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.
0:00:09 > 0:00:11He's complaining of severe pain.
0:00:11 > 0:00:14Mid-30s, been ejected from a vehicle.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17Hospital's an hour away by road,
0:00:17 > 0:00:19and speed is the only thing that can save you.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22Yeah, Roger, Helimed 99's on route to you, over.
0:00:22 > 0:00:27The Yorkshire Air Ambulance and its highly-trained paramedics are scrambled 1,000 times a year.
0:00:27 > 0:00:31- Tell me what's happened.- A child was on the path, a wagon cut the corner and ran over him.
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 one here 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 > 0:01:08A woman's fighting for her life,
0:01:08 > 0:01:11but the chopper's grounded by a blizzard.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14The snow is stopping us getting to the hospital. OK?
0:01:14 > 0:01:17His baby's birth is only hours away,
0:01:17 > 0:01:19but this father-to-be is dangerously ill.
0:01:19 > 0:01:23His wife's pregnant. I just hope he's OK.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26The driver who demolished a bus-stop.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28He's hit the windscreen with his head.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30Did you hear owt crack?
0:01:30 > 0:01:31He retired on Friday.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34And a new pensioner takes a fall.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37And I begged him not to go. But it didn't make any difference!
0:01:45 > 0:01:47Apart from the beauty,
0:01:47 > 0:01:50what brings most people to live in the Yorkshire Dales is the solitude.
0:01:50 > 0:01:55But when winter comes, the very remoteness of these valleys can be deadly.
0:01:55 > 0:01:59It's November, and England's most famous dale
0:01:59 > 0:02:02is struggling to cope with the big freeze.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05Many roads in Wensleydale are blocked by snow.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08And Helimed 99's been scrambled to fly a patient
0:02:08 > 0:02:11to the James Cook Hospital in Middlesbrough.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14Yeah, we've been requested to attend an elderly lady
0:02:14 > 0:02:16up in Leyburn in North Yorkshire.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19She's been diagnosed as having a heart attack.
0:02:19 > 0:02:24So, with the land ambulance today, in this weather - it's really snowy and icy.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27It'd take about an hour plus to get up to Middlesbrough.
0:02:27 > 0:02:31So they've requested our attendance to take this lady up there.
0:02:31 > 0:02:35Their patient is seriously ill. Her life's in real danger.
0:02:35 > 0:02:40But drifts up to six feet deep are making travel all but impossible on minor roads,
0:02:40 > 0:02:41and more snow is forecast.
0:02:41 > 0:02:46But from 2,000 ft, the weathermen appear to have got it wrong.
0:02:46 > 0:02:51- Beautiful and clear, isn't it? - It's gorgeous.- Absolutely stunning.
0:02:51 > 0:02:56- Clear as a bell, isn't it? - Absolutely.- A tropical -2(!).
0:02:56 > 0:02:58Absolutely.
0:02:58 > 0:03:00The woman's being cared for in the back of an ambulance.
0:03:00 > 0:03:04Its crew have driven to a landing site on the edge of town.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07- I can't see that wire at all. - I think it's going that way.- Yep.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10The ambulance crews are trained to identify
0:03:10 > 0:03:13helicopter landing sites, and this is a good one.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16It's perfect, apart from a telephone wire.
0:03:24 > 0:03:28- Ready, then?- Shall we come in? Yeah.- Joyce is 90.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31- She was at the Quakers' Meeting House this morning.- Right.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34They were having a meeting. And she came over quite poorly.
0:03:34 > 0:03:38Joyce Thompson's lived in Wensleydale for almost 90 years.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42Its isolation is part of what she loves about the place.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44Now, it's endangering her life.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47Tony can see from the ECG print-out
0:03:47 > 0:03:49that Joyce has had a massive heart attack.
0:03:50 > 0:03:55- Get her into the aircraft. I mean, if people can walk up them...- Yeah.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58..they can to do it or we can put a sheet under and lift her up.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04I was looking at the ECG. It's a big anterior MI,
0:04:04 > 0:04:07which basically affects the front part of the heart,
0:04:07 > 0:04:09the main pumping chamber.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12Saying that, she looks quite all right on it.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14She's quite pain-free at the moment.
0:04:14 > 0:04:16Her age is against her.
0:04:16 > 0:04:17She desperately needs
0:04:17 > 0:04:20to have the block blood vessels in her heart cleared out.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22And the nearest place that can be done
0:04:22 > 0:04:24is 40 miles away, in Middlesbrough.
0:04:24 > 0:04:30- Have a good flight over here, did you, in this weather? - Beautiful. Crystal clear.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34Pilot Steve Cobb is used to taking some weather forecasts
0:04:34 > 0:04:36with a pinch of salt.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38There's no sign of more snow on the horizon.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41We came this morning. The temperatures were quite low,
0:04:41 > 0:04:43below -10, which can be a problem for us,
0:04:43 > 0:04:47because we have to have anti-icing in the fuel below that temperature.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51Fortunately, by mid-lunchtime it'd warmed up nicely.
0:04:51 > 0:04:55So now it's about just a mere -6, so...everything's fine.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58The sky's clear. We've had some early morning mist, but that's gone now.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00It's a beautiful day for flying.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02But as Helimed 99 takes off,
0:05:02 > 0:05:06none of the crew know that they're about to experience
0:05:06 > 0:05:09one of the most difficult flights of their careers.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13A mission that could threaten the survival of their patient.
0:05:25 > 0:05:27They say climbing's an addiction,
0:05:27 > 0:05:30and there are many people in Pennine communities
0:05:30 > 0:05:34who have moved hundreds of miles just to be close to a challenging rock face.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37Others think nothing of driving into another county
0:05:37 > 0:05:40just to tackle a difficult route.
0:05:43 > 0:05:47Helimed 98's base in Sheffield is on the outskirts
0:05:47 > 0:05:49of one of the UK's biggest industrial cities.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51But it's just a few minutes' flying time
0:05:51 > 0:05:53from the rock faces of the Pennines.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57Crags like this have a deadly attraction for climbers,
0:05:57 > 0:05:59and every year, dozens end up in hospital
0:05:59 > 0:06:02after falls in this unforgiving landscape.
0:06:02 > 0:06:06But today, one man needs medical help in an emergency
0:06:06 > 0:06:09that's a mystery, even to him.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12We believe we're going to a place just north of Hebden Bridge.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15Somebody who's been climbing and is now fitting.
0:06:15 > 0:06:19We've not been told if they've had a fall or a head injury.
0:06:19 > 0:06:23It just seems unusual. And he's not known to be epileptic.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26Because of his location, that's why the aircraft is involved.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29Matthew Troilett felt unwell whilst on a ledge.
0:06:29 > 0:06:33He quickly descended, and began talking incoherently.
0:06:33 > 0:06:38Minutes later, he suffered a fit and lapsed into unconsciousness.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41Matthew's mates called out mountain rescue,
0:06:41 > 0:06:46and Al Day, a Helimed paramedic, turned out to help.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49Now Helimed 98's on its way to the rock face near Hebden Bridge,
0:06:49 > 0:06:51where Matt's been given first aid.
0:06:52 > 0:06:56There are some small domestic cables. I'm not sure where they go.
0:06:56 > 0:07:01- Yeah, I'm pretty sure. - You can't see them yet, but they're under the overhang.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04- If you look at the rocks. - Oh, yeah. Good spot.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08Paramedics Sammy Wills and Ben Anderson know these hills well.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12But this case is about to stretch their skills to the limit.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17When I got here, he was not feeling very well at all, really.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19He'd not fallen or anything,
0:07:19 > 0:07:21but he did have a pain in the back of his neck.
0:07:21 > 0:07:22And he was vomiting.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26Their patient's 38, and very fit.
0:07:26 > 0:07:27His illness is a mystery.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30Definitely not banged his head, or...?
0:07:30 > 0:07:34- Or stumbled, or...? - He was climbing...- Yep.
0:07:34 > 0:07:35But throughout the whole day...
0:07:35 > 0:07:38He went to the ground like that, and went.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41- Do we have any oxygen down here? - Yeah.
0:07:41 > 0:07:45Can we just pop him on some anyway? If it IS some sort of neuro challenge.
0:07:45 > 0:07:46Matthew's in a bad way.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49He'd come out on one last climbing trip
0:07:49 > 0:07:51before the birth of his second child.
0:07:51 > 0:07:55He's not had a traumatic episode whatsoever. General unwell.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00Matthew, can you remember what's happened to you?
0:08:01 > 0:08:05- Yeah.- Yeah? OK. Can you describe to me how you felt?
0:08:05 > 0:08:08- Cos you were able to tell your friend that you felt unwell.- Yeah.
0:08:08 > 0:08:12- In what way?- The back of my neck. - The back of your neck.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15Sammy's baffled by the cause of Matthew's collapse.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18- Can I just confirm - have you banged your head today at all?- No.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20Have you had a heavy landing?
0:08:20 > 0:08:23His symptoms don't seem to fit anything obvious.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26No illnesses or passings-out during the week?
0:08:26 > 0:08:28Do you suffer from migraines at all?
0:08:28 > 0:08:30Matthew's case just gets more puzzling.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34And has anything like this ever happened to you before?
0:08:34 > 0:08:36Nothing whatsoever? OK.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39Whatever's wrong with him, he needs to be seen by hospital doctors.
0:08:39 > 0:08:44Now, you're laid on your side. If you want, just roll over and go onto your other side, would be great.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48Well, I'd like you just away from the edge. OK?
0:08:48 > 0:08:51I know, I know it's how you feel. But we'll just keep you safe.
0:08:51 > 0:08:52Watch it going down here.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55Getting Matt to the helicopter's not going to be easy.
0:08:55 > 0:08:59But with Al Day's mountain rescue team on hand, it shouldn't take long.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02Although it's only a steep, grassy slope,
0:09:02 > 0:09:05it's quite slippy today after all the rain we've had.
0:09:05 > 0:09:07So we're just putting a back-up rope on,
0:09:07 > 0:09:10just to be certain that there's no slips.
0:09:10 > 0:09:14Matt and his mates drove to this crag from their homes in Lancashire.
0:09:14 > 0:09:16He knows his wife is about to give birth.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18He's desperate to get home to Burnley.
0:09:18 > 0:09:22- Over you go. Keep going, mate. - Press your head down here, man. - That's it.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26Air ambulances must take patients to the nearest suitable hospital.
0:09:26 > 0:09:31I believe at this time we'll be taking the patient to Huddersfield Royal. Over.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34- Can I not go somewhere else? - What's wrong with Huddersfield?
0:09:34 > 0:09:36Sammy fears his condition may be very serious.
0:09:36 > 0:09:40His symptoms could be signs of a brain haemorrhage.
0:09:40 > 0:09:42Matt's worried about missing the impending birth.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45Sammy's more concerned about his survival.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55It doesn't matter how you've hurt yourself,
0:09:55 > 0:09:59the first law of medicine is that all patients are treated the same.
0:09:59 > 0:10:03But sometimes people are injured in ways that are all too avoidable.
0:10:06 > 0:10:10Quite often, the Helimed team have no idea what to expect
0:10:10 > 0:10:14when they're on their way to a job. And today is one of those days.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17We'll let you know as soon as if we need 99. Over.
0:10:17 > 0:10:22The team are heading to a car crash that's killed at least one person.
0:10:22 > 0:10:26Already, the crew are preparing to send a second helicopter.
0:10:26 > 0:10:30I'm not sure if there's more than one fatality,
0:10:30 > 0:10:33or more than one seriously injured. So...
0:10:33 > 0:10:37We're going to get on scene. We're only a few minutes away.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39And if necessary, we'll get them over.
0:10:40 > 0:10:44The crash has happened underneath a disused railway bridge.
0:10:44 > 0:10:48It's a very tight spot for pilot Tim Taylor to land the helicopter.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52- Clear left.- Crank your door open, Kate.- Will do, mate.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58If that's all right with you, please, yeah.
0:10:58 > 0:11:02- Katie, you're good at that. - I've cleared mine.
0:11:02 > 0:11:06I don't think there's anybody on scene yet, Kate, apart from the police.
0:11:09 > 0:11:14Terrible impact on the front side of the vehicle. Airbags and seat belts.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17Everything's gone off, OK.
0:11:17 > 0:11:23The car is barely recognisable after a high-speed and high-impact crash.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28I think he's hit the bus shelter up there and then...
0:11:28 > 0:11:31- It's bounced him off? - There's a tyre up there.
0:11:31 > 0:11:35I think this is where his head's impacted the screen there.
0:11:35 > 0:11:40It looks like this chap's taken out the stone bus shelter.
0:11:40 > 0:11:44The impact on his car's considerable.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47There is a bull's-eye in the windshield
0:11:47 > 0:11:50so he's obviously hit the windscreen with his head.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52No witnesses to this,
0:11:52 > 0:11:56just people arriving on scene pretty quickly.
0:11:56 > 0:12:01He doesn't seem to have lost consciousness, remembers it all. Half his car's missing.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05I came up to the bridge and there was just rubble
0:12:05 > 0:12:08all in the road and I saw a car down there
0:12:08 > 0:12:11so I just stopped and cos I'm a student nurse I decided
0:12:11 > 0:12:13that there was no paramedics
0:12:13 > 0:12:15and I didn't know if there was any medical help
0:12:15 > 0:12:18so I went to see if I could do anything.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20It's your worst nightmare, you come across it,
0:12:20 > 0:12:23when you see something like that, you think it could be fatal.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25There's nothing else you can do.
0:12:25 > 0:12:29But despite this high-powered Audi having left the road,
0:12:29 > 0:12:33demolished a bus shelter, hit the bridge and lost two wheels,
0:12:33 > 0:12:36amazingly, the driver doesn't appear to be badly injured.
0:12:36 > 0:12:41You can see where he's sat, there's blood up here where he cracked it.
0:12:41 > 0:12:42Not the gate post.
0:12:42 > 0:12:46It's a massive impact into a bus shelter,
0:12:46 > 0:12:49part of the car's up the road under the bridge.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51The rest of it has come to lie down here.
0:12:51 > 0:12:55Luckily not come into contact with any other vehicles.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58It's an Audi, it's a very well-made car and that's probably
0:12:58 > 0:13:00the only reason this guy's still with us.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03The police have started their investigation
0:13:03 > 0:13:07but the paramedics and doctors have also been picking up clues
0:13:07 > 0:13:08as to what may have happened.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11His car's done what it's meant to do.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14It's absorbed all the energy and his airbags have gone off.
0:13:14 > 0:13:18At the moment, his injuries don't appear too bad.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21The strength of this car has clearly saved the driver's life.
0:13:21 > 0:13:26But it also makes it much harder work for the fire service to cut through.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29It's quite amazing that his car's in such a mess
0:13:29 > 0:13:32and he's in one piece, so he's a lucky chap.
0:13:34 > 0:13:38It's now nearly an hour after the crash on this Sunday afternoon.
0:13:38 > 0:13:42The accident has caused thousands of pounds worth of damage.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45The driver needs urgent tests in hospital
0:13:45 > 0:13:48and it's a very short flight in Helimed 98.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51ETA? About four minutes.
0:13:51 > 0:13:55The driver's flown to the Northern General Hospital in Sheffield.
0:13:55 > 0:13:59Despite his car, a bus stop and a bridge being badly damaged,
0:13:59 > 0:14:02the vehicle safety features have done their job well.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04The driver wasn't badly injured.
0:14:11 > 0:14:13Now, let's catch up on the case of Joyce,
0:14:13 > 0:14:17the lady who had a heart attack in the middle of a Dales winter.
0:14:17 > 0:14:18She's on her way to hospital
0:14:18 > 0:14:21but the team are about to face a major setback.
0:14:24 > 0:14:28High in Wensleydale, Helimed 99 is racing north to Middlesbrough
0:14:28 > 0:14:30with a critically ill patient on board.
0:14:30 > 0:14:34Retired teacher Joyce Thompson is 90 and lucky to be alive
0:14:34 > 0:14:36after a massive heart attack.
0:14:36 > 0:14:40Despite the snow that's blocking local roads,
0:14:40 > 0:14:44the weather here is perfect. But that's about to change.
0:14:45 > 0:14:47Cloudy over there.
0:14:47 > 0:14:49Yeah, it's crazy, isn't it?
0:14:49 > 0:14:53On the horizon, there's the snow the weathermen predicted.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56It's late but much more extensive than forecast.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58It's blocking their route to hospital
0:14:58 > 0:15:02and the treatment Joyce desperately needs.
0:15:02 > 0:15:06We're just newly at James Cook now. We're just flying down in a bit of a snowstorm.
0:15:06 > 0:15:11Steve knows that if he's to reach Middlesbrough's James Cook Hospital,
0:15:11 > 0:15:15he's going to need a lot of luck and all of his skill.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19We just have a little bit of snow down here
0:15:19 > 0:15:21we're waiting for it to clear.
0:15:21 > 0:15:26'Helimed 99, approve before continuing.'
0:15:26 > 0:15:30They've no choice but to circle and wait for a gap in the blizzard.
0:15:32 > 0:15:37We're going to struggle here, boys, getting round this little bit.
0:15:37 > 0:15:41Closing in behind us somewhere.
0:15:41 > 0:15:45Let's go a bit further on, a bit brighter.
0:15:45 > 0:15:49- Are you OK, Joyce?- I'm tired. - You're tired, are you?
0:15:50 > 0:15:55We're just deciding...this snow is reducing visibility a bit.
0:15:55 > 0:16:00We can't get through it a minute so we're seeing if it's going to clear.
0:16:00 > 0:16:04Steve knows the heavy snow just half a mile ahead of him
0:16:04 > 0:16:09will not only rob him of sight of the ground, but could also ice up Helimed 99.
0:16:09 > 0:16:13We have to make a decision here on what to do.
0:16:13 > 0:16:18How are we fixed for putting it down somewhere where we can meet a land ambulance?
0:16:18 > 0:16:21What about the airport? It's only a mile in the right direction,
0:16:21 > 0:16:23away from the weather.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26Five miles, apologies.
0:16:27 > 0:16:31They know it's too late in the day to reach another hospital.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34A break in the weather is Joyce's only chance.
0:16:34 > 0:16:3799, the airfield is in sight.
0:16:40 > 0:16:44But it's no good. Helimed 99 must abandon its mission
0:16:44 > 0:16:47and divert to the safety of Teesside Airport.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50We're just the markers passing now.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56Is that the airport?
0:16:56 > 0:16:58'The end of there. Can you see the edge of it?
0:16:58 > 0:17:02- 'To your right-hand side. If you can park down there, please?'- Roger.
0:17:02 > 0:17:06They've made their decision just in time. The snow's now so bad,
0:17:06 > 0:17:09Steve has difficulty seeing the airport taxi way.
0:17:09 > 0:17:11I think I have still got it underneath me.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14- We'll go down here and have done with it.- Yeah.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22OK, we've just landed at Teesside Airport.
0:17:22 > 0:17:26There's snow showers stopping us getting to the hospital, OK?
0:17:26 > 0:17:29So we've arranged for an ambulance to come pick you up.
0:17:29 > 0:17:34Joyce's life could now depend on a ground transfer through the snow.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40It may take time she doesn't have.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46Coming up on Helicopter Heroes...
0:17:46 > 0:17:49It looks like we're not going out tonight.
0:17:49 > 0:17:51Joyce begins her road journey to treatment
0:17:51 > 0:17:55but it's going to be agonisingly slow.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05Remember Matthew? The climber taken ill in the Pennines.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07Let's return to his rescue.
0:18:10 > 0:18:14Matthew's symptoms are worrying. Sammy thinks he may have had a brain haemorrhage,
0:18:14 > 0:18:18a bleed in his skull, which could kill him.
0:18:18 > 0:18:20How long did the episode last for, with the mumbling
0:18:20 > 0:18:22and the unusual words?
0:18:22 > 0:18:25- A minute.- One minute? OK.
0:18:25 > 0:18:28They need to get him off to hospital quickly.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31Air ambulance paramedic Al Day has joined the rescue
0:18:31 > 0:18:33as part of the mountain rescue team.
0:18:33 > 0:18:37We've come up here just to give the guys a hand getting him out
0:18:37 > 0:18:41from a difficult spot under the crags on a very steep hillside.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44So we've used a back rope, just to make sure everything was nice
0:18:44 > 0:18:47and safe on the stretcher as we were bringing him out.
0:18:47 > 0:18:50But it was fairly nice straightforward job, really.
0:18:50 > 0:18:52The guys have done well.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55While the team worry about Matthew's health,
0:18:55 > 0:18:57he's worried about his wife.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00She's at home in Burnley, heavily pregnant.
0:19:00 > 0:19:05He was just doing a difficult boulder problem, exerting himself,
0:19:05 > 0:19:09and just came down off it and suddenly said, "I feel...
0:19:09 > 0:19:13"I don't feel too good." And that was it, collapsed.
0:19:13 > 0:19:15His wife's pregnant.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18Lifelong friend, so I just hope he's OK.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20I'm glad these guys are here.
0:19:20 > 0:19:24It's a strange one, but he's in the right hands. It's good.
0:19:24 > 0:19:26You all right? Good lad.
0:19:26 > 0:19:31All the symptoms, excruciating head and neck pain, vomiting,
0:19:31 > 0:19:35fitting and a short black out point to a brain haemorrhage.
0:19:35 > 0:19:39Pressure is building up inside his head all the time.
0:19:39 > 0:19:44Matthew will soon be off the hillside and into hospital.
0:19:44 > 0:19:48A scan is vital to see whether he has a life-threatening bleed inside his skull.
0:19:51 > 0:19:55Matthew was transferred to the Leeds General Infirmary
0:19:55 > 0:19:57where surgeons operated for four hours,
0:19:57 > 0:20:02inserting metal coils into the damaged blood vessels in his head.
0:20:02 > 0:20:06He survived but he knows he's been lucky.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09It was just...
0:20:09 > 0:20:12terrible.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15I thought I was going to die, to be honest. So...
0:20:17 > 0:20:20I feel very lucky,
0:20:20 > 0:20:22lucky to be here, to be honest.
0:20:22 > 0:20:26Matthew's heavily pregnant wife, Lisa, is back in Lancashire
0:20:26 > 0:20:31and he's still in Yorkshire, anxiously waiting for news.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34She's been in labour for 70 hours, I think.
0:20:34 > 0:20:38Yeah, I just want to be there. Just to give her a lift, do what I can.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41- That's it.- You just scared us all.
0:20:42 > 0:20:47Two weeks later, and there's a new kid on the block.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50This is Jake Henry, who's having a little smile and dream.
0:20:50 > 0:20:56He was 8 lbs 3 and he's absolutely gorgeous and a very good baby.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58Lisa was still in labour
0:20:58 > 0:21:00as Matthew was being driven over to be with her.
0:21:00 > 0:21:02He almost made it in time.
0:21:02 > 0:21:06Ended up being rushed in for a Caesarean in the end.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12Just desperately wanting to see Matt, really.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15But as soon as I got out, I phoned him
0:21:15 > 0:21:20and told him we had a little boy cos we didn't know what we were expecting.
0:21:20 > 0:21:24I think we were about an hour away when I got a phone call from Lisa,
0:21:24 > 0:21:29just saying that we'd had a little boy and...
0:21:30 > 0:21:32..we both burst into tears.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35So yeah, it was fantastic.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37I thought he was going to die.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40So to all be home,
0:21:40 > 0:21:43and be reasonably well just two weeks later
0:21:43 > 0:21:45is incredible, really.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50We're just so grateful for everybody that helped.
0:22:02 > 0:22:06Doing it yourself is one of the UK's most popular hobbies.
0:22:06 > 0:22:10Problem is, it's also one of the most dangerous pastimes.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13And every year, thousands of handymen and women
0:22:13 > 0:22:15land themselves in hospital.
0:22:20 > 0:22:25Every day, the Helimed team defy the DIY enthusiasts' worst enemy...
0:22:25 > 0:22:26gravity.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28It's responsible for a lot of accidents,
0:22:28 > 0:22:31especially those involving ladders.
0:22:31 > 0:22:33Helimed 99 is on its way across the Pennines
0:22:33 > 0:22:36to an accident in Lancashire.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38If he's fallen from a height and landed on his chest,
0:22:38 > 0:22:41he's likely to have sustained other injuries too.
0:22:41 > 0:22:46But anything that includes any sort of loss of functionality
0:22:46 > 0:22:50to his chest wall, broken ribs, fractured sternum, collapsed lungs,
0:22:50 > 0:22:54all those things will impede his breathing and can be potentially life-threatening.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57Flying Doctor Andy Poutney and the team are on their way
0:22:57 > 0:23:00to a man who's fallen from the roof of a terraced house
0:23:00 > 0:23:03in the village of Hurstwood near Burnley.
0:23:04 > 0:23:08In the foothills of the Pennines, landing sites are in short supply
0:23:08 > 0:23:12and Dr Andy and paramedic Darren have quite a journey to their patient.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14Hello. How are we doing?
0:23:15 > 0:23:19Steve Baldwin was trying to fix a leaky roof
0:23:19 > 0:23:21when the ladder slipped and he fell 30 feet.
0:23:21 > 0:23:25He initially fell on to his chest. Just had a quick listen,
0:23:25 > 0:23:28he's diminished sounds on his right side.
0:23:28 > 0:23:33He's pain all across his chest here from where he's fallen on to it.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36He's badly injured his leg and the local ambulance crew
0:23:36 > 0:23:39fear he may have a collapsed lung.
0:23:39 > 0:23:43Hiya. You've got pain in your leg and your chest, is that right?
0:23:43 > 0:23:46- Yeah.- Does your breathing feel worse than normal?
0:23:46 > 0:23:49Just keep your head still for me. It just feels tight?
0:23:49 > 0:23:53He landed on an edge here, on one of these edges.
0:23:53 > 0:23:55Down on that side.
0:23:55 > 0:24:00At the back? OK. When you did that, did you hear owt crack?
0:24:00 > 0:24:03- I didn't hear nowt. - You didn't hear owt? OK.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06Neighbours heard Steve's cry as he fell.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10He just slipped to this way and he went down there,
0:24:10 > 0:24:13and hit his chest...
0:24:13 > 0:24:15on that corner there.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18- Any pain where I'm touching, Steve? - No, no.- None at all?
0:24:19 > 0:24:22- No pain here in the top, no?- No.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27Steve's wife warned him not to climb up.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31Especially not in his first week of retirement.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34He retired on Friday, and he was helping my daughter
0:24:34 > 0:24:36because my daughter's roof was leaking.
0:24:36 > 0:24:40OK, mate, you just take nice, easy breaths, mate. Not big deep ones.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45So he went up to try and fix the roof.
0:24:48 > 0:24:52And I begged him not to go, but it didn't make any difference.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56Doctor Andy wants to see exactly where the fall occurred.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58Even small details can give a clue
0:24:58 > 0:25:01as to the kind of injuries he may have suffered.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03- He realised he was falling...- Yeah.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06- ..and tried to jump off the ladder.- Right.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09- And he landed on that small wall. - That high one there, yeah?
0:25:09 > 0:25:11We've got significant concerns.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14He's fallen a long way, he's got a lot of pain in his chest.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17He's shifting a lot of air in and out of his chest, which is good,
0:25:17 > 0:25:20it means the lungs haven't totally collapsed down.
0:25:20 > 0:25:22He's also tender at the top bit of his abdomen,
0:25:22 > 0:25:24particularly where the spleen is.
0:25:24 > 0:25:28That can bleed and it stays within the capsule of the spleen,
0:25:28 > 0:25:31and it suddenly just... They can decompensate very quickly
0:25:31 > 0:25:34so we have to keep a close eye on that.
0:25:35 > 0:25:36The team are playing it safe.
0:25:36 > 0:25:38Steve's spine has been immobilised
0:25:38 > 0:25:42and they're carefully monitoring his breathing and blood pressure.
0:25:42 > 0:25:44A sudden drop could indicate internal bleeding.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51Steve's going to be flown to hospital for scans and X-rays.
0:25:51 > 0:25:55Any fall over six feet can be fatal, and he plunged five times that.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01Dr Andy fears his patient's condition may be deteriorating.
0:26:01 > 0:26:03It sounds like there's less air
0:26:03 > 0:26:05moving into the right side of his chest than the left,
0:26:05 > 0:26:08and that could indicate a collapse of the lung
0:26:08 > 0:26:09or some blood in there.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11But given it was down towards the bottom,
0:26:11 > 0:26:15I'm concerned as to whether blood's collecting in the lungs.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18These skies are unfamiliar to the Helimed team
0:26:18 > 0:26:20who usually safeguard the other side of the Pennines.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23But the trauma unit at Blackburn Hospital also covers
0:26:23 > 0:26:27part of West Yorkshire, so pilot Steve knows the lie of the land.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31- All right, Steve?- Yeah.- Lovely.
0:26:31 > 0:26:35It looks like Steve's been lucky and tests in A&E confirm that.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38Apart from a nasty gash in his leg,
0:26:38 > 0:26:40most of his injuries are superficial.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43He'll soon be home to resume his well-earned retirement.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48There's a power tool for everything these days,
0:26:48 > 0:26:51ready to tackle any DIY job at the touch of a button.
0:26:51 > 0:26:55The trouble is, unless you let go, it will keep on working,
0:26:55 > 0:26:58with sometimes painful results.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03- Facial injuries inflicted by machinery, mate.- Oh, right.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06Details of the accident are sketchy,
0:27:06 > 0:27:09but it happened near Kendal in the Lake District.
0:27:09 > 0:27:13This grid they've given us is basically on top of the hill.
0:27:13 > 0:27:17Pilot Tim Taylor keeps the chopper at low level
0:27:17 > 0:27:19to try and offset a strong headwind.
0:27:19 > 0:27:23- Six minutes, Steve.- OK, John. That were like Alton Towers, that one!
0:27:24 > 0:27:27Tom Green is a builder with 30 years' experience.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29But when it comes to power tools,
0:27:29 > 0:27:32even the most experienced operator can make a mistake.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35- All right? - Oh yeah.- How are we doing, boss?
0:27:36 > 0:27:39He went to work this morning, he's a builder,
0:27:39 > 0:27:43and he was using a metal whizzer that apparently locked,
0:27:43 > 0:27:46and kicked back into his face
0:27:46 > 0:27:52and cut all his mouth around the front of his facial area.
0:27:53 > 0:27:57Tom is stable, and the wound's been covered by a large bandage,
0:27:57 > 0:28:00but his wife Gill is understandably worried.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03'We only live up the road. He was working on a neighbour's house.'
0:28:03 > 0:28:07This is the first time that anything like this has happened,
0:28:07 > 0:28:09so, yeah, it's a bit of a shock, really.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12We're going to get him out and settled on the aircraft.
0:28:15 > 0:28:17He has a full thickness laceration to the top lip,
0:28:17 > 0:28:19and may have damaged some teeth behind.
0:28:19 > 0:28:21So we're just looking to try and get him
0:28:21 > 0:28:25straight to the plastics or the Max-facs unit.
0:28:25 > 0:28:29Obviously, he's somewhat unhappy with it all, and so would I be.
0:28:29 > 0:28:34We've checked with Lancaster, which is relatively near to us
0:28:34 > 0:28:38as the crow flies, as such, and they have Max-facs services there,
0:28:38 > 0:28:42maxillofacial, so they'll be able to get him seen rapidly
0:28:42 > 0:28:44'by a surgeon and get him fixed up.'
0:28:44 > 0:28:46Just relax back, mate, if you can.
0:28:46 > 0:28:48There's a little headrest behind you.
0:28:50 > 0:28:52Still pain score nil?
0:28:53 > 0:28:58The flight to Lancaster Hospital will take just over 10 minutes.
0:28:58 > 0:29:02Out of here through the gap, anyway. We can track down that.
0:29:02 > 0:29:05For the Helimed team, it's another patient transported
0:29:05 > 0:29:07to expert care in the fastest possible time.
0:29:07 > 0:29:11But for Tom, it's just the start of a long road to recovery.
0:29:14 > 0:29:17Builder Tom didn't waste any time getting back to work.
0:29:17 > 0:29:20But plastic surgery takes months, even years to heal.
0:29:20 > 0:29:22Not days and weeks.
0:29:24 > 0:29:27When the grinder went in my face, it went in the corner of my face,
0:29:27 > 0:29:32from my nose, right in the corner and ran straight down.
0:29:33 > 0:29:39Through both lips, and just to the edge of my chin.
0:29:41 > 0:29:43And it was just completely wide open.
0:29:44 > 0:29:48I've used a grinder 1,000 times and then...
0:29:48 > 0:29:53I just thought, "Will they be able to put my face back together?"
0:29:53 > 0:29:56Tom was in theatre for over an hour
0:29:56 > 0:29:59while a team of surgeons battled to stitch his face back together.
0:29:59 > 0:30:01The result was what he wanted,
0:30:01 > 0:30:05but his love of food had to be put on hold.
0:30:05 > 0:30:07I'd just have, like, mashed potato
0:30:07 > 0:30:12and put it in the back of my mouth on one side with my finger.
0:30:13 > 0:30:16For about a week or two.
0:30:16 > 0:30:20And then I just started to pick up and get stronger,
0:30:20 > 0:30:23and was able to have soup and things like that.
0:30:23 > 0:30:26Even though Tom's physical scars have faded,
0:30:26 > 0:30:30the memories of the accident remain imprinted in his brain.
0:30:30 > 0:30:33When I picked the grinder up,
0:30:33 > 0:30:35probably two weeks after I had the injury,
0:30:35 > 0:30:40I started to wear a big face mask.
0:30:40 > 0:30:41A visor.
0:30:41 > 0:30:43And just kept it well away from me,
0:30:43 > 0:30:46and I never, ever use it at face height.
0:30:51 > 0:30:54People who like water will tell you the best day of your life
0:30:54 > 0:30:57is the day you take delivery of your first boat.
0:30:57 > 0:31:00The second best day is the day you get rid of it,
0:31:00 > 0:31:03because owning a boat entails so much hard work
0:31:03 > 0:31:06keeping it shipshape, you barely have time to sail it.
0:31:07 > 0:31:10Boating's not all about sipping gin and tonic.
0:31:10 > 0:31:13Running aground on a mud bank is a constant risk.
0:31:13 > 0:31:17And when happens, it's tempting to get on with a bit of marine DIY,
0:31:17 > 0:31:21otherwise known as bottom scraping.
0:31:22 > 0:31:24But today that's gone badly wrong.
0:31:24 > 0:31:28This boat owner is trapped underneath its hull.
0:31:28 > 0:31:29And it's airborne.
0:31:30 > 0:31:33It's a boat-related incident, so it's on that river, is it?
0:31:33 > 0:31:36- That's where I've marked it, near there.- OK.
0:31:36 > 0:31:39Yeah, we've just been called to the south of Gainsborough
0:31:39 > 0:31:42where a female's been involved in a boating accident
0:31:42 > 0:31:44and gone underneath the boat,
0:31:44 > 0:31:48and now has got some neck, head and back injuries.
0:31:49 > 0:31:52The accident has happened on the River Trent,
0:31:52 > 0:31:55very close to one of the Trent Valley power stations.
0:31:55 > 0:31:58And that means problems for pilot Andy Lister.
0:31:59 > 0:32:02Right, I have got some wires around, haven't I?
0:32:02 > 0:32:04So we'll have to keep an eye on them.
0:32:04 > 0:32:07I've got the ones crossing the river down to the right.
0:32:07 > 0:32:10Andy wants to get the helicopter down as close as possible,
0:32:10 > 0:32:13but he's surrounded by high-voltage pylons.
0:32:14 > 0:32:16I've got a boat tied up on the side.
0:32:16 > 0:32:19You have the wires right where we probably want to land.
0:32:19 > 0:32:21I've got the big ones.
0:32:21 > 0:32:24Big ones, set down there, set down there, and big ones there.
0:32:24 > 0:32:28Do you want me to it put down in this field, and you hop over the fence?
0:32:30 > 0:32:32More wires to negotiate first.
0:32:33 > 0:32:36A specialist fire brigade river rescue team have already arrived
0:32:36 > 0:32:40and are in the water trying to free the boat's owner.
0:32:40 > 0:32:43We've sent members of our urban search and rescue team
0:32:43 > 0:32:46with specialist equipment across to the boat.
0:32:46 > 0:32:50The hidden dangers of this section of the River Trent
0:32:50 > 0:32:53are well known to locals.
0:32:53 > 0:32:55This is called the Martin Rack, and even though
0:32:55 > 0:32:58when it's covered with water it is only about two-feet deep,
0:32:58 > 0:33:00So, of course, both boats bottomed out.
0:33:02 > 0:33:04As the Helimed paramedics arrive,
0:33:04 > 0:33:06the river rescue team manage to pull
0:33:06 > 0:33:08their patient out from under his cruiser.
0:33:08 > 0:33:13He has crush injuries, a serious head wound, and is in great pain.
0:33:13 > 0:33:17I noticed this guy in question was using the opportunity,
0:33:17 > 0:33:20while the boat was out of water, to clean it.
0:33:20 > 0:33:22It's literally sitting on its keel.
0:33:22 > 0:33:25Then I just saw the boat flop over on its side.
0:33:25 > 0:33:27MAN CRIES OUT IN PAIN
0:33:27 > 0:33:32Paramedic Ben Anderson begins treating 51-year-old Steve Courtney.
0:33:32 > 0:33:33Do you want it now?
0:33:33 > 0:33:37He needs a special splint for his crushed pelvis.
0:33:37 > 0:33:40Can you get me the pelvic splint out of the cupboard
0:33:40 > 0:33:42and I'll meet you at the fence.
0:33:42 > 0:33:44And morphine to kill the pain.
0:33:44 > 0:33:48- We're giving him another five and then we'll have to ring.- Yeah.
0:33:48 > 0:33:52Ben has given his patient the maximum amount
0:33:52 > 0:33:55of morphine a paramedic can give.
0:33:55 > 0:33:56But it still hasn't killed the pain.
0:33:56 > 0:33:59But they have to get him off the river tow path
0:33:59 > 0:34:01and on his way to hospital.
0:34:01 > 0:34:03The fire brigade have thought ahead
0:34:03 > 0:34:06and make the journey as easy as possible.
0:34:06 > 0:34:08He'd been trapped for quite a while
0:34:08 > 0:34:09underneath the boat.
0:34:09 > 0:34:11The fire service has been able to release him.
0:34:11 > 0:34:14We've given him the maximum amount of morphine we can.
0:34:14 > 0:34:16We're getting permission for more.
0:34:16 > 0:34:19'You've been authorised to give
0:34:19 > 0:34:22'another ten milligram's of morphine if need be,
0:34:22 > 0:34:26'authorised by Dr Reedy at Lincoln County. Over.'
0:34:26 > 0:34:30We're allowed to give 20 milligram's of morphine autonomously.
0:34:30 > 0:34:31Above and beyond that,
0:34:31 > 0:34:33it's down to the discretion of the receiving hospital.
0:34:33 > 0:34:36We can ask their permission. If they're happy with it,
0:34:36 > 0:34:41they give us permission to give an extra dose of morphine.
0:34:41 > 0:34:44He's had 30 milligrams and it's quieted him down now.
0:34:44 > 0:34:46One of the things we have to watch out for
0:34:46 > 0:34:48when giving that amount of morphine
0:34:48 > 0:34:50is that his resps don't drop too much.
0:34:51 > 0:34:54After an initial assessment in Lincoln,
0:34:54 > 0:34:56Steve's injuries proved so serious,
0:34:56 > 0:34:59he was transferred to a bone specialist in Nottingham.
0:34:59 > 0:35:02- How are you?- Fine. You? - Very well.- Good to see you.
0:35:02 > 0:35:07Two months later, trauma surgeon Darren Ford has a progress report.
0:35:07 > 0:35:10If one looks at the model here,
0:35:10 > 0:35:14this part of your pelvis has been pulled apart
0:35:14 > 0:35:18and has broken through the centre part here on the side.
0:35:18 > 0:35:21Steve's pelvis is held together with bolts and plates.
0:35:21 > 0:35:24They've done their job well.
0:35:24 > 0:35:29The pelvic region itself is absolutely A1, so that's good news.
0:35:29 > 0:35:32Been to see the physiotherapist for the first time,
0:35:32 > 0:35:36they've given me some tortuous exercises to do.
0:35:39 > 0:35:41But everything's looking really good
0:35:41 > 0:35:45and if I can get rid of the pain coming through my foot
0:35:45 > 0:35:48I'll be playing on the right wing next week.
0:35:48 > 0:35:50So Steve is on the long walk to recovery,
0:35:50 > 0:35:54but after all he's been through, you may not be surprised to hear
0:35:54 > 0:35:56he's decided to sell his river cruiser.
0:36:00 > 0:36:04Gardening is the UK's most popular form of DIY,
0:36:04 > 0:36:08and mowing the lawn is the chore most likely to land you in hospital.
0:36:12 > 0:36:14Today, Helimed 99 has been scrambled
0:36:14 > 0:36:18to the victim of a gardening incident in North Yorkshire.
0:36:18 > 0:36:21There's an ambulance by the house.
0:36:22 > 0:36:2779 year old Joan Sidney is being cared for by a local ambulance crew.
0:36:27 > 0:36:30Several of her fingers have been severed.
0:36:33 > 0:36:37- How we doing?- You all right? - Very good.- How's you?
0:36:37 > 0:36:41- Not too bad. How are you lot? - This is Joan.- Hiya, Joan.
0:36:41 > 0:36:45- Explain what's happened.- Hi. - Hi, Joan, sweetheart.
0:36:45 > 0:36:48- Joan's been doing her lawnmower. - I've seen it in the garden.
0:36:48 > 0:36:51She's got her hand in. She's cut into the hand.
0:36:51 > 0:36:53I was going to cut mine tomorrow, but I'll give it a miss.
0:36:53 > 0:36:58The paramedics are hoping surgeons can re-attach Joan's lost fingers.
0:36:58 > 0:36:59They're now on ice.
0:36:59 > 0:37:02The longer the fingers are detached,
0:37:02 > 0:37:05the less chance they can be successfully re-implanted.
0:37:05 > 0:37:09It looks like the lawnmower's cut through part of that wrist
0:37:09 > 0:37:12so we need to go to James Cook up at Middlesbrough.
0:37:12 > 0:37:15They've got clever doctors who'll probably be able to put it back on.
0:37:15 > 0:37:20But there's problem. Helimed 99 is behind the locked gates
0:37:20 > 0:37:23of a school sports field. They desperately need them opened.
0:37:23 > 0:37:26We might have to do the lock on the door.
0:37:27 > 0:37:30But the police have the answer.
0:37:36 > 0:37:38The gate's up, sweetheart.
0:37:40 > 0:37:42At last, Joan is on her way to hospital.
0:37:43 > 0:37:48The lady had put her hand into a lawnmower and it severed the hand
0:37:48 > 0:37:52so I was just trying to stop the bleeding and get her comfortable
0:37:52 > 0:37:55in the trolley and try to get her sorted out for you guys.
0:37:58 > 0:38:00Got the big trees to your left.
0:38:03 > 0:38:05Plastic surgeons at the James Cook Hospital
0:38:05 > 0:38:07in Middlesbrough are on standby.
0:38:07 > 0:38:11Within minutes of her arrival, she's in the care of a surgeon.
0:38:11 > 0:38:16Sadly, her fingers were too badly damaged to re-attach.
0:38:16 > 0:38:19The good news is, Joan's thumb was saved.
0:38:19 > 0:38:23I decided I'd spend the day gardening.
0:38:23 > 0:38:25I'd almost completed the mowing.
0:38:25 > 0:38:28I released the bit of grass
0:38:28 > 0:38:31and the whole thing came round, quickly.
0:38:31 > 0:38:33Very quickly.
0:38:33 > 0:38:35And consequently...
0:38:36 > 0:38:38But thank God for the air ambulance.
0:38:38 > 0:38:40Thank God for that.
0:38:43 > 0:38:45The dangers of doing it yourself.
0:38:45 > 0:38:48Let's get back to the story of Joyce,
0:38:48 > 0:38:52the elderly lady whose heart attack came at the worst possible time,
0:38:52 > 0:38:54in the snowbound Yorkshire Dales.
0:38:56 > 0:39:00At Teesside Airport, Helimed 99's been forced down by a blizzard
0:39:00 > 0:39:03that blocked its flight to hospital in Middlesbrough.
0:39:03 > 0:39:07Get out the barbecue. Looks like we're not going out tonight.
0:39:07 > 0:39:1090 year old Joyce Thompson has suffered a heart attack
0:39:10 > 0:39:13and desperately needs surgery to relieve a blocked artery.
0:39:16 > 0:39:19- But she's staying cheerful. - Have you had your dinner?
0:39:19 > 0:39:23- Not yet! I was just going to have it when this call came in.- Oh, dear.
0:39:23 > 0:39:25You've got to have a certain degree
0:39:25 > 0:39:28of visibility to move, but as you can see
0:39:28 > 0:39:31there's nowhere to go at the moment.
0:39:35 > 0:39:39- Have you got something for your head? - I have. I've got a hat.
0:39:40 > 0:39:41- A beanie.- Yeah!
0:39:44 > 0:39:47Now Joyce must endure a road journey to James Cook hospital
0:39:47 > 0:39:51through an early rush hour created by the sudden blizzard.
0:39:51 > 0:39:54Time is not on her side.
0:39:54 > 0:39:57At least a land ambulance has arrived quickly.
0:39:59 > 0:40:02- Hiya, mate. Thanks for coming. - No problem.- Thank you.
0:40:02 > 0:40:09This is Joyce, 90, no pain, no anaesthesia, she's not wanted any.
0:40:10 > 0:40:13Although Joyce is remarkably stable, her rescuers know
0:40:13 > 0:40:16her condition could deteriorate at any time.
0:40:16 > 0:40:18Dear me, how disgraceful!
0:40:19 > 0:40:21It's a good job it's misty.
0:40:22 > 0:40:26It's a good job you're all gentlemen.
0:40:26 > 0:40:28Swing your legs round.
0:40:29 > 0:40:33Joyce is on her way to treatment at last.
0:40:33 > 0:40:36James, Tony and Steve must seek shelter with the neighbours.
0:40:36 > 0:40:40The Great North Air Ambulance has also been grounded,
0:40:40 > 0:40:41which means the kettle's on.
0:40:41 > 0:40:43I've been invited
0:40:43 > 0:40:45into the Great North Air Ambulance operations room,
0:40:45 > 0:40:48hoping the weather's going to clear.
0:40:48 > 0:40:52We're just waiting, looking at the weather
0:40:52 > 0:40:56and deciding what plan B is to get us home.
0:40:56 > 0:40:58We don't know whether we'll be able to fly back,
0:40:58 > 0:41:01or maybe a taxi, or maybe we'll be stuck up here.
0:41:01 > 0:41:04The Helimed team pride themselves on getting through.
0:41:04 > 0:41:09They may be smiling, but their thoughts are with their patient.
0:41:09 > 0:41:12It's the next day by the time the weather's cleared sufficiently
0:41:12 > 0:41:15for Helimed 99 to return to base.
0:41:17 > 0:41:20Meanwhile, at James Cook Hospital,
0:41:20 > 0:41:23Joyce is recovering after angioplasty,
0:41:23 > 0:41:26a procedure to open out a blocked blood vessel in her heart.
0:41:26 > 0:41:29And a few days later, she's back home in Wensleydale.
0:41:31 > 0:41:35I was at a friend's meeting house. I'm a Quaker.
0:41:35 > 0:41:40I was just sitting quietly, thinking about the poor souls
0:41:40 > 0:41:43who'd fallen on the ice and hurt themselves.
0:41:43 > 0:41:48One minute I'm thinking about people who've broken their femurs
0:41:48 > 0:41:52and the next I'm poorly myself!
0:41:52 > 0:41:56Joyce was a wartime WAF and she loves flying.
0:41:56 > 0:41:59She won't be forgetting her flight in a hurry.
0:41:59 > 0:42:03Looking out the window, it was like a greyish haze
0:42:03 > 0:42:06with a few black marks here and there
0:42:06 > 0:42:11where the fences and walls were for the fields.
0:42:13 > 0:42:17I couldn't resist looking out until Tony pressed me down.
0:42:17 > 0:42:20You'll let me know if you get any pain or anything, won't you?
0:42:20 > 0:42:26'It was his kindly smile, an encouraging smile.
0:42:26 > 0:42:31'I couldn't hear anything with these great what-nots on my ears.'
0:42:31 > 0:42:39I felt confident. Actually, the whole way through, I felt puzzled.
0:42:39 > 0:42:40It was a bit bewildering.
0:42:40 > 0:42:45But I never had any doubt about where I was going.
0:42:45 > 0:42:49It was only afterwards, when people stopped milling about,
0:42:49 > 0:42:52I thought, "Ooh, I wonder..."
0:42:52 > 0:42:56Despite the drawbacks of living in one of the UK's most remote valleys,
0:42:56 > 0:43:00Joyce has no plans to move out of Wensleydale.
0:43:01 > 0:43:04I'm delighted to tell you Joyce has now fully recovered
0:43:04 > 0:43:07and is looking forward to another Dales' winter.
0:43:21 > 0:43:24Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:43:24 > 0:43:26E-mail subtitling@bbc.c.uk