto his front.

'The traction splint looks menacing but it's the best tool for the job.'

It makes it feel much more comfortable

and stops swelling within the thigh

because it's in a nice straight line

and stops the bones from overlapping one another.

'Pilot Tim has other things on his mind.

'The light he needs to fly is disappearing fast.'

We've got an hour to play with.

It's going to be five, ten minutes to Pinderfields.

A ten-minute flight to Sheffield. That's 20 minutes of our hour gone.

'The paramedics need to get moving.'

We're going to have to put a traction splint onto your right leg.

'Phil gets measured up.'

MOANS

It's not coming off.

'First, he must say goodbye to his made-to-measure £200 riding boots.'

MOANS

They're brand new.

You're just going to feel it coming off your heel.

'He's already in agony,

'and then Pat tightens the splint to realign the broken bones.

'Tim is worried about the time.

'The rules about flying helicopters at night are strict.'

Yeah, it's taken us right up to our last light limit today.

How's the pain, Phil?

'Time for some more pilot maths.'

Ten to 15 minutes maximum to load and hand over.

It's going to have to be Pinderfields.

'Phil has to be taken to his nearest hospital, Pinderfields in Wakefield,

'in the opposite direction to Sheffield,

'where the helicopter needs to end up.'

Helimed 98, can we confirm that there is a land crew at Wakefield?

Due to lack of daylight hours,

it's imperative, otherwise we'll take the patient to Sheffield.

'With the light failing fast, the crew have difficult decisions to make.

'Coming up, the crew fear a night in A&E, as an ambulance goes missing.'

We've reached 1635 and there's no sign of a land crew.

'A man who severed his hand reaches hospital. Can surgeons save it?

'And Helimed 99 prepares for take-off from the M62.'

When you're a paramedic, it's not all hard work.

Occasionally, love blossoms among the stretchers and sirens.

Husband and wife teams aren't unusual,

and sometimes partners bump into each other in unexpected places.

'It's Valentine's Day and love is in the air over north Yorkshire.

'So is Helimed 99.

'Its crew, Lee Davison and Tony Wilkes, have been on four emergency jobs today.

'They think they're about to go home to their loved ones.

'The air desk dispatcher is about to play gooseberry.'

-ON RADIO:

-'The land crew might have got their vehicle stuck. Over.'

Roger.

'The ambulance is stuck in the middle of a rugby field, miles from the road.

'Inside, 18-year-old rugby player Patrick Frith with a broken leg

'and some very unsympathetic teammates.'

I'm not touching that! Who's got the verruca then?

< His boot stuck in the mud. His body went one way.

Leg went the other way. That was it. Big crack, big time.

'The crew's flying in to help their colleagues.

'Lee Davison hasn't realised that the ambulance is being driven by his partner Paula.

'Looking at him, you wouldn't think he was the romantic sort,

'but Lee has been planning a Valentine's dinner for Paula.

'Thanks to this, his plans have all gone wrong.'

My girlfriend on Valentine's Day, who I'll have to cook for.

She's in a field and I'll be at home eating my Valentine's tea on me own.

-What time will you be home for tea, Paula?

-Maybe never!

But it'd better be ready when I get in!

'Paula and her colleague Chris in the ambulance

'did the work on Patrick before Helimed 99 arrived.

'His leg is splinted. He's got pain relief.

'It's time for his teammates to help him to hospital.'

First it was his knee dislocated. I couldn't touch it.

It was hurting so much.

< Looks like he's fractured his femur, the long bone in his leg.

< It's quite painful

with potential for quite a bit of blood loss into surrounding tissue.

We'll give him oxygen then get him to hospital.

'There's just enough time

'for Lee and Paula to sort out their love life.'

This is her who got it stuck. Eh?

I'm going to be having me tea on me own, Valentine's night.

-He taught me how to drive.

-LAUGHTER

'As the helicopter lifts, the scrum put their not inconsiderable weight to use...'

Going to push the ambulance off the field! Scrum practice!

'..freeing Paula's ambulance from its mud trap.

'Just a few weeks later,

'the Harrogate Pythons are back in the thick of the action.

'A cold Wednesday evening workout keeps them on their toes.

'Well, nearly all of them. Patrick's season has come to an end.

'His leg was put back together with Meccano-like plates and rods.

'He'll have to get used to watching his teammates for a few months.'

I remember getting the ball,

did a sidestep and heard a massive crunch.

It's the first injury I've had

where I've had to be taken off.

It was just a freak accident. Well, I hope it was!

'Patrick's best mate has an unusual nickname.'

Fortress. That's me.

I'm a prop. I do all the heavy work.

'He knew what happened straightaway.'

He was running and I heard a pop, like feet banging together.

Next we know, he's on the floor in pain.

-Manly, though.

-Manly pain. Sorry, manly pain.

'Paula was the first to Patrick's aid,

'but she was having a day to forget.'

They first went to the wrong rugby club.

When they tried to get on the pitch, they had to get pushed by some of the players onto the field.

I was pleased when they finally arrived,

'but it was quite worrying when they couldn't get onto the pitch.

'40 minutes I was on the ground, and you do begin to panic.

'As soon as they turn up, you feel pretty safe.'

They came to see me in hospital, and that's really nice.

They definitely care, you know what I mean? It's more than a job.

'Coming up, there's a late finish for pilot Tim

'and a fatal accident on the M6.

'The team's called to save the driver who caused it.'

Let's catch up on the case of the craftsman who cut off his hand

in a terrible accident with an electric saw.

'Helimed 99 are in a sleepy village in North Yorkshire,

'where a carpenter's latest project has gone badly wrong.'

It's off completely from there. He thinks he just injured his hand.

'Malcolm Pipe's sawn his hand off with a bench saw.

'It's a life-threatening injury, but thanks to his family, he will survive.

'It's up to paramedics Pete Vallance and Paul Bradbury

'to get him to the plastic surgeons at the Leeds General Infirmary

'to sew the severed limb back on.'

Malcolm, we're going to lift you. One, two, three.

There we go. Easy as that.

And down again.

'Malcolm doesn't understand the gravity of what's happened.

'His way of coping with the ordeal is to keep talking.

'Lucky paramedics Pete and Paul

'enjoy a bit of friendly banter.'

You're quicker than he were...!

'Malcolm's discovered he's got a lot in common with Leeds Utd fan Pete.'

MUFFLED CHATTING

'Malcolm's hand has been kept cool with frozen peas and carrots.'

It needs to be back on as quick as possible,

if it's saveable - hopefully, it will be.

-MALCOLM: Do you want me to drive?

-You could!

'With their unusually jovial patient safely secured in the back,

'pilot Steve wastes no time setting off to the Leeds General Infirmary.'

Helimed 99 Alpha.

Coming from Thursk, en route to the LGI shortly.

We'll supply information as we get to the LGI.

'It's not the closest hospital, but with a team of top plastic surgeons,

'it gives Malcolm the best chance of having his hand reattached.'

'He was talking to Paul in the back, knew what was going on around him.

'With the exception of his injury,

'which might be his way of coping -

'to be talkative and take his mind off it.'

That's something we normally do.

Malcolm didn't need any help with that at all today.

I'll tell you before he comes in he's unaware that his hand is off.

-He thinks he's damaged his fingers.

-All right.

'Resus is the first stop for any patient brought in by the team.

'While doctors assess Malcolm's condition in one cubicle,

'next door, the plastic surgeons get a glimpse of his severed hand.'

We had a look at the hand straight out of the packaging.

He took it off from that angle.

It is quite a clean cut.

The doctors are optimistic they will be able to reattach it.

Just looking at the body part to see if it's feasible to reattach it.

It's looking quite promising.

'This is a highly unusual case.

'None of these doctors have seen anything like this before.

'It's not just the injuries concerning them.

'Malcolm still doesn't realise his whole hand has been amputated.

'The team must find a way to tell him

'without causing too much distress.'

They're doing an X-ray to see what bone injuries he's got,

if it's feasible to reattach the hand.

'Malcolm's a well-known furniture maker.

'His life revolves around using his hands.

'If surgery's not successful, he may have to live with only one hand.'

'Malcolm looks to be the sort of guy who likes to be doing things.'

As we were going out,

he was organising the guys doing his extension, so they got on with the work.

'So he's got, perhaps, the right sort of personality

'and determination to recover from something like this.'

'Coming up, the surgeon who thinks he can give Malcolm his hand back.'

It's not a procedure that a lot of plastic surgeons will have done.

'And a man's hit by a lorry on the hard shoulder - and lives.'

It's a fact that riding a horse is one of the best ways of getting a flight in an air ambulance.

Falls are common and injuries often serious.

GROANS

'Late in the day, Phil Thomason has come off his horse

'and has a badly broken leg.'

Well done!

'He's now flying in circles 1,000 feet over the hospital,

'where doctors are waiting to treat him - but there's a problem.'

If we land, wait five minutes and an ambulance doesn't come,

we have to go to Sheffield.

'There's no sign of the ambulance to take Phil from the helipad at Pinderfields hospital into A&E.'

-We'll stay airborne until that five minutes is up.

-All right.

'By law, Tim and his helicopter must be on the ground in half an hour.

'The sun has already set.'

There's no sign of any vehicle.

Every orbit we do, there's more street lights coming on.

'Before they give up, Sammy makes a final call to find out what's happened.'

We've reached 1635. There is no sign of a land crew.

We're going to have to go to Northern General with this patient.

-ON RADIO: 'The ambulance is one minute away.'

-Is that it?

'They'll only be a minute. Over.'

Vehicle pulling into the ground now.

'In the nick of time, the ambulance arrives.

'Tim has built in a five-minute safety window,

'but it's looking like he'll have to leave without Pat.

'He needs to speak to the hospital medical team.'

It's a 20-minute transit time to Sheffield.

We've got five minutes to hand the patient over

or Pat will have to travel in with the patient.

'Phil is in the right place. Pat isn't.

'Helimed 98 has to leave him behind with no transport.

'The "sympathetic" helicopter air desk are on the case.'

'I'm trying to arrange a lift for Pat.

'I'll give him directions to the train station.'

That looks nice lit up at night.

'As daylight disappears, the crew has one more trick up their sleeve.'

Could you contact South Yorkshire Police and request the frequency

for the lights to be illuminated at Sheffield airport?

Whoever designed that is really clever.

'With the runway in sight,

'Tim activates the lights.'

-Oh, we got the patient to hospital.

-Yeah.

'It's been a long day.

'A couple of weeks later,

'Phil and his instructor Shelley are back with the horses.

'Phil's not going riding any time soon.

'His leg is held together by bits of metal.'

As soon as you hear the sirens,

it's such a relief to know that help's on its way.

Then, when the helicopter arrived,

the paramedics, seven or eight of them,

and the time spent getting me comfortable.

It was fantastic, the care that you receive.

'Phil's tutor Shelley

'is not only an experienced rider, she's an Air Ambulance veteran.

'She was picked up by the Helimed crew after a fall last year.'

-You've no pain in your neck or back? Just your face?

-And my ribs.

'I managed to go down head-first.

I did my jaw there and my nose but I managed to get out the same night.

Same night? LAUGHS

-Unlike Phillip.

-Yeah. 12 days I was in Pinderfields for.

'Shelley's Air Ambulance experience helped her look after Phil.'

'She said, "I think you've broken your leg." She was so cool.

'Just phoned the ambulance.'

In ten minutes, there was a response car.

'Not only that, she knew the crew.'

They said, "I know you." I said, "You air-lifted me from Byron Park."

The other guy walked over and went, "Hello, Shelley!"

I was like, "First name, not good!"

'Coming up, a man is reunited with a hand he lost in an accident.'

When you join the police, you're taught to respect motorways.

The Helimed team are often the first to witness

how dangerous our motorways can be.

'The Helimed team know a 999 call from one of Yorkshire's motorways

'is often serious.

'On the M180,

'a pile-up involving lorries, vans and cars has multiple casualties.'

Helimed 99, would you receive four casualties, one fatal?

ETA's about six minutes. Over.

There is one report of a patient in cardiac arrest.

We're just waiting for an update from the crews.

They'll give us an update of what's going on.

'The driver of a van has been killed

'and emergency services are struggling to free injured motorists

'from their vehicles.'

Sounds quite bad. For fatalities on RTAs, it's quite high impact,

the way cars are built to withstand this sort of impact.

It looks like they've closed the carriageway.

We need confirmation before we can land.

'Tim likes landing on motorways, despite the barriers and stanchions.

'The flat tarmac makes a perfect makeshift helipad.

'Thanks to the police,

'both carriageways are closed, so Tim can make a swift landing.'

On the carriageway now.

'Helimed 99 has just arrived in time.'

We'll bring our spinal board.

'Crews have released the lorry driver.

'But, with nearly 100 tons of metal colliding at motorway speeds,

'everyone's worried.'

He's got facial injuries

where the van's gone through the windscreen of the HGV.

He's complaining of pain in his chest but it's just his face that is the concern.

'Unsurprisingly,

'people who clock up thousands of miles a year driving for a living

'are more likely to be involved in accidents.

'Last year, over 7,000 professional drivers

'were killed or seriously injured.

'If you've ever been stuck in a jam like this,

'you'll know how these unfortunate motorists feel.

'It could be hours before this stretch reopens.

'They're unwittingly hampering the Helimed team.'

I'm trying to phone the air desk on the mobile

to arrange Northern General so they're standing by,

but we've got "network busy".

Which is a couple of thousand cars either side of us phoning work

to say they're going to be late.

'The impact in a smash like this is immense.

'Amazingly, the driver of this car had only minor injuries.'

Take off.

'The driver faces plastic surgery in Sheffield.

'These injuries may have been preventable.

'Few lorries have air bags and some drivers don't wear seatbelts.

'Weeks, if not months, of treatment lie ahead.

'It's probably the last thing on the driver's mind,

'but he's likely to face a police investigation into the crash.'

One, two, three, lift.

'His collision with the van suggests that,

'like nine out of ten motorway accidents, this tragedy was caused by driver error.'

The steering wheel was resting on his chest.

The engine bay had come into the cab as well.

Luckily, it wasn't pinning his legs.

At any greater speed,

you're looking at a lot more serious injuries.

He's got a lot of hard work from plastic surgeons.

Looking at the injuries, he's going to have a long time in hospital.

Speed is the biggest killer on our roads.

On a motorway, you don't even have to be moving to be in danger.

'Around 1,500 people a year are killed or seriously injured

'while on the hard shoulder.

'Helimed 99 is hovering above one of the busiest stretches in Europe,

'where the A1 meets the M62.

'An accident here causes havoc, and this is a bad one.

'A man changing a tyre on the hard shoulder has been hit by a HGV.'

He's been on the inside, changing a tyre.

'This urban motorway is crisscrossed by powerlines,

'where Yorkshire's power stations feed into the national grid.

'Pilot John Slater has thousands of hours of flying time,

'but landing here is not for the fainthearted.'

Got wires down the righthand side.

-All looks good.

-You are good to go.

He's been struck from behind by an HGV, changing a wheel.

The van's gone sideways onto him and pushed him over with some force.

'This is a "swoop and go".

'The best place for Joel is a trauma centre.

'The crew stabilise him, get him onto a spinal board

'and on his way to the helicopter parked up on the hard shoulder.'

Beautiful!

The main concern is his abdomen.

He's got a probable puncture to his abdomen and he's quite sore.

We think it's internal bleeding, maybe.

So, get him on the vehicle, get some lines up,

give him fluids if he needs them and give him a proper assessment.

Toes are clear.

Perfect.

'It's evening and the sun is low, dazzling the crew.

'It could have been a factor but the investigation team decides that.'

I'm going to stop this carriageway and the other.

That allows the Air Ambulance to take off.

'The accident happened down the road from the hospital.

'As gridlock builds on the M62, by road, it could be the next county!'

It would be bad enough being inside the vehicle.

But to be hit by a vehicle at speed stood at the side of the road...

He's a lucky chap. I can't believe he's here, to be honest.

'Lucky Joel was home after just a few days in hospital.'

Here's some advice.

If you break down on the motorway, pull onto the hard shoulder,

put your hazard warning lights on, leave the vehicle

but, most importantly, keep away from the carriageway.

'Today, Helimed 99 has just dealt with an injured off-road biker

'when a more serious case comes in.'

One fatal, two trapped.

'Emergency services are dealing with a motorway pile-up in Cheshire.'

The Manchester Air Ambulance is out. We can't fall back on them.

It's one of those situations!

'This journey takes them through the congested approach path

'into one of the UK's biggest airports.'

Helimed 99 Alpha.

Request to transit controlled airspace.

'For pilot Tim, this is hard work.

'Simon's navigation must be precise.

'There's risk of a mid-air collision in these crowded skies.'

A busy area of airspace with Manchester International Airport.

They're usually dead good to us and give us priority clearances.

'On the M6 in Cheshire, there's been a multiple pile-up.

'A mobile home's crossed the central barrier and hit oncoming traffic.'

It collided with a taxi and caused two vehicles to collide, four in total.

Helimed 99, go ahead.

ON RADIO: 'Update. This is on the main carriageway.

'They're looking for you to set down on the M6 southbound, south of 21A.

'It has been closed off, as far as I'm aware, at the moment.'

'With motorway speeds, this can result in an impact of 140mph or more.

'Sadly, the driver of a taxi has been killed.'

See the ambulance on our nose?

The police have to shut both sides of the motorway off.

Failing that, we'll land as near as we can.

'The woman driving the mobile home has survived,

'trapped in the shattered wreckage.'

Let's have a good look at this.

-Got wires on this side.

-Nothing crossing the carriageway.

We'll come in over those light stanchions and put it here,

on the carriageway where the accident's happened.

'The police have closed the motorway allowing Tim to touch down.

'Speed caused the driver's injuries. Now, it might save her life.'

-OK on my left?

-Clear on the left.

'Mobile homes are little more than vans with a lightweight shell.

'The impact has shattered the living area.

'Debris makes it harder for firefighters to free the driver.'

-Hello, mate.

-All right?

This lady trapped at the minute. Her legs are bent back beneath her.

We can't gauge exactly what the problem is with the legs.

There seems to be bleeding from this right one.

You don't know whether...

'This accident has paralysed the northwest's motorway network,

'but emergency services can't afford to worry about that.

'The driver is seriously injured. Local doctors are treating her.

'Until her legs are freed, there's a limit to what can be done.'

One person dead.

Someone trapped in the wreckage.

There's a medical team here from a local hospital.

They're getting her pain relief sorted out.

I'll get our spinal board and we'll take her to the nearest hospital.

'The fire crews are equipped with the latest hydraulic cutting gear,

'but the steel shell is tougher than they expected.

'At last, the woman is freed.'

It looks all right. That's a good sign.

As you can see from the van, she did have a massive impact.

'The patient took months to recover from the accident.

'She was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving and given a suspended prison sentence.'

The van had taken quite an impact

at the front and the side.

I'm not sure how much was the fire brigade and how much was the impact!

It doesn't get much worse than that.

Life and death on the motorway.

But, as these guys will tell you,

you're more likely to be killed or seriously injured on an A-road.

Let's find out how Malcolm Pipes is doing,

the man whose hand was severed

in an accident involving an electric saw at his workshop.

'At the Leeds General Infirmary, the team of doctors and plastic surgeons

'are examining an injury they've never seen before.

'Furniture maker Malcolm Pipes has cut his left hand clean off

'with this saw in his workshop near Thirsk.

'Malcolm and his hand are immediately prepared for surgery.

'Consultant Mr Howard Peach attempts a procedure he's never done before,

'reattaching a severed hand.'

It's probably not a procedure a lot of plastic surgeons will have done.

'The X-ray of Malcolm's forearm and hand highlights the challenge.'

The principles are one of stabilising the hand,

fixing the hand back onto the arm, so the bony skeleton is stable.

Then you have a background on which to repair the tendons, nerves,

blood vessels and the skin over the top.

'It's painstakingly intricate surgery

'but six hours later, it's over.

'Two weeks later, Malcolm's back for his first checkup.

'Against all the odds,

'and thanks to Mr Peach and his team,

'Malcolm's hand has been successfully sewn on.'

It's nice and clean. There's no evidence of infection.

The physiotherapist will try and increase the passive movement.

-They're the...?

-Physioterrorists.

'No-one knows how much movement Malcolm will regain.

'It's been difficult, as Malcolm struggled to come to terms with what happened.'

You could have bled to death.

When you see all these people,

makes you realise how lucky I've been, really.

I mean, me hand's on. It's so marvellous. I can't take it all in.

'In a picturesque Yorkshire village, Malcolm's workshop is quiet.

'When you look around, this is the work of no ordinary carpenter.

'For 35 years, Malcolm handcrafted furniture

'for the world famous cabinetmaker the Mouseman of Kilburn,

'before setting out on his own.'

I carved that out of a ha'penny mould.

Down each leg of the mirror,

there's oak leaves and acorns going down.

'Despite what happened here, Malcolm can't keep away.'

That sits on top of there.

Then the mirror goes on top of here up here.

'This is what he does. The pride he takes in it is still there.'

This is something I do and always wanted to do.

SIGHS

Somebody has to do it, haven't they?

Don't think I'll do it again but it hasn't...

I've still got a love for it.

And I will have till the day I die. I can't help it.

'Malcolm gets on with things.'

'That even means dealing with the power saw that took his hand off.'

It's a marvellous thing. It's also dangerous.

Unfortunately, I found out.

I don't know what happened. Something attracted me.

I can't remember. I don't want to go into it.

I've laid in bed thinking about it.

I'm sorry, I can't.

I can't.

'The question Malcolm wants answered is will he be able to work again?'

I knew what I'd done. I'll never forget it.

You don't realise the consequences it's caused, do you?

I don't know. Just happened so quick.

'It's too early to tell.

'Surgeons say it's rare to regain full dexterity in a reattached hand.

'But Malcolm hasn't given up hope.'

It's no good bawling my eyes out cos I had a lovely life.

I've done all I wanted to do.

Maybe not got everything finished I wanted to finish but...

I can't complain.

'When Helicopter Heroes comes back - holiday rescue.

'Sammy recruits an army of day trippers to save her patient.'

If at any time you are not happy, shout, "Stop!"

'There's a major emergency, as a car crashes into a crowded pub.'

Dust and brickwork going everywhere.

'Helimed 99 takes a trip to the seaside after a man collapses.'

Time is the most important thing.

'And a cyclist run over by a tractor fights for his life.'

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd