Episode 1 Helicopter Heroes


Episode 1

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If you're seriously ill or critically injured up here,

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your life is in real danger.

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Complaining of severe pain.

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Mid-30s, been ejected from a vehicle.

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Hospital's an hour away by road

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and speed is the only thing that can save you.

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Yeah, roger, Helimed 99 is en route to you, over.

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The Yorkshire Air Ambulance and its highly-trained paramedics

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are scrambled 1,000 times a year.

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Tell me exactly what's happened.

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A small child on the path, they've cut the corner and ran over him.

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Many of its ex-military pilots flew the SAS into action.

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That's not a suitable landing site. This one here is.

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Welcome to the life and death world of the Helicopter Heroes.

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Today on Helicopter Heroes,

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a rambler's badly hurt after a bizarre attack

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by a herd of cows.

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One up and ran forward, put its nose underneath my wife's backside

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and flipped her into the air.

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I don't think we're going to get down there.

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There's a major rescue operation high in the Peak District.

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Where's the pain? Round the back of your head?

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A new life in the country leaves some newcomers seriously injured.

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One on a horse, one on a pushbike.

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The horse basically jumped over the gentleman on the pushbike.

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And why this woman owes this man her life.

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Millions enjoy the right to roam the English countryside.

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They come to enjoy the peace, the quiet and the beauty.

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But behind these hedgerows lurks a danger

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few bother to give a second thought.

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The hillsides of the Yorkshire Dales

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are a vital part of a multi-million pound industry

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with a worldwide reputation.

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And this is the workforce.

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Every day, thousands of cows produce hundreds of gallons of milk

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to make Wensleydale cheese.

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It's a major export business,

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making the market town of Hawes the cheese capital of the North.

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But today, one herd is at the centre of an unusual emergency.

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We've been called to an incident near Lofthouse up in North Yorkshire.

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Apparently, somebody's been trampled on by some cows.

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We're not quite sure of the injuries as yet.

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We've had problems before where people have been trampled by cows.

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You can get quite substantial trauma injuries from it.

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Irene Pitham and her husband Mike

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were on a walking holiday in the Dales.

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Now she's lying seriously injured in a field.

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Local paramedics are already on the scene

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and farm workers are trying to keep the cows at bay.

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We were walking across the field

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and the cows with their calves came towards us.

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They seemed to ease back and then one of them ran forwards

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and just put its nose underneath my wife's backside

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and flipped her into the air.

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She went right over the top and then, thump, hit the ground

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and then didn't move. And I just feared the worst.

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She didn't seem to be breathing or anything.

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Irene has a nasty head injury.

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Cows are especially aggressive when they have calves.

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They're thought to have reacted to the Pithams' dog, Cassie.

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I've got a chopper coming down.

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But now the cows are a problem for pilot Steve Cobb.

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If he's not careful,

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he could spook them into returning to the area where Irene is lying.

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-Just this side of it, there's a wall here.

-Yeah.

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-Just this side of the building.

-Yeah.

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Steve's making sure he lands behind the team's patient

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so that if the chopper scares the cows, they'll run away from Irene.

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Out walking their dog, by the looks of it.

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-Are you going to hop out?

-Yeah, mate, yeah.

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It's less than 15 minutes since the 999 call.

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Saves climbing over, like we normally have to do!

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And now Irene has four paramedics to take care of her,

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despite the fact they're in a remote area of Nidderdale.

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-Right, how we doing?

-Hello.

-Hiya.

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This is Irene. She's landed pretty much this position.

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She's managed to put her arm underneath her to hold herself up.

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A mature cow can weigh half a ton and, because muscle makes meat,

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they have been bred to have the strength to match their bulk.

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Irene's taken the full force of it.

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Apparently the cow did

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toss her up into the air,

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so she's been thrown quite a distance,

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so there's potential for all sorts of other, internal injuries.

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How much pain are you in, Irene?

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-It's just this shoulder.

-Just this left shoulder.

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The Helimed team have been to fatal incidents like this.

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They know their patient's injuries could be life threatening.

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-Just try and relax there.

-OK, no pain in your hips at all?

-No.

-OK.

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The Pithams are experienced ramblers and knew cows could be dangerous

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but the attack took both of them by surprise.

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I don't think people realise,

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but a good half-ton of angry beefburger can be pretty dangerous

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and lots of people get injured every year, and killed, by cows,

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especially when they've got their young with them.

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And especially if you've got a dog with you. I think the advice

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is, if you're in that situation, that you're supposed to let your dog go.

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And the cows will chase your dog, not you.

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But obviously, people's reaction is to protect their pets

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and I think this is probably what's happened in this case.

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Irene's lying where she fell,

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but Tony's concerned the impact with the ground

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could have damaged her back or neck.

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She's going to be carefully rolled onto a spinal board

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to protect her spine.

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What you need to do now is relax and let us move you, OK?

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On three. One, two, three.

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SHE GROANS

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-That's it.

-OK, just relax. Just relax.

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The cows are still only yards away

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and the team know animals can return to trample injured victims.

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They want their patient and their colleagues

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out of the field as quickly as possible.

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This helicopter can deliver lifesaving care quickly,

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to places ordinary ambulances could never reach.

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But some patients are injured in places SO remote

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they are beyond the help even of the Helimed team.

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The Peak District has some of the most spectacular scenery

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in the country.

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And the most rugged terrain attracts the most adventurous people.

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Today, a walker from Cornwall has fallen nearly 20 feet

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down a steep, rocky gully.

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On the land and in the air, help is on its way.

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We're on the way down to the Peak District.

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We think it's a climber that's fallen about 10 feet.

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We've since managed to get an update from Mountain Rescue in that area,

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and it appears he may have sustained quite serious head injuries.

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Kinder Scout is the highest mountain in the Peak District,

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a vast plateau covering more than 5,000 acres.

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Finding someone stuck in a gully around here isn't an easy job.

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-The right sort of area.

-Yeah.

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We've got a Mountain Rescue vehicle coming up about five o'clock,

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by the looks of things.

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Can't identify it, so you know, though there are two members

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of looks like Mountain Rescue walking up the path in this valley.

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I've directed them in towards where we believe the casualty site to be

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and they're hovering about now.

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Dave Mason's gone up that way. We're definitely in the right area.

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More than a dozen Mountain Rescue volunteers have turned out,

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but it's a long trek from the valley bottom.

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Yeah, I've got a reference, right at the bottom of the sheer terrain.

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Meanwhile, the crew of Helimed 98

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think they've finally found where they need to be.

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Right now, they're below us, yeah. Bloke with the red top on.

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But now they need to work out how to get to their patient.

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I don't think we're going to get down there.

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Steve lands the helicopter at the top of the steep valley.

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But the heather and moorland peat is causing problems.

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-Feel like it's sinking?

-A little bit, yeah.

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-Shall I just check the rear, Steve?

-Yeah, if you would, mate.

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Yeah, we're fine at that. It looks fine.

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It's stuck into the heather, but nothing other than that.

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98, we're looking at access where we are, up at the top of this ravine.

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I don't think we're going to get anywhere near this patient,

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without going all the way back down.

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So I think it is going to require a winch out.

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As paramedics Pete and Darrell try to get to their patient from above,

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the Mountain Rescue team are arriving from below.

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-Do you want the O2 on, gents?

-Yes, please.

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We've got some oxygen here for you, Stefanie, OK?

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What we need to do is try and pop a needle in your hand as well.

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What we can do is we can give you some pain relief then, my love.

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Stefanie Helmle is badly injured and couldn't be in a trickier spot.

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She's right at the bottom of a rocky waterfall,

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having just fallen from where Pete and Darrell are now heading.

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'They've just managed to call me up here. From where you're going,

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'from the aircraft, you're right above the patient

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'and they're a bit concerned you might dislodge some rock.

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'One of them's going to try and call you, actually, on your handset.'

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She's fallen about 18 feet, possibly landed on her head.

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Not had a loss of consciousness, but we have had possibly some discharge

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from the left ear and the nose.

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Stefanie is in agony.

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Ow! Ow-ow!

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Luckily for her, one of the mountain rescue team is a trained paramedic.

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-OK.

-..When she fell.

-Where's the pain round the back of your head?

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-Can you feel me touching you there?

-Where it's resting on the stone.

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-Where it's resting on the stone.

-Yeah.

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Stefanie bounced off several rocks as she fell, landing on her head.

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It looks like she's fractured her skull,

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and fluid's leaking from her ear.

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-I'm just struggling to get down there.

-Sorry?

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How's the patient?

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How's the patient?

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She's OK.

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We've got to a position where, if we needed to, in an extreme emergency,

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I dare say we could get down to the patient,

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but it's quite a precarious drop down there.

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Mountain Rescue have got a couple of paramedics amongst their crew

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as well as a doctor. They're assessing the patient.

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They believe they've possibly got a serious back injury

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and potentially a head injury.

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At times like this, even the Helimed team need help.

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That sounds like a Sea King, that, doesn't it?

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So the RAF have arrived.

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Their much bigger Sea King helicopter can winch patients

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without them needing to land.

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But even for them, this is going to be a tricky rescue.

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Bit hard to hear. That's the military hovering over us at the moment.

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It will feel a little bit weird.

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It'll be noisy, but, really, trust them, they know what they're doing.

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Before Stefanie can be hauled up, their winch man must come down.

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The high winds and steep gully make this a dangerous job.

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But with Stefanie's serious injuries,

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they need to get her to hospital quickly.

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And the only way out will be straight up.

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Many people dream of retiring to a rural area,

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to a cottage with land and some animals.

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But for one family of city dwellers,

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that dream turned sour in a very unexpected way.

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Rural North Yorkshire is a county

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where horses almost outnumber people.

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And today, Helimed 98 has been scrambled to a bizarre accident.

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A fall of a horse, onto a pushbike

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and the pushbike has got a head injury.

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Got a horse on your right at two o'clock.

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On a country lane near the market town of Easingwold,

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a couple are lying injured. Paramedic Lee Davison's first task

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is to decide which patient is most seriously hurt.

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-Is it just one person involved?

-No, two people.

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-Have you been knocked out?

-No.

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OK, just sit tight, somebody else is coming to you, OK?

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-Hi.

-Hiya.

-Hello. Hello, sir.

-Hello.

-Hello, air ambulance, all right?

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-Hi. What's your first name?

-Ian.

-Ian? OK. Nice and steady.

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Nicky Schofield was out riding her horse.

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Her husband Ian was accompanying her on his mountain bike.

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Then a passing car spooked Nicky's horse,

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which knocked Ian off his bike, and threw his wife.

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First of all, I'm just going to have a feel down your neck, OK?

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If you'll just give me a hand a second, just stand in front of him.

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Ian was knocked out and he has a head injury

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but Lee's more concerned about his neck.

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holding it will prevent any further damage.

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Any pain there? No?

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I was working in that field

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and witnessed a husband and wife coming along, one on a horse,

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one on a pushbike. A car came racing down the narrow road.

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The horse basically jumped over the gentleman on the pushbike,

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knocking him off the pushbike and presumably standing on it.

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I wasn't much help with this on me hand!

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-What's happened?

-It's my shoulder.

-What's actually happened then?

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We were slowing down and then she was getting a bit jittery

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-but I managed to hold her. But this car shot...

-Right behind you.

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Paramedic James Vine's taking care of Nicky.

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She's obviously in severe pain. Her collar bone is fractured.

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You've fractured your clavicle, sweetheart.

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OK, so, let's just get you sorted, get you comfortable.

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Take a deep breath for me.

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HE MOANS

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Is that painful, when I'm pressing to the right?

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-(No, it's when I breathe in.)

-When you breathe in, OK.

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You've got a little head injury, where you've banged your head.

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The gentleman thinks you have been knocked out.

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I'll just pop this sling on, sweetheart.

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OK, I'm just coming under here, sweetheart.

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Witnesses led Nicky's horse away...

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..but she's more concerned about her husband.

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We usually go together.

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Lee's getting him all sorted, don't worry.

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-Your husband will probably come with us just as a precaution.

-Yes.

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We're very probably going to James.

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Nicky will be going to hospital by road, but Ian's more seriously hurt.

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Deep breath for me, Ian.

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OK, good lad.

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Lee is treating Ian as if he has an undiagnosed spinal injury,

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but he fears his patient may also have a collapsed lung.

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Decreased breath sound. We're going to roll him towards you.

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Everybody happy with that?

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One, two, three.

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Nice and steady. OK. Where does that hurt?

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Where's that hurting? Is there any pain there?

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No?

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I can't see anything on his back either. Right, OK.

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Back on three. One, two, three.

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OK.

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-Let's have a quick look at this hip while we're here.

-Nicky may have injured her pelvis.

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The accident has come as a terrible shock and she's worried about husband Ian.

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He recently retired early because of a heart condition.

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We're going to put a sling around your pelvis to make everything is fine with that before we move.

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OK? It's going to be sore. And then we'll get you onto a hardboard and into the ambulance. OK, sweetheart?

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They're taking Ian straight to Leeds General Infirmary.

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If his lung has collapsed, his ability to take in oxygen will be seriously affected.

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The last thing Lee wants is for that to be made worse by air sickness.

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A little bit noisy, but if you start to feel really sick, let me know -

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it's important that I know - by raising your hand up, OK?

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Two patients - one will be transported by land.

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It looks like the horserider has a fractured pelvis,

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and certainly a fractured clavicle.

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The gentleman that we've got is the cyclist whose wife has landed

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on his head and pushed him off the bike cos the car spooked the horse.

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We're going over to LGI to a neuro-centre and just let them do what they do best.

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But at 150mph, Leeds General Infirmary is just 15 minutes away

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and Ian will soon be undergoing tests on his back and lungs.

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One, two, three.

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All right, OK? We're on the helipad on top of the LGI now.

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We're going to A&E. There'll be a few doctors asking questions. I'll hand over.

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He's badly hurt, but he soon responds to treatment

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and two days later, is sitting up in bed.

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As I was looking over my shoulder, I noticed beyond my wife,

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just some distance behind her, a car approaching at some speed.

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And then as I turned to look ahead,

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there was a kind of loud screeching noise and then I felt...

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I could feel the horse in my back.

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Well, I've got lacerations to my head and elbows and knees,

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which I think are consistent with going onto the road.

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I also have some fractured ribs

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and a punctured lung.

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Having several horses to look after means you can't afford to be ill for too long,

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and within a few weeks, the Schofields are back in the paddock.

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It's really great to be back. It was difficult in the first couple of weeks because obviously

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we were still getting over the worst of our injuries, really.

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As the weeks have gone by, we've managed to more mobile and active,

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which means that we can work with the horses more than we did.

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The Schofields moved from the city to their new home in the country to get away from traffic

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and to indulge their love of animals.

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But they've just discovered the dangers of rural roads the hard way.

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Ian was knocked unconscious. I remember when it happened,

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just lying at the side of the road

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and seeing Ian lying there and I didn't know what had happened to him

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so I just remember feeling really sore and sick, you know, injured.

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I was in Harrogate Hospital and I went into the resus room in A&E.

0:19:200:19:26

They actually rang the LGI for me

0:19:260:19:27

while I was in there to see how he was.

0:19:270:19:30

That was a relief because I knew he was OK.

0:19:300:19:32

The accident's had one good result for the Schofields -

0:19:320:19:36

the neighbours have rallied round to help the newcomers.

0:19:360:19:39

Everyone around here knows us! They say, "Oh, you're the one on the bike and the horse."

0:19:410:19:45

Now let's return to the case of the ramblers attacked by a herd of cows in the Yorkshire Dales,

0:19:570:20:01

and one of them is lucky to be alive.

0:20:010:20:04

In a field in Nidderdale, a rambler is being prepared

0:20:060:20:10

for an emergency flight to hospital after a bizarre attack by a herd of cows.

0:20:100:20:14

-I got knocked out then.

-You were for a bit, briefly.

0:20:150:20:19

-Not surprising, though.

-Irene Pitham and her husband Mike were out for a walk

0:20:210:20:25

when their dog apparently spooked the animals.

0:20:250:20:29

We've always managed to anticipate what they were doing,

0:20:290:20:32

but these, the cows just ran straight at us.

0:20:320:20:35

They were obviously protecting their calves that they had,

0:20:380:20:42

but this being a standard footpath...

0:20:420:20:45

never thought that they would be that aggressive.

0:20:450:20:48

Irene's confused and showing the symptoms of a head injury.

0:20:480:20:52

-It looks like you came into close contact with a cow.

-Oh, right.

0:20:550:20:58

It looks like it's thrown you in the air and obviously you've landed.

0:20:580:21:02

There's no major injuries.

0:21:040:21:06

You might have been knocked out, that's our main concern.

0:21:060:21:09

But you're coming round now, aren't you?

0:21:090:21:11

Your shoulder, we can't see any obvious fractures,

0:21:110:21:14

but you never know until you X-ray quite often.

0:21:140:21:18

Paramedic Al is trying to keep her spirits up with some humour.

0:21:180:21:22

When you get home tonight, Irene, get your own back by having a steak, love!

0:21:230:21:27

-I bet you could do without idiots like me, though.

-I don't think you did anything!

0:21:290:21:32

Irene and her husband are on a break away from their home in Coventry.

0:21:340:21:39

They're staying at a holiday cottage in Nidderdale.

0:21:390:21:42

Now Irene's about to take an unscheduled trip to A&E in Harrogate.

0:21:420:21:46

It's two minutes since Tony explained what happened.

0:21:470:21:51

-What happened? I'm so sorry.

-Don't worry.

0:21:520:21:56

But Irene's forgotten already.

0:21:560:21:58

What's happened is you were walking across a field of cows

0:21:580:22:01

with your dog and the cows had calves so I think

0:22:010:22:04

they've taken a bit of exception to your dog and charged you.

0:22:040:22:08

The flight to Harrogate will take just seven minutes.

0:22:080:22:12

This is the kind of countryside in which helicopters come into their own.

0:22:120:22:15

INDISTINCT RADIO COMMUNICATION

0:22:180:22:21

'Taking a break en route to Harrogate. Requesting service, please...'

0:22:250:22:29

The roads of the Dales are winding and crowded in the holiday season.

0:22:290:22:33

Helimed 99 can do 150 miles an hour, but it's not just speed that matters -

0:22:330:22:38

the smoothness of the flight will also be much more comfortable for Irene.

0:22:380:22:43

A trauma team is awaiting the chopper's arrival.

0:22:470:22:51

They've been warned Irene could have serious but as yet undiagnosed injuries.

0:22:510:22:56

She's been walking through a farmer's field with her husband and her dog.

0:22:570:23:01

There were a herd of cows. She can't remember what happened.

0:23:010:23:05

One of the cows headbutted her, threw her into the air, she's landed on the floor.

0:23:050:23:09

Injury-wise, all she's complaining of is pain localised to her left shoulder.

0:23:090:23:15

No obvious fracture or dislocation.

0:23:150:23:18

She's in pain. Initially scoring six out of ten.

0:23:180:23:21

You OK there, Irene? All right.

0:23:210:23:23

It's just a bit bumpy while we get you down to the hospital, OK.

0:23:230:23:27

Over the next 24 hours,

0:23:270:23:28

neurological tests will reveal the extent of Irene's injuries.

0:23:280:23:33

Back at their holiday cottage,

0:23:330:23:35

it'll be an anxious night for her husband Mike.

0:23:350:23:38

Back in the Derbyshire Peak District, mountain rescue teams

0:23:490:23:52

are trying to save a climber badly injured in a fall.

0:23:520:23:55

The helimed team can't reach her.

0:23:550:23:57

But the RAF are about to come to the rescue.

0:23:570:24:00

-Neil?

-Yeah?

-There's some gauze in my bag.

-Gauze?

-Yeah.

0:24:020:24:06

Stefanie Helmle needs to get to hospital fast.

0:24:060:24:09

She's fallen nearly 20 feet down a rocky gully in one of the most

0:24:090:24:13

remote parts of the Peak District.

0:24:130:24:16

The crew of Helimed 98 can't get to her. They're now at the top of the waterfall she's just tumbled down,

0:24:160:24:21

but their lifesaving kit could still make a difference.

0:24:210:24:26

Oxygen!

0:24:260:24:27

Yeah. We ain't going to get a cylinder down to him, are we?

0:24:270:24:31

If we drop it, there's a risk of explosion.

0:24:330:24:35

Stefanie's condition is getting worse.

0:24:460:24:49

Fluid's leaking from her ear

0:24:490:24:50

and it looks like she's fractured her skull in the fall.

0:24:500:24:53

We'll put a pelvic sling around your pelvis. I know you've got no pain there,

0:24:530:24:58

but because you've fallen,

0:24:580:25:00

you've banged your head so we're going to suspect that as well.

0:25:000:25:04

The paramedic from the mountain rescue team needs to stay with Stefanie on her trip to hospital.

0:25:040:25:09

So James Stubbley is first to be winched into the RAF's Sea King helicopter.

0:25:090:25:13

The downdraught created by the six-tonne helicopter is immense.

0:25:200:25:24

There's a real risk of loose rocks falling onto the rescuers, and onto their patient.

0:25:240:25:29

They need to get Stefanie out of the gully, and up to the helicopter.

0:25:320:25:36

The skill required to keep a helicopter stable in a situation like this is incredible.

0:25:390:25:44

But this is something the RAF continuously train for.

0:25:440:25:48

Carrying Stefanie out from this isolated mountainside could have

0:25:500:25:54

seriously worsened her injuries and would have taken more than an hour.

0:25:540:25:58

But, after this huge team effort, she'll be in hospital in minutes.

0:25:580:26:03

And Stefanie's no stranger to hospitals.

0:26:060:26:09

She works as a doctor in Cornwall, but is now on the receiving end

0:26:090:26:14

of treatment for a long list of injuries.

0:26:140:26:16

It's been strange to have the experience of being a patient rather than a doctor.

0:26:160:26:22

I have two skull fractures, I have a bleed inside my brain,

0:26:240:26:28

I have three fractured vertebrae.

0:26:280:26:31

I think I've also got six fractured ribs, and I've got a punctured lung.

0:26:310:26:37

It had been a summer walking holiday that had brought her to the Peak District.

0:26:390:26:43

And a moment's lapse in concentration that left her tumbling down the mountainside.

0:26:430:26:48

Paramedics are trained to treat every injury as potentially fatal, but caution saves lives.

0:27:000:27:06

And many patients are alive today

0:27:060:27:08

thanks to paramedics and doctors who played it safe.

0:27:080:27:11

On a moorland road high in the Pennines,

0:27:130:27:15

ice has caused a serious accident.

0:27:150:27:18

A midwife was driving to an early morning delivery

0:27:180:27:21

when her 4x4 skidded and overturned several times.

0:27:210:27:24

Helimed 99's on the case.

0:27:260:27:27

For the last half hour, off duty fireman Kelvin Steele has been holding Yasmin Smithson's head.

0:27:340:27:39

He's a first aid instructor, and that's what he's been trained to do.

0:27:390:27:43

It's in case she's hurt her spine.

0:27:430:27:45

Fortunately, we have a firefighter who's returning from duty

0:27:450:27:49

to home and he happened to come across to see.

0:27:490:27:51

He knows the procedures and protocols we follow

0:27:510:27:54

which has meant that the casualty's received the best care from the outset.

0:27:540:28:00

Paramedics Darren and Kate are also trained to treat every accident seriously,

0:28:000:28:05

but all the signs are this one's minor.

0:28:050:28:09

There's not any lower limb injuries.

0:28:090:28:11

Her legs are under the steering wheel.

0:28:110:28:13

-I don't think she's badly injured.

-Just trapped?

0:28:130:28:16

Doesn't look as though there's too serious injuries.

0:28:160:28:19

It's just the mechanisms.

0:28:190:28:21

Just trying to get her leg unstuck by the steering wheel.

0:28:210:28:24

Now Yasmin's neck is protected by a surgical collar,

0:28:240:28:28

firelighter Kelvin can at last relax.

0:28:280:28:31

He was driving home from a night shift when he came across the accident.

0:28:310:28:35

I'm a trained casualty care instructor so I thought,

0:28:350:28:38

"Well, I'll do my bit." So I stepped in,

0:28:380:28:40

and you can see the road conditions aren't fantastic.

0:28:400:28:45

This is what can happen as a result of it.

0:28:460:28:48

We don't have extra eyes so we can't see inside.

0:28:480:28:51

We need to make sure that her care's done.

0:28:510:28:54

It might look extreme, but we need to do that

0:28:550:28:58

so nothing will catch us out later.

0:28:580:29:00

Let us do it, Yasmin, I'm just going to get your trousers, sweetheart.

0:29:000:29:05

Paramedics Darren and Kate are beginning to be suspicious

0:29:050:29:08

about what first seemed to be a minor injury.

0:29:080:29:11

Yasmin's in a lot of discomfort.

0:29:110:29:13

Hang on, darling, we'll just try and move you a little bit.

0:29:130:29:18

Ready, steady, slide.

0:29:180:29:20

Ahh! Ahh, ahh, ahh.

0:29:200:29:22

If someone can pull her hips, I can free her leg.

0:29:220:29:25

All right, guys. Can you help count, sweetheart?

0:29:270:29:31

-Ready?

-Yeah.

-Nice and easy.

0:29:310:29:34

Every paramedic's first rule is to treat for the worst

0:29:340:29:36

and hope for the best.

0:29:360:29:39

Yasmin's not going to be allowed to move her head until her neck

0:29:390:29:42

and spine have been X-rayed.

0:29:420:29:44

MUFFLED TALKING

0:29:440:29:46

Does it feel like the pain goes into the back of your shoulder blade?

0:29:510:29:55

Into your back? Just all down your arm, is it?

0:29:550:29:58

Yeah.

0:29:580:30:01

Yasmin's flown to hospital where she'll be scanned and X-rayed.

0:30:010:30:06

It's here that doctors make a shocking discovery...

0:30:080:30:12

Yasmin's neck is so badly broken, one move could have killed her.

0:30:120:30:16

Today, three months after the shunt, she's come to the fire station

0:30:180:30:22

where Kelvin is based to see him rewarded for saving her life.

0:30:220:30:26

APPLAUSE

0:30:260:30:27

He's being given a commendation for putting into practice

0:30:270:30:30

a first aid lesson that saved the local midwife.

0:30:300:30:34

I realised that it was quite bad

0:30:350:30:38

and when I tried to get out and I couldn't move,

0:30:380:30:43

I propped myself up and then just waited. Kelvin eventually arrived.

0:30:430:30:49

I spoke to her and she told me that she was a midwife on her way

0:30:490:30:52

to a delivery, which didn't help matters, really.

0:30:520:30:55

Gave me a little bit of angst.

0:30:550:30:56

And I said, "You'll understand why I'm maintaining this position."

0:30:560:31:00

Which is where you put your hands on the neck so they don't move.

0:31:000:31:03

I was probably a complete pain to him,

0:31:030:31:07

telling him I was absolutely fine,

0:31:070:31:09

but he insisted on just doing everything the correct way.

0:31:090:31:14

Yasmin's still recovering from the effects of her injury,

0:31:140:31:18

but she's living proof that basic first aid skills

0:31:180:31:21

can and do save lives.

0:31:210:31:23

'The consultant said that it's the worst neck fracture he's ever seen.

0:31:240:31:28

'If I'd have moved'

0:31:280:31:30

and if Kelvin hadn't done everything that he did,

0:31:300:31:34

I could've been paralysed from the neck down or I might have even died.

0:31:340:31:40

Yeah, so it literally saved my life.

0:31:400:31:44

Most sudden illnesses are minor.

0:31:440:31:47

But sometimes, unremarkable symptoms are the sign

0:31:470:31:50

of a deadly medical condition.

0:31:500:31:53

Golf is a game that's supposed to keep its players fit.

0:31:540:31:57

A good walk, good company and a bit of gentle exercise.

0:31:570:32:02

That's what Berkley Harrison was counting on, anyway.

0:32:030:32:07

Now, he's lying on the seventh green at Horsforth Golf Club in Leeds feeling unwell.

0:32:070:32:11

Did you actually lose consciousness? You did.

0:32:110:32:14

Flying doctor Jez Pinnell thinks Berkley may have heart trouble.

0:32:140:32:19

-Is your tummy sore?

-Yeah.

0:32:190:32:23

He was complaining about his kidneys at one stage, down the side.

0:32:230:32:26

Helimed 98 is only here

0:32:260:32:28

because its patient collapsed less than a mile from its base.

0:32:280:32:32

I thought he had backache, cos he's had a bit of trouble with his back.

0:32:320:32:36

And then I came to see if it were all right

0:32:360:32:39

and he just sort of keeled over.

0:32:390:32:41

You've had some backache recently, have you?

0:32:410:32:46

Berkley's symptoms sound innocuous enough -

0:32:460:32:48

mild backache, but Jez's medical instincts are good.

0:32:480:32:52

Just swing him round and point his feet into that big door.

0:32:520:32:56

Berkley's leaving the links behind for a flight to Leeds General Infirmary.

0:32:560:33:00

It's just a precaution, but one that is to save his life.

0:33:000:33:04

On arrival, doctors find Berkley is bleeding to death internally

0:33:060:33:10

from a massive aortic aneurysm -

0:33:100:33:13

a hole in the main artery leading to his heart.

0:33:130:33:15

Surgeons plug it just in time.

0:33:170:33:19

When you arrive you always tell people that there's about a 50/50

0:33:190:33:22

chance of surviving the surgery

0:33:220:33:25

and that's because at that stage

0:33:250:33:27

they've obviously got a low blood pressure

0:33:270:33:29

so they're at risk of having heart attacks and they've also lost

0:33:290:33:32

a huge amount of blood so they've lost all the normal clotting factors.

0:33:320:33:36

So even if you're successful in putting the device in,

0:33:360:33:39

they can... You're in a position where you can't stop the bleeding.

0:33:390:33:42

And a few days later, Berkley is sitting up in bed,

0:33:430:33:47

a man alive only because of his choice of golf course

0:33:470:33:50

and the instincts of a doctor.

0:33:500:33:52

I should have been dead. I think, from what I can gather...

0:33:530:33:57

From what I can gather, I would have been dead.

0:33:570:34:00

He was lucky in the fact that he had his rupture on a golf course

0:34:000:34:04

very close to Leeds Bradford Airport,

0:34:040:34:06

close to the ambulance, and he got into hospital

0:34:060:34:09

and to a centre which can provide emergency endovascular repair.

0:34:090:34:13

I'm only so grateful that I am, you know,

0:34:130:34:16

I am still able to talk to you here.

0:34:160:34:18

And the lads that flew the mission, thank them very much.

0:34:180:34:26

Few parts of the human body are more vulnerable in an accident

0:34:270:34:30

than the brain.

0:34:300:34:32

And even a relatively minor impact can have a devastating effect

0:34:320:34:35

on your life.

0:34:350:34:36

On the borders of Yorkshire and Lancashire,

0:34:360:34:40

a biker's come off on a bend.

0:34:400:34:42

Paramedic Paul Bradbury knows this kind of accident

0:34:420:34:45

can often be fatal.

0:34:450:34:47

Moorland roads are often narrow and lined by unyielding dry-stone walls.

0:34:480:34:52

We've been tasked to a detail, Horton in Craven,

0:34:540:34:56

it's on the outskirts of Skipton up in the Dales.

0:34:560:34:59

Got reports of an RTC involving a motorcycle and a car.

0:34:590:35:03

It could be anything from, you know, serious head injury,

0:35:030:35:06

spine injury and his chest, abdo injuries.

0:35:060:35:09

So, depending on what sort of injuries we've got,

0:35:090:35:11

then we'll ascertain which hospital he needs to go into.

0:35:110:35:15

Karl Bishop is 36.

0:35:150:35:18

He was out for a ride with a mate,

0:35:180:35:20

now, he's badly hurt. He wasn't wearing leathers

0:35:200:35:23

and his jeans have provided little protection to his leg.

0:35:230:35:27

It's badly damaged and so is his arm.

0:35:270:35:29

Howdie-doodie. How you going, you all right?

0:35:300:35:33

This is Karl, he's just come off that motorbike up there,

0:35:330:35:36

-as you can see.

-Right, OK.

0:35:360:35:37

Now, main injuries he's complaining - his wrist

0:35:370:35:40

but also pain in his groin as well.

0:35:400:35:42

-OK.

-He won't let anybody touch that leg.

0:35:420:35:44

The good news is Karl is awake and answering questions,

0:35:440:35:47

even if he is in a lot of pain.

0:35:470:35:49

Karl, I'm just going to have a feel round this leg, mate, tell me if it hurts.

0:35:490:35:53

I know, I'm not going to squeeze it.

0:35:530:35:55

He's been in and out of consciousness.

0:35:550:35:57

-When we got here, he didn't know where he is.

-Have you got his helmet?

0:35:570:36:00

Damage to a biker's helmet can provide vital clues

0:36:000:36:03

to the force of the impact,

0:36:030:36:05

and whether he's likely to have a head injury.

0:36:050:36:09

Karl's isn't too badly damaged. It's good news.

0:36:090:36:11

Can we straighten your leg at all, Karl?

0:36:120:36:15

Eh?

0:36:150:36:18

If I support it, Karl, I'll do it really slowly, tell me if it hurts.

0:36:180:36:22

HE CRIES OUT IN PAIN

0:36:220:36:24

The emergency services here are used to bikers being injured

0:36:240:36:27

but this doesn't appear to be the worst case they've dealt with.

0:36:270:36:30

Can you feel me touching you? Lovely, good lad.

0:36:300:36:33

Karl, I'm going to put a splint on this arm, mate, cos you've broken it.

0:36:330:36:36

All right.

0:36:360:36:38

Ahh!

0:36:380:36:40

Sorry, Karl, I know it's hurting you, mate.

0:36:400:36:42

It's time to get Karl to hospital,

0:36:420:36:45

but first he's got to be strapped to a rigid spinal stretcher.

0:36:450:36:49

It's a routine precaution.

0:36:490:36:51

Put the arms across here, just there, and just be careful around there cos obviously he's...

0:36:510:36:55

-All we're going to do is just roll him across.

-Keep sucking.

0:36:550:36:59

And back and roll, ready, brace, roll.

0:36:590:37:01

Karl, keep sucking that.

0:37:010:37:03

As well as a badly damaged leg,

0:37:030:37:05

paramedic Paul fears Karl has fractured his pelvis.

0:37:050:37:09

That can lead to severe internal bleeding.

0:37:090:37:12

But this strap should prevent further damage.

0:37:120:37:15

Let's get this on. Go on, some more deep breaths.

0:37:150:37:20

Yeah, it's clicked in.

0:37:230:37:25

Paul's assessed Karl's injuries using the Glasgow Coma Scale.

0:37:260:37:30

The lower the number, the more serious the patient's condition.

0:37:300:37:34

15 is fully alert.

0:37:340:37:36

The gentleman's now got GCS between 14 and 15, he's quite vague.

0:37:360:37:40

Got a compound right wrist, could be a fractured femur,

0:37:400:37:44

could be a fractured pelvis. His obs are reasonable at the moment.

0:37:440:37:48

Just going into the air craft, we'll lift in about 10-15 minutes,

0:37:480:37:51

I just want to give everyone a heads up.

0:37:510:37:53

Karl, put that back in your mouth, mate. Suck on that.

0:37:560:38:00

That's it, long, deep breaths.

0:38:000:38:02

Karl will be in hospital in ten minutes.

0:38:060:38:08

His vital signs are good, even though his broken bones

0:38:080:38:11

will take months to heal.

0:38:110:38:13

Obviously his wrist is giving him quite a lot of stick at the moment,

0:38:130:38:17

so we'll keep topping him up on morphine and I think this craft

0:38:170:38:20

should get him there without too much trouble.

0:38:200:38:22

Obviously, the big injury he's got, is he's potentially got a pelvic injury and if he bleeds out

0:38:220:38:27

from his pelvis, he could lose blood volume quite quickly.

0:38:270:38:30

Doctors at Blackburn Royal are waiting to assess Karl,

0:38:310:38:34

and it's just as well.

0:38:340:38:36

His condition deteriorates

0:38:360:38:39

and he's quickly transferred to intensive care.

0:38:390:38:42

For three days, he's on life support.

0:38:420:38:45

It's two weeks before he's well enough to return to a normal ward.

0:38:450:38:49

Ten months later and he's come to see the Helimed team,

0:38:490:38:54

the paramedics he credits with saving his life.

0:38:540:38:57

-What did you do to the femur on that side?

-I didn't break it, I've snapped all the ligaments in my knee.

0:38:570:39:02

There's nothing holding my knee together.

0:39:020:39:04

But there's another reason Karl's come.

0:39:040:39:07

Having all but returned from the brink of death,

0:39:070:39:09

he has lost two weeks of his life.

0:39:090:39:12

He has no memory of the day leading up to the accident

0:39:120:39:15

or the smash itself.

0:39:150:39:17

Now he's about to find out what he's missed.

0:39:170:39:20

That hurts more than anything.

0:39:200:39:22

To actually see my bike sat there on the floor,

0:39:220:39:26

knowing how broken that was, and thinking how broken I still am.

0:39:260:39:30

You know, I will get better eventually

0:39:310:39:34

but this will affect me for the rest of my life.

0:39:340:39:37

Karl now faces further surgery,

0:39:370:39:40

including a transplant to replace the damaged ligaments

0:39:400:39:43

around his knee.

0:39:430:39:44

But he still has a long road to recovery ahead.

0:39:440:39:47

I'm just grateful to be here.

0:39:470:39:49

I mean, the amount of injuries I had, it's unusual.

0:39:490:39:53

And I did come close to leaving my family.

0:39:550:39:58

The people who came back from the dead, against the odds.

0:40:030:40:06

Now, let's return to the case of another patient whose injuries

0:40:060:40:10

are life threatening.

0:40:100:40:12

24 hours ago, Mike Pitham set off from this holiday cottage

0:40:140:40:16

with his wife Irene and dog Cassie

0:40:160:40:19

on a hike through the Yorkshire Dales.

0:40:190:40:21

There's a good girl.

0:40:210:40:23

But soon after they stopped to take souvenir snaps,

0:40:230:40:25

the walk ended with Irene seriously injured,

0:40:250:40:28

and her husband struggling to take in the reality of a rare,

0:40:280:40:32

but potentially lethal attack, by a herd of cows.

0:40:320:40:35

I think in some respects, I just kicked straight into automatic

0:40:350:40:39

preservation mode, more than anything.

0:40:390:40:42

My fear was they were going to trample on her, as well,

0:40:420:40:45

because she was now lying on the floor and couldn't get away.

0:40:450:40:48

And I was very calm right up until

0:40:480:40:50

I got back here and then it was a case of...

0:40:500:40:53

Well, I suppose, emotion.

0:40:530:40:55

The feeling I had was total panic that she'd actually died.

0:40:560:41:01

I thought that they'd killed her because she went up so high

0:41:010:41:05

and then hit the ground and then didn't move at all.

0:41:050:41:08

Come on, Cassie, come on.

0:41:080:41:09

Today, Mike's off to Harrogate Hospital to visit Irene

0:41:090:41:12

and find out the results of her medical tests.

0:41:120:41:15

He knows she's suffered a dislocated shoulder.

0:41:150:41:18

But it's feared she may also have a serious head injury.

0:41:180:41:22

-Hello.

-Hello, how are you?

0:41:220:41:24

-I'm all right. How's you? You all right?

-Yes, are you?

-No.

0:41:240:41:30

I want all the gory details. Cos I don't remember a thing.

0:41:330:41:38

I don't even remember the cows.

0:41:380:41:40

The good news is Irene has suffered little more than serious concussion.

0:41:410:41:46

She's been very lucky.

0:41:460:41:48

It was just such a blank, I just didn't know anything.

0:41:480:41:52

You know, I just woke up in hospital and that was it.

0:41:520:41:55

But we're walkers, so we are aware that, you know, this time of year,

0:41:550:41:59

with calves and things, you know, that it can be dangerous

0:41:590:42:04

but I think we were still on the Nidderdale Way, as far as I know.

0:42:040:42:08

So, it's quite a well-walked path.

0:42:080:42:11

Obviously one of these cows just got a little bit upset.

0:42:110:42:14

And Irene thinks, in some ways, she's the lucky one of the couple.

0:42:140:42:18

I think it will affect him more, because I have no recollection.

0:42:180:42:24

but I think... I don't think Mike will go into a field of cows in future.

0:42:240:42:28

I'll be a little bit more wary, especially if there's calves around.

0:42:280:42:33

I might not want to take the dog in the field.

0:42:330:42:36

And I'm pleased to say Irene's now well on the road to recovery

0:42:360:42:41

and planning another stay in the Dales.

0:42:410:42:43

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

0:42:540:42:57

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0:42:570:43:01

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