0:00:02 > 0:00:06If you're seriously ill or critically injured up here,
0:00:06 > 0:00:08your life is in real danger.
0:00:08 > 0:00:11Complaining of severe pain.
0:00:11 > 0:00:14Mid-30s, been ejected from a vehicle.
0:00:14 > 0:00:19Hospital is an hour away by road and speed is the only thing that can save you.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22Roger. Helimed 99's en route. Over.
0:00:22 > 0:00:28The Yorkshire Air Ambulance and its highly trained paramedics are scrambled a thousand times a year.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31- 'What's happened? - A wagon's run over a small child.'
0:00:31 > 0:00:36Many of its ex-military pilots flew the SAS into action.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39That's not a suitable landing site. This is.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43Welcome to the life-and-death world of the Helicopter Heroes.
0:01:04 > 0:01:06Today on Helicopter Heroes...
0:01:06 > 0:01:12A family holiday ends in a freak accident before they've even left home.
0:01:12 > 0:01:16She's got possibly two fractured femurs. It's quite time-critical.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19A trucker is seriously injured in an explosion.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22- How is your pain doing?- Horrendous.
0:01:22 > 0:01:27There's an underground rescue operation deep beneath the Yorkshire Dales.
0:01:27 > 0:01:31He's slipped about ten metres. He's hurt both of his legs.
0:01:31 > 0:01:33And he's cute and cuddly.
0:01:33 > 0:01:37But one of his friends has made a young animal lover seriously ill.
0:01:44 > 0:01:48The bags are packed, the hotel or campsite is booked
0:01:48 > 0:01:51and the kids are desperate to get on the road.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54It's a familiar holiday story for many of us,
0:01:54 > 0:01:58but for one family in West Yorkshire, it had a terrible ending.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02It's the start of the summer holidays
0:02:02 > 0:02:07and across the country, thousands of families are heading for the seaside.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10And for millions living in urban West Yorkshire,
0:02:10 > 0:02:16Scarborough, the UK's oldest seaside resort, is just the place for a stay-cation.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20There's sun, sea, sand, donkeys and more.
0:02:20 > 0:02:26But for one family, their holiday is over before it's even begun.
0:02:26 > 0:02:31I just heard a load of noise and stuff being thrown about and screaming.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34I heard Debbie screaming and kids crying.
0:02:34 > 0:02:40Two young children were packing their car for their trip away, but there's been a freak accident
0:02:40 > 0:02:43and now both of them are in real danger.
0:02:43 > 0:02:47'Helimed 98 Alpha en route to Knottingley.
0:02:48 > 0:02:54'Helimed 98, yeah, we've got a minute to run. Have we any update on this detail? Over.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56'The crew are on scene.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00'There's been no update, so I would land and speak to the crew. Over.'
0:03:00 > 0:03:05- Tilly...- Ambulance crews on the ground have just arrived.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08They've got two badly injured and very young patients.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12But today, the helicopter has some extra skills on board.
0:03:12 > 0:03:18Dr Jez Pinnell has additional treatments which are about to be put to use.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22- 'I'll just take this bag with some extra drugs in.- All right.
0:03:22 > 0:03:26- 'If we need anything else, I'll give you a shout.- Yeah.'
0:03:26 > 0:03:32- Hi, guys. How many patients have we got?- Two, I believe, mate. - Two, right.
0:03:32 > 0:03:38- We've just arrived.- Who seems to be your...?- These two children have been stood behind that estate car.
0:03:38 > 0:03:44- Right.- Packing stuff in. The car's lost control and hit the back of the car.- Right.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47- So the kids were loading up this car?- Yeah.
0:03:47 > 0:03:52- Which was parked here. - She's gone to move the car and it's just carried on going.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54Moved the car and he's got trapped.
0:03:54 > 0:04:01The little boy was under the car. He doesn't seem to have any fractures. He's got good air entry both sides.
0:04:01 > 0:04:05This car came up here, obviously into the back of this family's car.
0:04:05 > 0:04:10But the kids were... Tilly were laid where she were when I came out.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13And the little boy was sat with his dad.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15HE CRIES
0:04:15 > 0:04:19Seven-year-old Tilly has got tyre marks across both her legs
0:04:19 > 0:04:23where she's fallen under the moving car.
0:04:23 > 0:04:28Her three-year-old brother Jason has been crushed against the garden wall.
0:04:28 > 0:04:33- Was he awake?- When I pulled him out, yes.- He was awake, he was conscious.
0:04:33 > 0:04:39- That's how I knew he were there because he were crying.- What's his name?- Jason.- How old is he?- Three.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41- Is he fit and well normally?- Yeah.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44Two children have been knocked over.
0:04:44 > 0:04:48Our young lady's got possibly two fractured femurs.
0:04:48 > 0:04:52We're just getting on top of her pain before we straighten them.
0:04:52 > 0:04:58You can't remember anything that's happened? Where's your pain at the moment? In your leg? This one here?
0:04:58 > 0:05:01OK. I won't touch it at the moment.
0:05:01 > 0:05:05It's vital Jez knows exactly what's happened to be able to work out
0:05:05 > 0:05:08what injuries their two patients could have,
0:05:08 > 0:05:10but it's a complicated story.
0:05:10 > 0:05:15Just run that past me again. So this blue car was parked here?
0:05:15 > 0:05:19- This car was parked just behind it. - It was parked just behind it?
0:05:19 > 0:05:24- She's got in to move it and it's... - And it's shot forward?- Yeah.
0:05:24 > 0:05:28Right. So we don't know if the child's gone underneath this car?
0:05:28 > 0:05:32We don't know if he's gone underneath or he's been pulled from behind here.
0:05:32 > 0:05:37What is obvious is both brother and sister have very serious injuries,
0:05:37 > 0:05:39but only one can be flown to hospital.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41You what, darling?
0:05:41 > 0:05:48The kids were looking forward to seeing the sea so much, one of their patients still wants to go.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50This keeps your neck nice and still.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53Jason has what looks like a serious head injury,
0:05:53 > 0:05:57but the tyre marks across Tilly point to possible internal injuries.
0:05:57 > 0:06:02It's now down to Jez to decide which of them should stay with him
0:06:02 > 0:06:05and get a crucial helicopter flight to hospital.
0:06:16 > 0:06:21Last year, 500 people went to work in the UK and never came home.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24They were killed in industrial accidents
0:06:24 > 0:06:30and sometimes the cause can be a routine task the victim has carried out many times before.
0:06:32 > 0:06:38Haulage is big business. Almost everything we need comes on the back of a truck.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41And it's an industry that runs on rubber,
0:06:41 > 0:06:46on huge tyres inflated to very high pressure.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50But today in East Yorkshire, there's been a serious accident.
0:06:51 > 0:06:56'It's a tyre and it exploded on this patient.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59'And his foot has been completely severed
0:06:59 > 0:07:03'and it is hanging on by the sock. Over.'
0:07:03 > 0:07:07The Helimed team know injuries like these need an urgent response.
0:07:07 > 0:07:12'You can lose a lot of blood through a severed foot.'
0:07:12 > 0:07:16If there's been an explosion big enough to take your foot off,
0:07:16 > 0:07:22it could affect other parts of the body, so we've got ambulances on the way and us as well.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28RADIO BEEPS 'Yeah, go ahead.'
0:07:28 > 0:07:33This is John. It looks like a tyre has exploded...over his foot.
0:07:33 > 0:07:35He's got facial burns.
0:07:35 > 0:07:39He has been completely conscious throughout.
0:07:39 > 0:07:44We haven't got a BP as yet. We've been here about five minutes.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46Another worker has broken his ankle,
0:07:46 > 0:07:52but it's clear this exploding tyre has caused John Pektus massive injuries.
0:07:52 > 0:07:57It was so loud, neighbours rushed to help from the other side of the village.
0:07:57 > 0:08:02Just a massive bang like an explosion. I thought it was an acetylene cylinder going off.
0:08:02 > 0:08:08It was a tyre. 110 psi, so you expect a mess and it has caused a bit of a mess, unfortunately.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11We've just treated him for light facial burns.
0:08:11 > 0:08:17- We're just about to give him some morphine for his pain. He's deaf. - He's deaf? What's he called? John?
0:08:17 > 0:08:18John.
0:08:18 > 0:08:24Apparently, the tyre off a wagon just exploded as he was changing the tyre,
0:08:24 > 0:08:28so the pressure inside the tyre has done the damage.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32The huge bang has made John partially deaf.
0:08:32 > 0:08:38He is struggling to hear, but Tony needs to get vital information from him.
0:08:38 > 0:08:43- Can you remember everything that's happened?- I think so, yeah. The tyre blew up.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46- How's your pain doing?- Horrendous.
0:08:46 > 0:08:51- Is the pain all in your left foot? - Just on my knee and my left foot. - OK, mate.
0:08:51 > 0:08:53This yard is in rural East Yorkshire.
0:08:53 > 0:08:59The crew could fly John to a specialist centre in Leeds for his badly injured foot,
0:08:59 > 0:09:02but there is a far more urgent problem.
0:09:02 > 0:09:06- Cos of the burns, we'll go to the nearest... - A&E cos of the airway?- Yeah.
0:09:06 > 0:09:10This gentleman's suffering with burns at the moment.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13We're obviously concerned about his airway.
0:09:13 > 0:09:19And he's got an ankle injury which can distract away from one of the main potential problems, his airway,
0:09:19 > 0:09:22so we're flying him to the nearest A&E.
0:09:22 > 0:09:29So despite John's traumatic foot injury, it's the other effects of the explosion that could kill him.
0:09:29 > 0:09:36His throat's continuing to swell, so a fast flight to hospital is now his best chance of survival.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47Deep below this landscape is a secret world.
0:09:47 > 0:09:51Yorkshire is home to some of the UK's biggest potholes.
0:09:51 > 0:09:56Every weekend, hundreds of cavers go deep underground in search of adventure,
0:09:56 > 0:10:00but sometimes something goes badly wrong.
0:10:00 > 0:10:07A labyrinth of caves carved out by water over thousands of years honeycombs these hills.
0:10:07 > 0:10:09Some are 20 miles or more long.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12Up to 800 feet below the surface,
0:10:12 > 0:10:16new passages are still being discovered, many unseen by man.
0:10:16 > 0:10:21It's the thrill of exploration that lures many to the Dales,
0:10:21 > 0:10:25but when things go wrong, it's down to a team of expert volunteers
0:10:25 > 0:10:31who drop whatever they're doing and bring their expertise to even the most remote locations.
0:10:31 > 0:10:37We're on our way to Ingleborough. Cave Rescue have been on scene at this detail.
0:10:37 > 0:10:42One of the potholers has fallen approximately 85 feet.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45We're unaware at this point what his injuries are.
0:10:45 > 0:10:52A doctor on scene has requested assistance from air support, so we'll go in to have a look at the patient.
0:10:53 > 0:10:57The Helimed crew work closely with Mountain and Cave Rescue teams
0:10:57 > 0:11:01who cover Yorkshire's vast national parks.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05It's timely that paramedic Glen Powell has been on a training exercise
0:11:05 > 0:11:09which covered the problems of underground accidents.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11It's a very difficult environment
0:11:11 > 0:11:13in which to have an accident.
0:11:13 > 0:11:18Extricating a patient from a pothole is a completely different scenario
0:11:18 > 0:11:23to that that most land ambulances come across during their daily routine.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26We've got reports that this guy's fallen 85 foot.
0:11:26 > 0:11:32What we don't know is how far inside the cave he's fallen and what the conditions inside the cave are like.
0:11:32 > 0:11:38We have had some recent heavy downfalls of rain. These caves are notorious for filling up with water.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41They are a very cold environment,
0:11:41 > 0:11:44so it's likely that this patient may well be having hypothermia,
0:11:44 > 0:11:48as well as extensive injuries from his fall.
0:11:48 > 0:11:53Glen's about to be reunited with the same rescue team that took him underground.
0:11:53 > 0:11:57The smoke is to help pilot Steve Cobb judge the wind.
0:11:57 > 0:11:59Plenty of room to my side, mate.
0:11:59 > 0:12:03- Just a couple of boulders. - Good my side.- Good my side.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07Super. Two feet.
0:12:08 > 0:12:15Cave Rescue have managed to get their patient above ground and he is now warming up in a Land Rover.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18Normally fit and healthy, no medication, no allergies.
0:12:18 > 0:12:22He's fallen probably eight to ten metres, landed on both heels.
0:12:22 > 0:12:26- Landed on what, sorry?- Both heels. But then fell on to his back as well.
0:12:26 > 0:12:3322-year-old William French spent an hour alone and injured while a friend went for help.
0:12:33 > 0:12:37Paramedic Darren knows what their patient's gone through.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40He used to be a coal mine medic.
0:12:40 > 0:12:44I prefer caving with machinery. It's probably a bit safer.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48This chap's been potholing
0:12:48 > 0:12:50with only one other person with him.
0:12:50 > 0:12:57Fortunately, the young lady with him has managed to find a way back to the surface and alert Cave Rescue
0:12:57 > 0:13:01who have turned up and retrieved him from where he was stuck.
0:13:02 > 0:13:06He lost control abseiling on the third pitch
0:13:06 > 0:13:11down in this pothole, and basically, he's slipped about ten metres,
0:13:11 > 0:13:15landing on his feet on the floor of the pitch.
0:13:16 > 0:13:22He's hurt both of his legs and we've spent the last few hours bringing him out of the cave.
0:13:22 > 0:13:26Even in summer, the heat from the sun doesn't penetrate deep enough
0:13:26 > 0:13:30to warm the caverns explored by potholers.
0:13:30 > 0:13:36William has spent a long time in very difficult conditions. For Cave Rescue, it's been a tough operation.
0:13:36 > 0:13:41It used to be more common. These days, there are less abseiling accidents.
0:13:41 > 0:13:46Caving is a fairly safe sport these days, but it does happen every now and again.
0:13:46 > 0:13:52Unfortunately, this cave is quite awkward. There are some tortuous passages within it.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55It makes it a lot harder getting him out from there.
0:13:55 > 0:14:00- You didn't bang your head when you fell, William?- That graze was on his way out.- Right.
0:14:00 > 0:14:07- It was a very, very tight passage. - And eight to ten metres, you reckon?- Yes.- OK, just relax.
0:14:07 > 0:14:12He's been very lucky to have sustained such minor injuries from that.
0:14:12 > 0:14:16He's not in a life-threatening position at the moment,
0:14:16 > 0:14:22so we'll transfer him from here with the helicopter down into Ingleton and on to one of our ground assets.
0:14:22 > 0:14:26They'll take care of him and transfer him to the hospital.
0:14:26 > 0:14:30Just watch that door, fellas. Feed him on. Careful with that door.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36William is starting to warm up and can tell his story,
0:14:36 > 0:14:40a story which could have very easily had a tragic ending.
0:14:40 > 0:14:45How did you alert the emergency services whilst you were down in a pothole?
0:14:46 > 0:14:49I was with another girl.
0:14:49 > 0:14:54- Did they come to the surface?- Yeah. - How many of you were there? - Just two.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57Oh, really? Scary to be left down there on your own.
0:14:57 > 0:15:03The Helimed chopper makes a short flight down the hillside to the village of Ingleton
0:15:03 > 0:15:07where land paramedics are waiting to transport William on to hospital.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10Thanks to the work of Cave Rescue, he's safe.
0:15:10 > 0:15:14X-rays will confirm the extent of his injuries.
0:15:14 > 0:15:18If it had been me, I'd have been very scared in a dark place all alone.
0:15:18 > 0:15:23It's the type of environment where you hear noises you don't want to hear.
0:15:24 > 0:15:28Another rescue over, their patient is ferried to A&E in Lancaster.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39William is soon released from hospital and goes home to recover
0:15:39 > 0:15:43a world away from the wide open spaces of the Yorkshire Dales.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45He knows he's had a lucky escape.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48The cave I had chosen to go down that day
0:15:48 > 0:15:53had actually a reputation for being quite tight and nasty,
0:15:53 > 0:15:57but fortunately, I wasn't that far down it when I had my accident.
0:15:57 > 0:16:01I fell about ten metres. It wasn't entirely freefall.
0:16:01 > 0:16:07But I wasn't being slowed down that much, and as a result, I broke both my heel bones.
0:16:07 > 0:16:12Despite being left alone in the dark for more than an hour as he waited for rescue,
0:16:12 > 0:16:17the experience has only confirmed his enthusiasm for his high-risk hobby.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20I've been caving for a couple of years now.
0:16:21 > 0:16:25I haven't been put off doing so by this accident.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27I have no intention of stopping.
0:16:37 > 0:16:41Now let's return to the case of the family of holiday-makers
0:16:41 > 0:16:45involved in a freak accident in their own street.
0:16:46 > 0:16:51It's the sort of thing every parent dreads. This family was heading on holiday today,
0:16:51 > 0:16:58but now Deborah Wilkinson has two seriously injured children after a freak accident.
0:16:59 > 0:17:05We have a seven-year-old female, query open fracture left femur and closed right femur.
0:17:05 > 0:17:11A neighbour's car has crashed into the back of the one they were packing for their trip away.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14Both her children were trapped.
0:17:14 > 0:17:16Lovely. That's lovely.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19'I were shocked, really shocked.'
0:17:19 > 0:17:22I were thinking the worst, really.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26Are they still alive or...?
0:17:26 > 0:17:29She's got some nasty injuries to her legs.
0:17:29 > 0:17:36We're going to give her some quite strong pain relief, just so we can get her legs straight.
0:17:36 > 0:17:42Dr Jez Pinnell had to make a quick assessment of seven-year-old Tilly and three-year-old brother Jason.
0:17:42 > 0:17:46Only one can get a place in the helicopter for a flight to hospital.
0:17:46 > 0:17:50A car's gone over her at fairly low speed over both legs and pelvis.
0:17:50 > 0:17:56She's got one femur and an open injury to the other femur which is possibly fractured as well.
0:17:56 > 0:18:01Despite Jason having a serious-looking head injury,
0:18:01 > 0:18:04Tilly is the one Jez is most concerned about.
0:18:04 > 0:18:09The tyre tracks over her legs means she could have serious, unseen internal injuries.
0:18:09 > 0:18:15- Where is it hurting you?- My leg. - Your right leg or your left leg? - I don't know which is my left.
0:18:15 > 0:18:21- This is your left leg here, the one with the bandage on.- OK.- That's the one that's sore, is it?- Yeah.
0:18:21 > 0:18:27And as well as medicine, reassurance is a key part of every doctor's treatment.
0:18:28 > 0:18:32- Will I die? - No, darling, you're not.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35Paramedics usually give morphine as a painkiller,
0:18:35 > 0:18:39but for very serious cases, Jez carries ketamine.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42It's used by vets as a horse tranquilliser,
0:18:42 > 0:18:46but here, it should help detach Tilly from her intense pain,
0:18:46 > 0:18:50albeit with some slightly peculiar side-effects.
0:18:50 > 0:18:56We're going to give you some very strong medicine for your pain. It might make you feel a bit strange.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59Sometimes it makes you see things that aren't there.
0:18:59 > 0:19:06It'll mean we can get your legs a bit better. And we're going to take you for a flight in a helicopter.
0:19:06 > 0:19:08Is that all right?
0:19:08 > 0:19:12Pilot Paul Smith has had to land the helicopter on a nearby rugby pitch,
0:19:12 > 0:19:15so Tilly will be taken there by ambulance,
0:19:15 > 0:19:22but it leaves Mum Deborah with an awful dilemma - which of her children should she stay with?
0:19:22 > 0:19:25Two patients, a brother and sister,
0:19:25 > 0:19:29right outside their garden, right outside their own home,
0:19:29 > 0:19:32so Mum's just totally shook up,
0:19:32 > 0:19:35but handling it really, really well.
0:19:35 > 0:19:40She's broken one leg and she's got a nasty laceration to the other leg.
0:19:40 > 0:19:42That might be broken as well.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45She may also have an injury to her pelvis.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48Hello, Tilly. Welcome aboard!
0:19:48 > 0:19:51You're doing really well.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53Very brave, aren't you?
0:19:53 > 0:19:57- Are you always this brave? - Sometimes.- Sometimes, yeah.
0:19:59 > 0:20:06What should have been the start of a family holiday has now become a race for urgent treatment
0:20:06 > 0:20:10with Tilly and her brother now heading in different directions.
0:20:10 > 0:20:14While Jason is off by land to the local A&E,
0:20:14 > 0:20:18Tilly is soon landing at the regional trauma centre in Leeds.
0:20:20 > 0:20:25Now it's down to the team of surgeons waiting down the ramp
0:20:25 > 0:20:28to work out exactly how much damage has been done
0:20:28 > 0:20:33with Tilly having been run over by the full weight of a car.
0:20:43 > 0:20:48Remember the worker blown over by an explosion in a haulage yard?
0:20:48 > 0:20:53He's badly injured and doctors are about to start the battle to save him.
0:20:54 > 0:20:58John Pektus has just been caught up in a massive explosion.
0:20:58 > 0:21:04I just need you to pop this hand on this tummy if you can for me.
0:21:04 > 0:21:09He'd been inflating a huge lorry tyre when it blew up in his face.
0:21:09 > 0:21:11Ready, steady, move.
0:21:11 > 0:21:16John's foot took the force of the blast, but as his throat is now swelling through the burns,
0:21:16 > 0:21:20they're rushing him to hospital to make sure he can keep on breathing.
0:21:20 > 0:21:25Just relax there, John. We'll get you as comfy as we can, OK?
0:21:26 > 0:21:28Ready, steady, lift.
0:21:28 > 0:21:32Just walk him over to the stretcher.
0:21:32 > 0:21:38We're heading back to the aircraft with this patient. In the next five minutes, we hope to be lifting. Over.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40One, two, three, lift.
0:21:42 > 0:21:47We're going to the nearest hospital. He's got the potential of airway problems developing
0:21:47 > 0:21:51with the burns to his face, so we'll get him sorted at York.
0:21:51 > 0:21:57It's at times like these paramedics need more than just their medical skills.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59INDISTINCT
0:21:59 > 0:22:05Tony's diplomacy is tested when faced with difficult questions from his patient.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08What's it actually done to my foot? Can you see?
0:22:08 > 0:22:11Yeah, you've got a nasty cut to it, John.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15Is there owt left of it, like?
0:22:15 > 0:22:17Yeah, it's still there, mate.
0:22:17 > 0:22:21But everyone knows John is critically injured.
0:22:21 > 0:22:25It's unlikely his foot will have survived the explosion.
0:22:26 > 0:22:33John's flight to hospital takes less than five minutes, but this is where the serious work begins.
0:22:33 > 0:22:38Surgeons start working around the clock to try and save his ankle.
0:22:40 > 0:22:47In a series of complicated operations, severed nerves and blood vessels are repaired
0:22:47 > 0:22:51and John finally recovers enough to see his first visitors.
0:22:52 > 0:22:56Basically, it blew the middle out of my foot.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00And the skin that was alive,
0:23:00 > 0:23:03they could save it with skin grafts,
0:23:03 > 0:23:07but he said till they started chopping and hacking,
0:23:07 > 0:23:10they didn't know really what was what,
0:23:10 > 0:23:14but he says, "As it looks, just feeling..."
0:23:14 > 0:23:18I said I could feel what he was touching.
0:23:18 > 0:23:22He said that was a good sign that they could actually save my foot.
0:23:22 > 0:23:29It's now a week after the explosion and it's still not clear if his foot will recover,
0:23:29 > 0:23:33but John is well aware the outcome could have been so much worse.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36I consider myself lucky to be alive.
0:23:36 > 0:23:40If I had bent down to pick the wheel up, I wouldn't have had a head.
0:23:40 > 0:23:45Over the next few weeks, a string of medical experts do all they can for John,
0:23:45 > 0:23:49but in the end, he has to make a hugely difficult decision.
0:23:49 > 0:23:53They've been trying to save my foot, which I appreciate,
0:23:53 > 0:23:57but anyway, in the end, the doctor decided
0:23:57 > 0:24:01that it was going to be too long-term and too much to do
0:24:01 > 0:24:05and the best option was to saw it off and move on with life,
0:24:05 > 0:24:07so that's what we opted for.
0:24:07 > 0:24:12He's sawn it off and hopefully now I'm going forward, like, you know.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15Things are improving, I feel better
0:24:15 > 0:24:19whereas if I was still as I was, I wouldn't have been any further on.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23But for a man who has spent his life driving lorries across the country,
0:24:23 > 0:24:28this accident means from now on, things will be very different.
0:24:28 > 0:24:30That's it. We're up and running.
0:24:30 > 0:24:35But it's certainly given him a new appreciation for those who have kept him on the road.
0:24:35 > 0:24:39The frightening thing is when you think about it,
0:24:39 > 0:24:44there's men every day that are putting their lives on the line.
0:24:44 > 0:24:48Your tyre men. A bus gets a flat tyre, they come out.
0:24:48 > 0:24:52A wagon gets a flat tyre, a car gets a flat tyre,
0:24:52 > 0:24:58and they're touching potential bombs all the time.
0:25:11 > 0:25:16Animals provide millions of people with a lot of love and companionship,
0:25:16 > 0:25:21but they can also land you in hospital, often in surprising ways.
0:25:22 > 0:25:26The High Pennines are Yorkshire's literary belt.
0:25:26 > 0:25:31Poets like Ted Hughes have been inspired by these wuthering heights.
0:25:31 > 0:25:36But one family outshone them all - the Bronte sisters of Haworth Parsonage,
0:25:36 > 0:25:40creators of the smouldering Heathcliff.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42# Out on the wiley, windy moors
0:25:42 > 0:25:45# We'd roll and fall in green... #
0:25:48 > 0:25:51But some tales you couldn't make up.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54Like the shaggy dog story involving Norton,
0:25:54 > 0:25:5815 stones of slobbering, sloppy mastiff.
0:25:58 > 0:26:02He lives here in a farmhouse straight out of Wuthering Heights.
0:26:02 > 0:26:07And he's supposed to be his owner's best friend. Not today.
0:26:07 > 0:26:09In the local park,
0:26:09 > 0:26:15Norton's owner Beryl Green is about to be loaded aboard Helimed 98 for a flight to hospital.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18Her hip is broken, thanks to Norton.
0:26:18 > 0:26:20How have you managed this?
0:26:20 > 0:26:22I've got a 15-stone dog.
0:26:22 > 0:26:28So remote is Beryl's hilltop home that they had to call out the Mountain Rescue team
0:26:28 > 0:26:31to transport her down to the landing site.
0:26:31 > 0:26:37She's got a 15-stone, old English mastiff and it got very excited and knocked her over.
0:26:37 > 0:26:42It's about this high, its head is this wide, it's extremely friendly,
0:26:42 > 0:26:44but too friendly on this occasion.
0:26:44 > 0:26:46Ready, steady and lift.
0:26:46 > 0:26:52Beryl is remarkably cheerful for a dog owner whose pet has landed her on a stretcher.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55- How does that feel? - There's a lumpy bit under.
0:26:55 > 0:27:00You won't be on the lumpy bit for long. You'll be on a proper stretcher in there.
0:27:00 > 0:27:06He bumped into me and knocked me flying. At 15 stone, he can give you such a thump.
0:27:06 > 0:27:11Beryl is in her 70s and has spent her whole life living high up in the Pennines,
0:27:11 > 0:27:16but she's going to have to get used to different surroundings for the next few days.
0:27:16 > 0:27:20She's on her way to Huddersfield Royal Infirmary for surgery.
0:27:20 > 0:27:26A few days later, relatives are having to take turns to walk the villain of the piece.
0:27:26 > 0:27:28Norton needs his exercise.
0:27:28 > 0:27:34The dog's with me all the time and when there's the two of us, we get on very, very well.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37He follows me about everywhere,
0:27:37 > 0:27:42as though he thinks I'm going to disappear if he takes his eyes off me.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46And he shows a great deal of care.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50But the good news is Beryl's home
0:27:50 > 0:27:55and she's forgiven him for the exuberance that landed her in hospital.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58Everybody was so kind.
0:27:58 > 0:28:02And nothing was too much trouble for them. I think they're marvellous.
0:28:05 > 0:28:11But you don't even have to touch an animal to need medical treatment.
0:28:11 > 0:28:17One of these guys has just made someone seriously ill by being a bit hairy.
0:28:17 > 0:28:23We've had reports of an eight-year-old child who is possibly having an anaphylactic reaction.
0:28:26 > 0:28:31- Sophie, can I just listen to your chest, sweetheart?- Yeah.
0:28:31 > 0:28:35- Have you had this done before by the doctor?- I don't think so.
0:28:35 > 0:28:38It might be a bit cold, my love, all right?
0:28:38 > 0:28:43Sophie Holt was visiting a petting zoo at a farm on the edge of the North York Moors.
0:28:43 > 0:28:49She was stroking a guinea pig when she began to have trouble breathing and a rash started to form.
0:28:49 > 0:28:52Allergic reactions can be very serious.
0:28:52 > 0:28:57Around 15 people a year suffer anaphylactic shock and die in the UK.
0:28:57 > 0:29:01Sophie, what happened the last time you went near a guinea pig?
0:29:01 > 0:29:07- The last time I went near a guinea pig, my eye puffed up and I couldn't see through it.- Right.
0:29:07 > 0:29:10Fortunately for Sophie, the panic is over.
0:29:10 > 0:29:14Staff at the farm washed her face and hands immediately
0:29:14 > 0:29:17and already the symptoms have started to lessen,
0:29:17 > 0:29:21leaving paramedic Tony and the Helimed crew free for the next job.
0:29:21 > 0:29:25She's not with her family at the moment. She's with some friends
0:29:25 > 0:29:28who didn't realise she was allergic to them.
0:29:28 > 0:29:32She's picked one up and stroked one and had an allergic reaction.
0:29:32 > 0:29:38It's not been a full-blown anaphylactic reaction. It's not as serious as it could have been.
0:29:38 > 0:29:43Farm animals are often docile and friendly, but as any farmer will tell you,
0:29:43 > 0:29:48it's unwise to forget many of them have the power to crush a grown adult.
0:29:48 > 0:29:52A dairy cow weighs in at half a tonne.
0:29:52 > 0:29:58Most of the time, they're happy to go along with the wishes of we humans, especially at milking time.
0:29:58 > 0:30:01But things can change with the arrival of the vet.
0:30:01 > 0:30:06And on this farm in Derbyshire, there's been a serious accident.
0:30:06 > 0:30:11- A little bit further to your right, Andy, there's a calf.- Right then.
0:30:11 > 0:30:15- Are you going to jump out?- Yeah, I'll jump out.- I'll keep it running.
0:30:15 > 0:30:18I'll give you an update as soon as I can.
0:30:18 > 0:30:24Helimed 98 has been called to a farm near Matlock where a woman has been attacked by a cow.
0:30:24 > 0:30:27Lee Gray knows animal attacks can be lethal.
0:30:27 > 0:30:33Last year, the team treated a farm worker who later died from his injuries.
0:30:33 > 0:30:37- Hello. Whereabouts is the lady? - In the ambulance.- OK, thank you.
0:30:38 > 0:30:40Hello.
0:30:41 > 0:30:44We're up against a vicious cow, apparently,
0:30:44 > 0:30:48that we believe has kicked or somehow clipped this lady.
0:30:48 > 0:30:52Jennifer Biggin has serious facial injuries.
0:30:52 > 0:30:55She was kicked while helping a vet deliver a calf.
0:30:55 > 0:30:59Was the beast stood still or did she just flick up at you?
0:30:59 > 0:31:04We'd got her tethered and she broke loose and just swung round...
0:31:04 > 0:31:08The team's patient is surprisingly cheerful, considering her injury,
0:31:08 > 0:31:13but she, like them, knows how lucky she's been to escape with her life.
0:31:13 > 0:31:16I'm going to have a real good feel around your neck.
0:31:16 > 0:31:22I want to know it weren't really a blunt assault that abnormally pushed your neck to one side.
0:31:22 > 0:31:25- Would you say it was or not? - I don't know.- No?
0:31:25 > 0:31:28Are you sure you've no pain at all in there?
0:31:28 > 0:31:32- It's just this shoulder that's sore. - Just that shoulder.
0:31:32 > 0:31:36- Right on the head of your shoulder? - Just there.- OK, sweetheart.
0:31:36 > 0:31:39Cows in calf are notoriously aggressive.
0:31:39 > 0:31:44Lee wants to make sure they load their patient well away from any animals.
0:31:44 > 0:31:48Lee to Sammy, we've got a four-by-four vehicle on the scene.
0:31:48 > 0:31:55I think it's going to be a lot simpler if we just bring her up on the four-by-four up to you. Over.
0:31:55 > 0:31:58They're big animals. Never underestimate them.
0:31:58 > 0:32:01They look so placid and provide so well for us.
0:32:01 > 0:32:05Jennifer is driven to her flight to hospital.
0:32:05 > 0:32:09She'll need surgery and her scars could last a lifetime.
0:32:09 > 0:32:14Yeah, Eve's going over to pick me some...non-smelly clothes.
0:32:14 > 0:32:18We'll head out of here on this sort of heading. We have a tree behind us.
0:32:18 > 0:32:23Helimed 98 will have her in hospital in Chesterfield in a few minutes.
0:32:23 > 0:32:28Jennifer later recovers from her injuries and returns to work with farm animals
0:32:28 > 0:32:32with a new respect for their behaviour.
0:32:32 > 0:32:36Farmers know the dangers animals present more than most.
0:32:36 > 0:32:40They're never at greater risk than when trying to help their stock.
0:32:41 > 0:32:47Gulliver the goat looks innocent enough, but he's just landed his owner in an ambulance.
0:32:47 > 0:32:52Helimed 98 is touching down at a smallholding in the Dales to rescue his victim -
0:32:52 > 0:32:5466-year-old Elizabeth Cook.
0:32:55 > 0:32:58Liz has been butted by the goat.
0:32:58 > 0:33:01She's been thrown into this fence here,
0:33:01 > 0:33:05then she's come back off and landed sort of like by the tree.
0:33:05 > 0:33:08My wife was taking the goat down to the croft.
0:33:08 > 0:33:12He's been shut in for a couple of days, so we wanted him out.
0:33:12 > 0:33:16He took exception to this, pulled her over and knocked her into a fence.
0:33:16 > 0:33:19She seems to have damaged her neck in some way.
0:33:19 > 0:33:21It's actually quite worrying.
0:33:21 > 0:33:25The village of Austwick is a long way from a major hospital.
0:33:25 > 0:33:28It's feared she may have a spinal injury.
0:33:28 > 0:33:33The road journey would involve bumpy farm tracks and winding dales lanes.
0:33:33 > 0:33:37The Helimed chopper will fly her quickly and smoothly to expert care.
0:33:37 > 0:33:40OK, on three, guys. One, two, three.
0:33:40 > 0:33:44She's done it before. She puts him on a lead and off they go.
0:33:44 > 0:33:48But she's not as strong as she was and the goat is stronger than he was.
0:33:48 > 0:33:51I've told her before, but these things happen.
0:33:51 > 0:33:55She's been complaining of central C-spine tenderness.
0:33:55 > 0:33:59Elizabeth has had a lucky escape.
0:33:59 > 0:34:04Her injury could have led to paralysis, but she's soon sent home from hospital.
0:34:05 > 0:34:09It's the start of a long and uncomfortable recovery.
0:34:09 > 0:34:12Two months later, she is still in a neck brace -
0:34:12 > 0:34:17a painful reminder of the day a pet goat turned hostile.
0:34:17 > 0:34:20I thought I'd tie him to that post over there.
0:34:20 > 0:34:24I don't know whether I let him go or he got his head out of his lead,
0:34:24 > 0:34:28but I turned round and he was coming straight at me.
0:34:28 > 0:34:31Head down, like a cartoon it was.
0:34:31 > 0:34:37And I shot through the air and landed in the fence over there with my head in the fencing.
0:34:37 > 0:34:40Elizabeth's injury was very painful.
0:34:40 > 0:34:43However, the consequences were worse for Gulliver.
0:34:43 > 0:34:48He was a meat goat and he was leaving us anyway.
0:34:48 > 0:34:51He is now in my friend's freezer.
0:34:51 > 0:34:54Although Gulliver is now just a tasty memory,
0:34:54 > 0:34:58Elizabeth says she will continue to keep goats, despite the risks.
0:34:58 > 0:35:05When I get a new billy-goat, I shall be a lot more careful. I hadn't realised he could be so dangerous.
0:35:05 > 0:35:11You wouldn't think our feathered friends could do anyone much harm, but you'd be surprised.
0:35:11 > 0:35:16Feeding the birds has hidden hazards, especially in the back garden.
0:35:18 > 0:35:24Today, Helimed 98 has been scrambled to a bird lover whose interest in ornithology has left her in agony.
0:35:24 > 0:35:26The incident we're attending,
0:35:26 > 0:35:29it's a fractured neck of femur,
0:35:29 > 0:35:31quite common amongst elderly people.
0:35:31 > 0:35:36This is paramedic Paul Kilner's first job as an air ambulance crew member.
0:35:36 > 0:35:40I'll feel better after I get my first job done.
0:35:40 > 0:35:45He's responded to thousands of 999 calls before, but never like this.
0:35:45 > 0:35:50The chopper is flying up into the Yorkshire Dales to the market town of Leyburn.
0:35:50 > 0:35:53- How is it looking over there, Sammy? - It looks OK.
0:35:53 > 0:35:56- It looks OK on the right, Jim.- OK.
0:35:56 > 0:36:00Here in Wensleydale, there is no shortage of community spirit
0:36:00 > 0:36:04and the neighbours have turned out to help the crew find their patient.
0:36:04 > 0:36:08- We did see you actually waving there.- Did you?- Yeah, I did.
0:36:08 > 0:36:10Yeah, it was a good wave.
0:36:10 > 0:36:15- Is it your wife?- No, no. - Friend?- It's a neighbour.
0:36:15 > 0:36:18- A neighbour? What's your neighbour called?- Mary.
0:36:18 > 0:36:21- Mary?- Yeah.- OK, lovely.
0:36:21 > 0:36:23- Hello.- Good evening.
0:36:23 > 0:36:28- Mary has fallen...- Hello, Mary. - ..while chasing a blackbird in the garden.
0:36:28 > 0:36:32- What are you like, Mary?- She's gone over backwards on to her hip,
0:36:32 > 0:36:38landed on the ground, managed to get herself up using the tree, but can't put her weight on to it.
0:36:38 > 0:36:43Mary Gore was trying to save some fledgling blackbird chicks from a prowling cat
0:36:43 > 0:36:45when she slipped on the grass.
0:36:45 > 0:36:49Now she has a fractured femur, the biggest bone in her body.
0:36:49 > 0:36:52She's very concerned about all these blackbirds.
0:36:52 > 0:36:58Betty next door has got two cats and she's worried that these cats will get the blackbirds.
0:36:58 > 0:37:01She'd gone to chase something and just fell over.
0:37:01 > 0:37:04- You're in a bit of a pickle.- Yes.
0:37:04 > 0:37:09- I didn't want to go to James Cook. My husband died there three months ago.- I'm sorry to hear that.
0:37:09 > 0:37:13- Have you had a feel of that femur then?- It's tender there.
0:37:13 > 0:37:15Mary needs hospital treatment.
0:37:15 > 0:37:21Her injury is very common among elderly people. Its cause isn't.
0:37:23 > 0:37:26We've got a lot of little blackbirds coming out
0:37:26 > 0:37:28and Betty has cats next door.
0:37:28 > 0:37:30So they're very vulnerable.
0:37:30 > 0:37:35They make a squeaking noise and this was little and it had just come out today.
0:37:35 > 0:37:41I went to rescue it because it went in where Betty's cats are. I must have just slipped on the grass.
0:37:41 > 0:37:46It was as easy as that. I tried to get up and I thought, "Oh, heck!"
0:37:46 > 0:37:51Then I just got on my knees and I managed from there to here, shuffling.
0:37:51 > 0:37:54But I couldn't get any further, you see.
0:37:54 > 0:37:59We're taking you down to the hospital, but it'll be quicker to fly down.
0:37:59 > 0:38:03- I've never been up in one. - You'll be quite all right.
0:38:03 > 0:38:06We'll look after you. Everything will be all right.
0:38:07 > 0:38:13Mary gets her wish. She's being taken to hospital in Harrogate, instead of Middlesbrough.
0:38:13 > 0:38:15They're about the same distance.
0:38:15 > 0:38:20Mary has a suspected neck of femur fracture or mid-shaft femur fracture of her right leg,
0:38:20 > 0:38:26so we're taking her to the most appropriate hospital for that type of injury, which is a trauma centre.
0:38:26 > 0:38:32Mary says she's frightened of heights, so she's never been in an aeroplane or a helicopter
0:38:32 > 0:38:35or any form of flying machine as it were.
0:38:35 > 0:38:38So it's going to be a unique experience for Mary.
0:38:38 > 0:38:43For the Helimed team's own fledgling, it's been an interesting case.
0:38:43 > 0:38:48It'll be six months before paramedic Paul's training is officially over,
0:38:48 > 0:38:51but at least now he has his first case under his belt.
0:38:51 > 0:38:54Mary's getting a bird's-eye view of the Dales,
0:38:54 > 0:39:00but it will be six weeks before she's fit enough to return to watch over her flock.
0:39:03 > 0:39:06The patients injured by animals there.
0:39:06 > 0:39:12Let's catch up on the case of the family whose holiday plans were shattered by a freak accident
0:39:12 > 0:39:15before they'd even moved their car out of the drive.
0:39:17 > 0:39:23It's a summer holiday getaway that is now over before it even started.
0:39:23 > 0:39:29Deborah Wilkinson's two children had been packing their car for a week away when it got hit by another,
0:39:29 > 0:39:32leaving them both lying seriously injured in the street.
0:39:32 > 0:39:37All I can remember is I was stood at the boot, loading up for our holiday.
0:39:37 > 0:39:44I can remember hearing the car behind me grinding its gear and I can't stand that noise now.
0:39:44 > 0:39:48Then she came forward, hit my leg. My leg hit our car.
0:39:48 > 0:39:50Our car's gone.
0:39:50 > 0:39:54I'm screaming cos she'd hit me. I didn't know the kids were there.
0:39:54 > 0:39:58I come round t'corner and I see Tilly laid out on t'path.
0:39:58 > 0:40:02Then if it weren't for him crying, I wouldn't have known.
0:40:02 > 0:40:07He started crying and I knew he were under t'car. I saw the blood on t'back of his head.
0:40:07 > 0:40:13I saw the blood all over his face and I can remember seeing a big patch of blood on Simon, so I knew...
0:40:13 > 0:40:20With two badly injured children, it has left her with the ultimate parenting dilemma -
0:40:20 > 0:40:22which one should she be with?
0:40:22 > 0:40:25Tilly's laid on t'floor, trying to get up.
0:40:25 > 0:40:28I didn't know what to do or where to go.
0:40:28 > 0:40:33I were in and out of the ambulance with Jason, back over to Tilly.
0:40:33 > 0:40:40They all understood that I'm stuck between two kids and I wanted to be with them both.
0:40:42 > 0:40:46Three-year-old Jason is now recovering at their local hospital.
0:40:46 > 0:40:53A scan has revealed he's broken his pelvis, as well as the damage to his face and nose.
0:40:53 > 0:40:57Ten miles away in Leeds, his elder sister Tilly is also being treated
0:40:57 > 0:41:00after the car ran over both her legs.
0:41:01 > 0:41:04Teddy went to the zoo. Oh, yeah, I had that...
0:41:04 > 0:41:08'My right leg is broken
0:41:08 > 0:41:12'and my left leg is just bruised at the top.
0:41:12 > 0:41:14'My skin was off my leg.'
0:41:14 > 0:41:17And it were bleeding.
0:41:18 > 0:41:21And it really hurt and it were painful.
0:41:22 > 0:41:25And it doesn't hurt now.
0:41:25 > 0:41:27- Is it done?- It's done, darling. - It's done.
0:41:27 > 0:41:31DEBORAH: 'It could have been a hell of a lot worse.
0:41:31 > 0:41:35'I mean, two seconds prior to the accident itself,
0:41:35 > 0:41:38'my third son was stood there. It could have been all three.'
0:41:38 > 0:41:44I'm thankful that it weren't all three, but I'm thankful that they're alive. That's the main thing.
0:41:44 > 0:41:49It doesn't matter, cuts, bruises, broken bones... They're alive.
0:41:49 > 0:41:54So Mum is still torn between visiting her two children in different hospitals.
0:41:54 > 0:41:58But with another holiday already in the diary,
0:41:58 > 0:42:02this brother and sister can't wait to be playing together once again
0:42:02 > 0:42:06after some sisterly love that made such a difference.
0:42:06 > 0:42:09She saved her brother's life by moving him.
0:42:09 > 0:42:12She grabbed his hand to run away.
0:42:12 > 0:42:15Fair do's, she didn't make it, do you know what I mean?
0:42:15 > 0:42:19But for a seven-year-old to grab a three-year-old's hand
0:42:19 > 0:42:22and think to run, it's pretty smart.
0:42:22 > 0:42:25That's all I can say. It's pretty smart.
0:42:25 > 0:42:31I'm pleased to tell you the experience hasn't put the family off going on holiday.
0:42:31 > 0:42:36They'll be heading to the coast again as soon as the children have fully recovered.
0:42:45 > 0:42:50Subtitles by Subtext for Red Bee Media Ltd 2011
0:42:50 > 0:42:53Email subtitling@bbc.co.uk