0:00:03 > 0:00:07If you are critically ill or seriously injured, seconds count.
0:00:07 > 0:00:11In Britain's biggest county you can be a long way from help.
0:00:11 > 0:00:13- Where's the patient? - Stuck under the car.
0:00:13 > 0:00:17The Yorkshire Air Ambulance flies at 150 mph,
0:00:17 > 0:00:21and thanks to its speed hundreds of patients are alive today,
0:00:21 > 0:00:24saved by a highly skilled team of doctors and paramedics.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27- Stand clear, everybody. - Keep going, mate.
0:00:27 > 0:00:31It covers some of the UK's most rugged landscapes,
0:00:31 > 0:00:34turning roadsides into operating theatres.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37We're going to pop him off to sleep with an emergency anaesthetic. OK?
0:00:37 > 0:00:40And town centres into helipads.
0:00:40 > 0:00:42Just behind you, Tim.
0:00:42 > 0:00:47Every day the Helimed team's skill, speed and courage is saving lives.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58Today on Helicopter Heroes...
0:00:58 > 0:01:02Two trucks collide on the High Street, and one driver is trapped.
0:01:02 > 0:01:04There's not a lot of room inside, as you can see.
0:01:04 > 0:01:06You're going to have to get through that door
0:01:06 > 0:01:07and lower yourself down onto it.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10Winter comes to the Yorkshire Wolds,
0:01:10 > 0:01:12and paramedic James is worried about a teenage sledger.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14She's complaining about back pain,
0:01:14 > 0:01:16so we'll just err on the side of caution.
0:01:16 > 0:01:18Sammy's patient's been shot.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20- Nothing's actually gone into his head?- We're not sure.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23Can the team save his sight?
0:01:23 > 0:01:25And high in the Dales
0:01:25 > 0:01:28an amateur medic responds to a remote emergency.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30She didn't seem to know who she was.
0:01:36 > 0:01:40Many of the roads in the Pennines were built for pack-horses,
0:01:40 > 0:01:43500 years ago, not for modern traffic.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47Steep hills and sharp bends make driving challenging,
0:01:47 > 0:01:49especially for truckers.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54The village of Haworth is world famous thanks to
0:01:54 > 0:01:57the Bronte Sisters, who were inspired by the Wuthering Heights
0:01:57 > 0:02:00overlooking the parsonage where they lived with their father.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03But for paramedic Paul Kilner,
0:02:03 > 0:02:07the country lanes of West Yorkshire present some very modern hazards.
0:02:07 > 0:02:11Haworth's a very touristy destination.
0:02:11 > 0:02:13It's known as the Bronte Country.
0:02:13 > 0:02:17Yorkshire has many hilly areas. When these roads were first built,
0:02:17 > 0:02:21they weren't designed for a lot of traffic.
0:02:21 > 0:02:23One in four gradients are not uncommon.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28Today the landscape's not a problem for Paul he's flying with
0:02:28 > 0:02:30the Helimed team.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33But the hills of Bronte Country have caught out another driver.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38In the heart of the village of Denholme notorious for its heavy
0:02:38 > 0:02:43traffic - two trucks have collided head-on and a driver is trapped.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46He's still in there. He's conscious and breathing.
0:02:46 > 0:02:48Yeah, he's conscious and breathing.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51- What we plan on doing is pulling the windscreen out.- OK, mate.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55Amazingly, the driver of the other lorry has walked away
0:02:55 > 0:02:57from the accident.
0:02:57 > 0:02:58I'm local.
0:02:58 > 0:03:00I come round here all the time so I were...I saw him coming,
0:03:00 > 0:03:02so I'd slowed down.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05When we got to the bend here he...he's went over.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09I hit the brakes. I was still where I am now.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13He slid into me where he is now.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18And the residents of Mount Pleasant are lucky to be alive.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21This car, parked up at the local dealership, stopped the lorry
0:03:21 > 0:03:22demolishing the corner house.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26I'm just glad that I were going...
0:03:26 > 0:03:29steady. If I'd have been further round the bend,
0:03:29 > 0:03:31he'd have hit my front side, and it would have been a lot worse.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34Firefighters are struggling to get at the lorry driver who is
0:03:34 > 0:03:38trapped in his upturned cab. He's badly injured.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41It's just a bit difficult to get access to him without
0:03:41 > 0:03:42sort of jumping on to top.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44There's not a lot of room inside.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46You're going to have to get through that door
0:03:46 > 0:03:47and lower yourself down onto it.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51Two members of the public have clambered in to help him.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54There's an ambulance technician is there with him
0:03:54 > 0:03:56who says he's quite comfortable and stable.
0:03:56 > 0:04:00He's sustained some injuries to his arm and possibly his pelvis.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04At this moment in time we're just waiting
0:04:04 > 0:04:07get this windscreen out, then we can take him out from there.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10The fire brigade can't just cut out the windscreen.
0:04:10 > 0:04:14It's under massive pressure, which if released could injure
0:04:14 > 0:04:18the lorry driver and his rescuers. They must take it out in one piece.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24At last they can see their patient.
0:04:24 > 0:04:2654-year-old Martin Hocking was on a routine delivery
0:04:26 > 0:04:31run when his truck overturned. Now he's trapped.
0:04:31 > 0:04:35And moving him is going to be a difficult, dangerous process.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48The Yorkshire Wolds is one of the UK's newest tourist
0:04:48 > 0:04:52attractions. It was put on the map by artist David Hockney,
0:04:52 > 0:04:56who lives there. His landscapes attract thousands of visitors to its
0:04:56 > 0:04:59rolling hills. But in winter the Wolds have a different
0:04:59 > 0:05:01appeal for the locals.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08It's January, and on the hills above the market town of Driffield,
0:05:08 > 0:05:12the snowploughs are out trying to keep the roads of the Wolds open.
0:05:14 > 0:05:15A sledging incident.
0:05:15 > 0:05:17Not many details on it,
0:05:17 > 0:05:19other than it's about five miles south-east of Walton.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22On the map it looks like a very rural area.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25This patient is immobile through their injury.
0:05:25 > 0:05:27They're going to get cold very quickly.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31But Glen can certainly relate to those out enjoying the snow.
0:05:31 > 0:05:35He's no stranger to sledging accidents himself.
0:05:35 > 0:05:38That's going back a couple of years, I've broke my scaphoid,
0:05:38 > 0:05:40which is a small bone in your wrist.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43It's still actually broken cos it never healed up.
0:05:43 > 0:05:47As we all get a bit older, you don't realise how fragile you are.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49So often when I get sledging accidents,
0:05:49 > 0:05:53it's usually an adult that's trying to act like a child.
0:05:53 > 0:05:55As I was.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58But this time their patient is a teenage girl.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02Her dad actually filmed the moment his daughter
0:06:02 > 0:06:04crashed on his mobile phone.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12The impact might not look much,
0:06:12 > 0:06:17but 16-year-old Brydie Brigham hasn't been able to move
0:06:17 > 0:06:21since her high-speed race down this hill ended in agony.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23- Is this the position you ended up in? - Yeah.
0:06:23 > 0:06:28- OK. Have you got any pain anywhere? - In my back.- All right.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31We were just sledging, having a lovely time.
0:06:31 > 0:06:35We were coming down three together down the slope and Brydie
0:06:35 > 0:06:39was in front and she just hit this pile of snow - we'd done it before
0:06:39 > 0:06:41and nobody got hurt.
0:06:41 > 0:06:43She just hit it wrong and she's damaged her back and cheek.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46She just can't move her back.
0:06:46 > 0:06:48- Feel me doing that?- Yeah.- OK.
0:06:48 > 0:06:52Glen needs to know exactly where Brydie's pain is.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56- Did you hear anything or feel anything go pop?- No.
0:06:59 > 0:07:04Sledging is surprisingly dangerous and the Helimed team has been
0:07:04 > 0:07:06called to at least one fatal accident in the snow.
0:07:07 > 0:07:11Brydie was using a plastic sack instead of a sledge leaving
0:07:11 > 0:07:15her back vulnerable to concealed objects beneath the white stuff.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18Glen fears a serious injury.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21- Tell me if there's any pain.- Argh. - There? OK.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26Drawing on a patient may look bizarre, but this will help the
0:07:26 > 0:07:30surgeons find the exact injury when Brydie eventually gets to hospital.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32What are we like further up?
0:07:32 > 0:07:39- Is that OK?- It hurts.- Not as painful as it was there?- Argh!- OK.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41Brydie's symptoms are worrying.
0:07:41 > 0:07:45Glen thinks she's almost certainly broken a bone in her back.
0:07:45 > 0:07:49Any sudden movements now could leave her totally paralysed.
0:07:49 > 0:07:53What we're going to do is roll over to my right-hand side on "roll". OK?
0:07:53 > 0:07:57Everybody happy? OK. Ready, steady, roll - just nice and steady.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02She's doing remarkably well. She's obviously quite cold.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04A degree of exposure.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06She's complaining of quite severe back pain,
0:08:06 > 0:08:07so we'll just err on the side of caution.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10Immobilise and take her off to hospital.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13But one of the big problems the paramedics face with sledging
0:08:13 > 0:08:16accidents is that they always tend to happen on steep hills.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24It means finding a safe spot to load their patient can be tricky.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27But now pilot Chris Atrill is going to attempt to bring
0:08:27 > 0:08:30the three-tonne chopper from the top of the hill to the bottom.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46- All right, Brydie, is that pain still there?- Yeah.
0:08:46 > 0:08:50- Was it a lot worse when we were moving you around?- Yeah.- OK.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53- Have you got any numbness anywhere? - No.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58Brydie and her family are out sledging
0:08:58 > 0:09:01because her friend Demi is visiting.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03And as she lives in Corfu,
0:09:03 > 0:09:05all this white stuff is completely new to her.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08Well, we get it in some places,
0:09:08 > 0:09:12but because I live in a really small island, it doesn't really snow.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14Never been sledging before, have you?
0:09:15 > 0:09:19We had a few good runs before disaster struck.
0:09:19 > 0:09:21She'd had back problems before, like.
0:09:21 > 0:09:23When she was little.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27Maybe just brought that back to the surface.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30Towards you a little bit before.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34We're clear there.
0:09:34 > 0:09:38Now wrapped up in two sleeping bags and inside the helicopter,
0:09:38 > 0:09:41Brydie's body temperature is recovering.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43But her back injury needs an urgent assessment.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48Only when she gets to hospital will the true damage be revealed.
0:09:54 > 0:09:59Gunshot wounds are among the rarest injuries paramedics can be
0:09:59 > 0:10:02asked to treat. Many work a whole career and never see one, but
0:10:02 > 0:10:06when someone is shot they need specialist medical help.
0:10:06 > 0:10:07Quickly.
0:10:07 > 0:10:09GUNFIRE
0:10:10 > 0:10:13It's a sport that's changed very little in hundreds of years.
0:10:13 > 0:10:14GUNFIRE
0:10:16 > 0:10:19But now shooting trips like these are big business.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25Across Yorkshire game birds are bred
0:10:25 > 0:10:28and reared just to become the flying targets for shooting parties.
0:10:29 > 0:10:31But days like these bring obvious risks.
0:10:31 > 0:10:35And today the Helimed paramedics have been called to what's
0:10:35 > 0:10:38sounding like an extremely serious accident.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41We've got reports of somebody who's been out shooting.
0:10:41 > 0:10:45I believe to have been shot in the face or the head...
0:10:45 > 0:10:47by a 12-bore shotgun.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50He is unconscious. Sounds very time-critical.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53Apart from a dramatic effect of lots of little
0:10:53 > 0:10:57bits of shot as opposed to just one bullet wound.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01Armed police are also heading to the field in North Yorkshire.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04With shooting incidents like this,
0:11:04 > 0:11:06the crew's safety is the top priority.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11BEEPING
0:11:11 > 0:11:1399, Roger, move, thanks.
0:11:13 > 0:11:19It's safe to land. Repeat. It's safe to land. Over.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22- This side of the built-up area.- Yup.
0:11:24 > 0:11:26INDISTINCT VOICE ON RADIO
0:11:28 > 0:11:31- Hello, sir.- He's conscious. He knows exactly what's going on.- Hello.
0:11:31 > 0:11:35- It apparently entered here. He's got no pains in his neck.- Fantastic.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38Erm...he's a little bit...
0:11:39 > 0:11:42- ..agitated.- Not surprised, eh?
0:11:42 > 0:11:44It's obvious Darren's been shot,
0:11:44 > 0:11:47but far from obvious how it's happened.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50So he's walked through there? All right.
0:11:50 > 0:11:55- Darren was here.- Yeah.- And he fell here.- Right. OK.- It was from over.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58- After the shot he's walked to here? - No.
0:11:58 > 0:12:02Darren was here when he was shot.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05His friends think it was a ricochet from his own gun that hit him.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07The pheasant is flying over...
0:12:07 > 0:12:09at reasonable height.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12The person fired.
0:12:12 > 0:12:16The pellets ricochet, hitting Darren, who fell on the floor.
0:12:16 > 0:12:22- I'm confused to what's actually happened.- He remembers shooting.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25It's had a ricochet effect, because the pheasants move so fast.
0:12:25 > 0:12:29So whether it's a portion of the blast that's clipped his nose...
0:12:29 > 0:12:32Establishing the angle from which the pellets entered Darren's face
0:12:32 > 0:12:35is vital. It could help them work out
0:12:35 > 0:12:39whether this is just a flesh wound or something much more serious.
0:12:39 > 0:12:41He's not been shot direct.
0:12:41 > 0:12:45- Nothing actually gone into his head? - We're not sure.
0:12:45 > 0:12:47Although the wounds to his face are small,
0:12:47 > 0:12:50the pellets from the gun could have penetrated much deeper.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53What sort of size of gun is it? Could you describe it to me?
0:12:53 > 0:12:59- 12-bore shotgun. Gram 6s.- Right. 32 gram 6s. Thank you.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01About two and a half mil.
0:13:01 > 0:13:03This shoot had been taking place
0:13:03 > 0:13:06just a short drive from York's hospital.
0:13:06 > 0:13:10And then come back. Ooh, you're making me feel cold.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13So as the weather starts to deteriorate,
0:13:13 > 0:13:16it's decided Darren would be best going there by road.
0:13:16 > 0:13:18Right, should we go into the land ambulance?
0:13:18 > 0:13:23The bits of bullet lead have come back in the wind
0:13:23 > 0:13:25and hit him on his face and his head.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29Everybody heard the bang and seen him fall,
0:13:29 > 0:13:32and obviously put two and two and come up with five.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35He's fairly stable for the moment.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38While the police begin their investigation into the shooting,
0:13:38 > 0:13:41Darren is taken to hospital.
0:13:41 > 0:13:46Very scary situation. It's knocked him to the floor.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49But he's not been KO'd. He's now travelling to York by road.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53It turns out his injuries are much
0:13:53 > 0:13:56more significant than first appeared.
0:13:56 > 0:13:57He's lucky to be alive.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01After he arrives at York District Hospital,
0:14:01 > 0:14:03this is what surgeons find -
0:14:03 > 0:14:08three gunshot pellets embedded in parts of his face and skull.
0:14:09 > 0:14:10Darren has been very lucky.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13Thankfully for himself, it's not been too bad. But...
0:14:13 > 0:14:17if one of the shots was maybe an inch lower,
0:14:17 > 0:14:19then he could quite easily have lost his sight.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22We took Darren to theatre.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24We had the CT scans up on the theatre screen,
0:14:24 > 0:14:27which showed whereabouts they were.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30From that point it's literally trial and error, trying to find them.
0:14:30 > 0:14:34You make a small incision over the top of where you believe them to be.
0:14:34 > 0:14:36Then you have to do a blunt
0:14:36 > 0:14:38dissection down to where the pellet should be.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41It's just a matter there of trying to gently tease them out.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44Three weeks after the shooting,
0:14:44 > 0:14:47Darren's healing well, but the scars are still obvious.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51I got a pellet that has gone up my nose...
0:14:51 > 0:14:54onto the roof of my mouth, near my brain.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56I got another pellet in my eyebrow...
0:14:56 > 0:15:00which fractured me skull. And another pellet down this side...
0:15:00 > 0:15:02which went in near me jaw.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05I've got three holes in me leg, where pellets have gone in.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09Today he's returned to the field where his shooting trip
0:15:09 > 0:15:10went so badly wrong.
0:15:12 > 0:15:13I heard the gun go off.
0:15:14 > 0:15:18I could feel pain. I could feel pain in me head and me leg...
0:15:20 > 0:15:21..down side of me face.
0:15:21 > 0:15:27It took me off my feet and I thought, "I've been shot."
0:15:27 > 0:15:29It's an accident.
0:15:29 > 0:15:30It's an accident.
0:15:30 > 0:15:34A bad cartridge, deflection off a bird, wind - we don't know.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49Now let's return to the High Street where two lorries
0:15:49 > 0:15:52have collided, sparking a major rescue operation.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59The 30-tonne HGV tipped over as it came down the hill
0:15:59 > 0:16:02and around a sharp bend, narrowly missing a row of
0:16:02 > 0:16:06terraced cottages - much to the relief of the occupants.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11Just a really big bang for about five or ten seconds.
0:16:11 > 0:16:12Rumbling.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15Hi, Martin. I'm Paul and this is Daz.
0:16:15 > 0:16:19It's just a case of getting you out of this predicament. All right?
0:16:19 > 0:16:22Martin Hocking has been looked after by a local ambulance
0:16:22 > 0:16:25technician and two members of the public who clambered into the lorry
0:16:25 > 0:16:28immediately after the accident.
0:16:28 > 0:16:32Watch yourself, mate, as you come out.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34- They've done a great job. - Well done, that man.
0:16:36 > 0:16:40The lorry driver is in great pain.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43He were coming this way, then it slid into that car
0:16:43 > 0:16:44and then that wagon's come in...
0:16:44 > 0:16:47- Right... - Head-on, head-on with the wagon.
0:16:47 > 0:16:49It's tipped as it come round the corner...
0:16:49 > 0:16:52Just going to pop on this face mask, Martin. All right, bud?
0:16:52 > 0:16:55A little bit of oxygen to help with your dizziness.
0:16:55 > 0:16:59His immediate need is some pain relief -
0:16:59 > 0:17:03morphine - and then they can think about getting him out.
0:17:03 > 0:17:04It's the right stuff - it's clear -
0:17:04 > 0:17:06and there's no bread floating about in it.
0:17:07 > 0:17:11- He's had morphine before. He's not allergic.- Has he?- Yes.
0:17:12 > 0:17:14- Bring it on.- Bring it on.
0:17:14 > 0:17:18His legs are trapped under the steering wheel.
0:17:18 > 0:17:20We're nearly done, Martin. All right, pal?
0:17:20 > 0:17:22Then we'll get you out best way we can.
0:17:22 > 0:17:27News travels fast in these Pennine towns, and a local GP, Dr Ben Wyatt,
0:17:27 > 0:17:32who sometimes flies with the air ambulance, has turned out to assist.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35We're going to try and take the steering wheel off to give us
0:17:35 > 0:17:37room to get him out...
0:17:37 > 0:17:41carefully, rather than just yank him out.
0:17:41 > 0:17:43But firefighters spot a problem.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46Can you ask him if this truck's got an airbag anywhere?
0:17:46 > 0:17:49Has your truck got an airbag anywhere, pal?
0:17:49 > 0:17:51"SRS airbag" it says on it.
0:17:51 > 0:17:55If they accidentally triggered the airbag it could significantly
0:17:55 > 0:17:57add to Martin's list of injuries.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00Obviously, airbags are not deployed on this vehicle,
0:18:00 > 0:18:04so fire and rescue service are going to make the airbag secure.
0:18:04 > 0:18:06If it happens to go off
0:18:06 > 0:18:08while we're in there, no-one is going to get injured by it.
0:18:08 > 0:18:12The paramedics are going to have to come up with another plan to
0:18:12 > 0:18:13get their patient out.
0:18:13 > 0:18:15Paul? What about...
0:18:15 > 0:18:18put boarding on that side and drop him on to his back
0:18:18 > 0:18:19and slide him up here?
0:18:19 > 0:18:21That's what I'm thinking - moving that.
0:18:21 > 0:18:25That way Zoe can sort of, like, go in here and pull him up here.
0:18:25 > 0:18:27Like putting a slant like that.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30There are no instructions for paramedics in situations
0:18:30 > 0:18:33like this they have to figure it out as they go along.
0:18:35 > 0:18:39Very cramped. Awkward to get in. I'd to climb on a wheelie bin...
0:18:41 > 0:18:43..just, erm, lots of glass.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46Been trapped in cars but not in a lorry.
0:18:46 > 0:18:48It's really hard to get in and really hard...
0:18:48 > 0:18:51to get equipment down and things like that.
0:18:51 > 0:18:55Important to get fire service and get the screen out.
0:18:55 > 0:18:57Right, we're going to take him up.
0:18:57 > 0:18:59Whoever is going to stand here is going to have to straddle.
0:18:59 > 0:19:02As we lift him up, that board's got to come in underneath,
0:19:02 > 0:19:04between your legs, OK?
0:19:04 > 0:19:07Trucker Martin has already survived a major impact as his lorry
0:19:07 > 0:19:09overturned and crashed.
0:19:09 > 0:19:13The team fears he has undiagnosed internal injuries
0:19:13 > 0:19:15and moving him is a big risk.
0:19:15 > 0:19:19But it's one that must be taken. The next few minutes will be
0:19:19 > 0:19:20critical for their patient.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22Where's that hurting, Martin?
0:19:22 > 0:19:24Where's it hurting?
0:19:32 > 0:19:35Spinal injuries are among the most difficult for paramedics to
0:19:35 > 0:19:39treat but the problems aren't over when the patient reaches hospital.
0:19:39 > 0:19:44Sometimes, the only treatment is staying immobile, often for months.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49It's been an action-packed day of sledging -
0:19:49 > 0:19:53but for the Brigham family, this is their last run.
0:20:00 > 0:20:02The impact might not look much,
0:20:02 > 0:20:06but it's left 16-year-old Brydie with a suspected broken back.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08Your first time sledging this year?
0:20:08 > 0:20:09And last.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14Paramedics Glen and James have done all they can to keep her still,
0:20:14 > 0:20:18but they have concerns there could be serious damage.
0:20:21 > 0:20:26That's it. You stand in behind me. That's lovely. Everybody happy?
0:20:26 > 0:20:30Now safely at Scarborough hospital, it's time for a full examination.
0:20:30 > 0:20:34And the need for Brydie to face the painful reality.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37SEAGULLS SQUAWK
0:20:37 > 0:20:43I've broken one vertebrae and I've compressed another one.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46I heard my back crack when it happened and...
0:20:47 > 0:20:52..straight away, if I moved it, it just hurt about ten times more.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55So I asked my mum not to move me,
0:20:55 > 0:20:58because I knew if I did move it would make my back worse.
0:20:58 > 0:21:03I knew the second that my back cracked that something was not right.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05We knew there was something very wrong.
0:21:05 > 0:21:07Because of the way she reacted, the way she screamed.
0:21:08 > 0:21:10Erm...and the way she swore.
0:21:10 > 0:21:14And we knew it was her back cos she just kept screaming,
0:21:14 > 0:21:15"Don't move me, it's my back.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17"My back hurts."
0:21:19 > 0:21:22The family have gone over and over this footage.
0:21:22 > 0:21:26It's hard to imagine that just one bump at the end caused
0:21:26 > 0:21:27so much agony.
0:21:27 > 0:21:31You wouldn't believe that this bit of footage is how it happened.
0:21:31 > 0:21:36She literally fell off a sledge and twisted, and that was it.
0:21:36 > 0:21:37She broke her back.
0:21:38 > 0:21:42OK, so are you all right just to pop your arm up for me?
0:21:42 > 0:21:44And this device will help her recover.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47You don't want this area here to be too high,
0:21:47 > 0:21:49and you don't want it to be sort of underneath your chin.
0:21:49 > 0:21:50I have to wear it for two months.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54I can only take it off when I go to bed
0:21:54 > 0:21:59and apart from that I have to wear it all the time.
0:21:59 > 0:22:03The road to recovery is going to be a long one and a slow one,
0:22:03 > 0:22:07but it could've been so much worse.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10She could've lost the movement in her legs,
0:22:10 > 0:22:12she could've lost the movement in her arms.
0:22:12 > 0:22:14She hasn't. She will be fine.
0:22:14 > 0:22:20It's just positive thinking and a recovery - a slow recovery -
0:22:20 > 0:22:22but a recovery all the same.
0:22:27 > 0:22:33When you dial 999 you expect a trained medic within minutes, but
0:22:33 > 0:22:36in a remote part of a county like Yorkshire, that's not always easy
0:22:36 > 0:22:40to achieve, so the local ambulance service has had to improvise.
0:22:40 > 0:22:44What's the problem? Tell me exactly what's happened.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47With 2,000 emergency calls a day to deal with
0:22:47 > 0:22:50and only 500 ambulances at their disposal, getting a paramedic
0:22:50 > 0:22:55to a patient quickly is a massive task for Yorkshire's 999 dispatchers.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57We will be there as quickly as possible.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00Can I take your name, please?
0:23:00 > 0:23:03The county cover 6,000 square miles, and the air ambulance means
0:23:03 > 0:23:08none of its six million people is more than 15 minutes from a hospital.
0:23:08 > 0:23:12But the fastest response to a 999 call here in the Dales
0:23:12 > 0:23:15is likely to come from a neighbour.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18More than 1,000 community responders -
0:23:18 > 0:23:20ordinary people with some medical skills -
0:23:20 > 0:23:24have been recruited to save lives in remote areas and
0:23:24 > 0:23:28today at a school in Wharfedale, the latest recruits are being trained.
0:23:28 > 0:23:33Because they're already in that community, they're already there,
0:23:33 > 0:23:37if you like - they can be through the door in a matter of minutes
0:23:37 > 0:23:41and be able to deliver gold-standard patient care from the outset.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44Any jewellery, anything that's hanging down,
0:23:44 > 0:23:47don't take it off because it becomes your responsibility.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50Alan Davis is a retired engineer.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53He's on a refresher course, having already done his training
0:23:53 > 0:23:55and put it to good use.
0:23:55 > 0:23:57I've been next door to one neighbour
0:23:57 > 0:24:02and had arrived before the phone had been put down.
0:24:02 > 0:24:06If it's a very serious emergency such as a cardiac arrest or
0:24:06 > 0:24:09a serious breathing problem, or an asthma attack,
0:24:09 > 0:24:13then we can get the patient under treatment within a few minutes.
0:24:14 > 0:24:18It's in remote villages like this in Wharfedale that the responders
0:24:18 > 0:24:20can become lifesavers.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23Yet another service available from the corner shop.
0:24:25 > 0:24:29I've been in the shop now 17 years, so it's quite a long time.
0:24:31 > 0:24:33Opted out of being a finance director and came
0:24:33 > 0:24:35and ran a village shop instead.
0:24:35 > 0:24:40- That one.- The Copper Dragon?- Yes, and...- Is it bitter he likes?- Yes.
0:24:40 > 0:24:44- It's a shop that sells just about everything.- Cheddar salad.
0:24:44 > 0:24:45White or brown?
0:24:45 > 0:24:48But since Doug McLellan signed up for the first responder scheme,
0:24:48 > 0:24:50this shop could also save your life.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53Yes, it enables me to give something back to the community
0:24:53 > 0:24:55and this just seemed a great idea.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58When they advertised about ten years ago for volunteers
0:24:58 > 0:25:02and I took it up and I think Kettlewell was one of the first
0:25:02 > 0:25:05teams in the Yorkshire Dales to be set up.
0:25:05 > 0:25:07£6.54. Stick it in there.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10The only clue here to Doug's double role is this -
0:25:10 > 0:25:13the emergency mobile - cunningly hidden amongst the wine bottles.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15There are very few places you get a signal
0:25:15 > 0:25:17and that is the best place for a signal.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20If I move it to the other end of the wine shelf the signal disappears,
0:25:20 > 0:25:24so that's the best place for it.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27Over the last 10 years, Doug and the other Kettlewell responders
0:25:27 > 0:25:33have been to nearly 300 calls, and today that phone has alerted them
0:25:33 > 0:25:38to another, and it's so serious the air ambulance is also on its way.
0:25:38 > 0:25:42Got the ambulance. Let's find where we can put it down.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45- Where am I looking, mate?- This end of the village.- Oh, yeah, I got it.
0:25:45 > 0:25:47Just behind that row of houses.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54Verina Bishop is being well looked after
0:25:54 > 0:25:57and the first response to her came from the village shop.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07We were called at 11:25 for chest pains - within the village,
0:26:07 > 0:26:09so we were there within a minute or two.
0:26:09 > 0:26:13- Did it come on suddenly or did it build up gradually?- It built up.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15It built up.
0:26:15 > 0:26:21Oh, they're terrific. Rang 999 and within five minutes they were up.
0:26:22 > 0:26:26It's a great advantage of having first responders in the village.
0:26:26 > 0:26:31People that you know day by day and very efficient.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33You get a buzz out of it, yeah.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36You're giving something back to the community, so it's good fun.
0:26:36 > 0:26:37It is good.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40We think it might be left pulmonary branch block which
0:26:40 > 0:26:43is where the electrical pathway comes down the heart
0:26:43 > 0:26:45and it gets a little bit blocked.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48So we're going to take her to Airedale Hospital.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51- I just want you to know that's where we're going.- Right.
0:26:52 > 0:26:56It's a hospital Verina's been to before, but never like this.
0:27:00 > 0:27:04She's flown straight in for tests to work out exactly what's going on.
0:27:08 > 0:27:13This time the chest pains turn out not to be a heart attack.
0:27:13 > 0:27:15And after a few days under observation,
0:27:15 > 0:27:19she's able to head home, back to the quiet Yorkshire Dales village
0:27:19 > 0:27:22and the community who did so much to help her.
0:27:23 > 0:27:27We'd scarcely put the phone down when the first responders
0:27:27 > 0:27:29were on the doorstep.
0:27:29 > 0:27:31They were here very, very quickly.
0:27:31 > 0:27:33Well, I knew them both so it was reassuring
0:27:33 > 0:27:40and I knew what they were capable of and they put an oxygen mask on me
0:27:40 > 0:27:43and I had very quick, good treatment.
0:27:43 > 0:27:45Everybody in the village we know
0:27:45 > 0:27:49and we know quite a few in the other villages, and yes,
0:27:49 > 0:27:52when we got the call we knew whose house we were going to.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55Ambulance control gave us the basic...you know,
0:27:55 > 0:27:57"This is a potential heart attack."
0:27:57 > 0:27:59So we drop everything and go
0:27:59 > 0:28:03and we were with Verina within 90 seconds of getting the phone call, so
0:28:03 > 0:28:06that's the way the system is supposed to work, so it was pretty good.
0:28:08 > 0:28:11In Nidderdale villages are few and far between and today,
0:28:11 > 0:28:16so are ambulances, which is bad news for a woman who is reported to
0:28:16 > 0:28:18be choking in a country pub.
0:28:18 > 0:28:20 RADIO: Cleared for take-off...
0:28:27 > 0:28:30Just ten miles from Helimed headquarters,
0:28:30 > 0:28:34Sunday lunch has ended in a life or death drama.
0:28:34 > 0:28:37An elderly lady having a meal with her husband is fighting for breath.
0:28:37 > 0:28:40Time is critical.
0:28:42 > 0:28:45We're going to an 80-year-old female who's choking.
0:28:45 > 0:28:47It's not a job usually go to in the helicopter,
0:28:47 > 0:28:49but we've not got many resources nearby
0:28:49 > 0:28:53and we're the closest double-man crew, so we're going.
0:28:54 > 0:28:57RADIO: Just looking at the new information...
0:28:57 > 0:28:59It's still coming through as ineffective breathing
0:28:59 > 0:29:01and complete obstruction.
0:29:01 > 0:29:06Still 26, 2-6 minutes. Over.
0:29:06 > 0:29:11Paramedics Glen and John are expecting their patient to be in
0:29:11 > 0:29:15serious trouble, but Patricia Kirby is recovering from her close shave
0:29:15 > 0:29:18with a little help from community responder Helen Dickinson.
0:29:18 > 0:29:21She managed to clear the obstruction in her windpipe.
0:29:22 > 0:29:25Have you choked on anything before?
0:29:25 > 0:29:27- Yes, this is the third time in two years.- Is it?
0:29:27 > 0:29:31Helen's a driving instructor who was paged from her home nearby
0:29:31 > 0:29:35and arrived in time to provide her patient with some medical help
0:29:35 > 0:29:37and a lot of reassurance.
0:29:37 > 0:29:40She was quite OK in as much as she was talking.
0:29:40 > 0:29:42She obviously wasn't choking,
0:29:42 > 0:29:44so she seemed to be OK from that point of view.
0:29:44 > 0:29:47Just a little bit distressed.
0:29:47 > 0:29:49Responders have to make themselves available in their villages
0:29:49 > 0:29:52for all of a 24-hour period.
0:29:52 > 0:29:54Often they're not needed,
0:29:54 > 0:29:57but today Helen could've saved Patricia's life.
0:29:58 > 0:30:00And when a call like this comes in,
0:30:00 > 0:30:04their statistics are on the computer at control, and if they're
0:30:04 > 0:30:08the nearest resource to a job that may be life-threatening -
0:30:08 > 0:30:13a cardiac arrest - which choking falls into, then they'll be sent to that detail.
0:30:13 > 0:30:17Patricia's off for a check-up in nearby Harrogate by road,
0:30:17 > 0:30:22but her 999 call certainly received a speedy response.
0:30:22 > 0:30:25This community responder in this case was only four minutes away,
0:30:25 > 0:30:29whereas the ambulance was 29 minutes away.
0:30:29 > 0:30:33The reason for that is because we're in a fairly rural location.
0:30:33 > 0:30:37Fortunately it looks like the patient has cleared the obstruction
0:30:37 > 0:30:42herself, so no life-saving techniques were needed from the
0:30:42 > 0:30:46community responder, but had that not been the situation, then the fact that there
0:30:46 > 0:30:49was somebody here within four minutes could well have saved that lady's life.
0:30:51 > 0:30:54Back in Wharfedale a new team of local responders is being put
0:30:54 > 0:30:55through its paces.
0:30:55 > 0:30:57KNOCK ON DOOR
0:30:57 > 0:30:59Hello? Hello, ambulance. Hello?
0:30:59 > 0:31:01Volunteers must pass background checks
0:31:01 > 0:31:04and a demanding first-aid test.
0:31:04 > 0:31:07My name's Emma. I'm the responder. There's an ambulance on its way...
0:31:07 > 0:31:11Wherever their patients may be and whatever's happened to them,
0:31:11 > 0:31:15these volunteers have the skills to give that vital first treatment.
0:31:15 > 0:31:19I'm struggling to breathe and it's really, really difficult.
0:31:19 > 0:31:23OK, no response there. Hello? Hello, can you hear me?
0:31:23 > 0:31:26Head tilt, check in the airway. OK, that looks clear.
0:31:26 > 0:31:30It might make your mouth feel a bit dry. That's perfectly normal, OK.
0:31:30 > 0:31:34I understand what it's like to be with someone who is
0:31:34 > 0:31:38suffering from heart pain, chest pain, breathing difficulties,
0:31:38 > 0:31:42and not knowing what to do, and how five minutes
0:31:42 > 0:31:46waiting for an ambulance can actually feel like half an hour.
0:31:46 > 0:31:49It's in the remote areas of the Dales that
0:31:49 > 0:31:51responders are at their most useful.
0:31:51 > 0:31:55Malham Cove is a major tourist attraction where the local
0:31:55 > 0:31:57population is tiny.
0:31:57 > 0:32:00Today a woman's collapsed on a riverside path close to
0:32:00 > 0:32:03a waterfall called Janet's Foss.
0:32:03 > 0:32:05She's a mile from the nearest road.
0:32:06 > 0:32:10Vera, who is 71 years old, she doesn't remember what happened.
0:32:10 > 0:32:11She was found on the path.
0:32:11 > 0:32:13Apparently she was always conscious
0:32:13 > 0:32:16although she can't remember the event at all.
0:32:16 > 0:32:22I don't know whether she's just fallen or whether she's collapsed.
0:32:22 > 0:32:25Local cafe owner Vera Sharpe left home to walk her dog.
0:32:25 > 0:32:28A group of ramblers found her lying in the path
0:32:28 > 0:32:32and the ambulance service scrambled local responder, Margaret Rand.
0:32:32 > 0:32:34Together, they've kept Vera warm.
0:32:34 > 0:32:37She was conscious when we got here,
0:32:37 > 0:32:39but some people thought she might have been unconscious when
0:32:39 > 0:32:46she was first found, but it was about 20 minutes by the time we got here
0:32:46 > 0:32:49and she was talking but she didn't seem to know who she was, though.
0:32:49 > 0:32:53She knows her name and she was more worried about the dog,
0:32:53 > 0:32:55but she doesn't know what's happened.
0:32:55 > 0:32:59- What, were you out just walking then?- Yeah.- Yeah? Do you walk quite a bit?
0:32:59 > 0:33:03- Every day.- Every day, do you? And have you hurt yourself anywhere?- No.
0:33:03 > 0:33:06You've no pain in your head, no pain in your back, your neck, your legs?
0:33:06 > 0:33:09- No, I'm just cold.- You're cold, are you? Do you feel dizzy still at all?
0:33:09 > 0:33:12No, not now.
0:33:12 > 0:33:16There was a little bit of blood coming out of her mouth and her
0:33:16 > 0:33:20breathing was fairly laboured, but by the time the first responders
0:33:20 > 0:33:25got to her and by the time I'd made the call to the rescue people, they
0:33:25 > 0:33:28had her sitting up and her breathing was a lot easier and she was starting
0:33:28 > 0:33:34to remember who she was, etcetera, so she looked a lot better by then.
0:33:34 > 0:33:37It sounds like Vera may have suffered a stroke,
0:33:37 > 0:33:40but she's not showing any of the usual symptoms.
0:33:40 > 0:33:43Whatever has caused her collapse,
0:33:43 > 0:33:45they need to get her to an ambulance quickly.
0:33:45 > 0:33:47The temperature's close to freezing
0:33:47 > 0:33:50and their patient's chilled to the bone.
0:33:50 > 0:33:52But Janet's Foss is very remote
0:33:52 > 0:33:56and the journey out of the river gorge is risky.
0:33:56 > 0:33:59We've done what's called the FAST test, where you're looking
0:33:59 > 0:34:03for facial weakness, speech problems, arm weakness and leg weakness, and
0:34:03 > 0:34:10she's a negative or she's not showing any positive signs of a stroke.
0:34:10 > 0:34:14And the cause of Vera's collapse remains a mystery.
0:34:14 > 0:34:18Hospital tests are inconclusive and a few days later she's well
0:34:18 > 0:34:21enough to invite volunteer helper Margaret to her
0:34:21 > 0:34:23cafe for a cup of tea.
0:34:23 > 0:34:28Margaret's husband, Roger, who also turned out to help, is coming too.
0:34:28 > 0:34:32- Hello! How lovely to see you.- How are you?- In better circumstances.
0:34:32 > 0:34:35- Yeah, absolutely, and you're looking so well.- Hello, Margaret.
0:34:35 > 0:34:38- Nice to see you.- How are you? - I'm absolutely fine.- Good.
0:34:38 > 0:34:40It's nice to see you again.
0:34:40 > 0:34:41What happened?
0:34:41 > 0:34:48I was taking my dog, Flash, onto Janet's Foss on his usual walk.
0:34:49 > 0:34:55It was a little covering of snow and ice and I was in Janet's Foss
0:34:55 > 0:34:58and I don't remember any more.
0:34:58 > 0:35:00I don't know what happened.
0:35:01 > 0:35:09When I regained consciousness, there was Margaret and Roger around -
0:35:09 > 0:35:13familiar faces - which I was very grateful for.
0:35:13 > 0:35:16You'd been quite well looked after by the walkers.
0:35:16 > 0:35:19I have to say that because they'd wrapped you up in
0:35:19 > 0:35:22space blankets and all sorts...
0:35:22 > 0:35:25I didn't know anything about it. I was fortunate that day.
0:35:25 > 0:35:28But it was lovely to see faces that I knew.
0:35:28 > 0:35:32The first responders have another advantage in communities
0:35:32 > 0:35:33like Malham.
0:35:33 > 0:35:36They often know the area and local place names better than
0:35:36 > 0:35:41the emergency services who may have been called from further afield.
0:35:41 > 0:35:44Well, it was an opportunity to give something back to the village
0:35:44 > 0:35:49and because we're local we can often arrive before the ambulance
0:35:49 > 0:35:51and offer some first aid.
0:35:51 > 0:35:55I was very, very well looked after and I think...you know,
0:35:55 > 0:35:59I realise now how important the first responders are.
0:35:59 > 0:36:03What we did, clearly, Vera found reassuring
0:36:03 > 0:36:08and it's lovely to see her looking well and so on and remembering it
0:36:08 > 0:36:13as an occasion where she was grateful that we were able to be there.
0:36:16 > 0:36:21Back at the responders training school, they're facing their final test -
0:36:21 > 0:36:25CPR and the use of a defibrillator that will be part of their kit
0:36:25 > 0:36:27from now on.
0:36:27 > 0:36:29All in a rather inconvenient setting.
0:36:30 > 0:36:34Unfortunately the bathroom is a common place for people
0:36:34 > 0:36:37who are ill to go to, so it's not uncommon that you'd find
0:36:37 > 0:36:41somebody in a cramped space, in a toilet or a bathroom.
0:36:41 > 0:36:46More than 60 villages and towns in Yorkshire now have a responder team.
0:36:46 > 0:36:49It's reckoned they've already saved more than 100 lives
0:36:49 > 0:36:53and that life-saving figure is increasing every week.
0:36:53 > 0:36:56And I'm pleased to say that thanks to their unpaid helpers,
0:36:56 > 0:37:01both the patients you saw there are now fully recovered, but what about
0:37:01 > 0:37:05the lorry driver trapped in his cab after a major smash in Bronte Country?
0:37:07 > 0:37:10Truck driver Martin Hocking has been wedged in his upturned
0:37:10 > 0:37:12cab for over an hour.
0:37:12 > 0:37:17He was driving his truck down a hill in the town of Denham when he lost control
0:37:17 > 0:37:20and it turned over, feet from a row of terraced cottages.
0:37:22 > 0:37:26Now the Helimed team fears Martin has serious internal injuries.
0:37:29 > 0:37:31Two, three and move.
0:37:31 > 0:37:36That's it. Relax, that's it. Have a little rest there. One, two, three.
0:37:37 > 0:37:39The cab's cramped conditions are making it very
0:37:39 > 0:37:42difficult for the rescue team.
0:37:42 > 0:37:44Can we have another member of ambulance staff to come
0:37:44 > 0:37:45and take his head over from us?
0:37:45 > 0:37:48- Come down this side of the fireman, please.- You all right, Rob?
0:37:48 > 0:37:52- Just to get outside, mate. - But finally the driver is out.
0:37:52 > 0:37:54His observations are all within limits
0:37:54 > 0:37:56and we're quite happy with that.
0:37:56 > 0:37:58He doesn't look to be bleeding anywhere,
0:37:58 > 0:38:01he doesn't look to have any major long-bone fractures, although
0:38:01 > 0:38:04we've immobilised his pelvis just to make sure that if it is
0:38:04 > 0:38:07unstable that it's not going to move around and cause us any problems.
0:38:07 > 0:38:09The mechanism of this vehicle turning over -
0:38:09 > 0:38:11he's been really lucky.
0:38:11 > 0:38:15But maybe not lucky when we get him off to hospital.
0:38:16 > 0:38:20The crews are exhausted. They've been on site for nearly two hours.
0:38:20 > 0:38:23The residents of Mount Pleasant have seen accidents on this
0:38:23 > 0:38:26corner before, but never on this scale.
0:38:28 > 0:38:32RADIO: This is Helimed 99 Alpha. Just left the scene.
0:38:32 > 0:38:34on route to LGI.
0:38:34 > 0:38:37The main pain he's complaining of is his right hip.
0:38:37 > 0:38:39That is the side he's been leaning on
0:38:39 > 0:38:42but also the cab fell on that side, so we've checked him out
0:38:42 > 0:38:45potentially for a pelvis injury and treated him for that.
0:38:45 > 0:38:47We've applied a pelvic splint.
0:38:47 > 0:38:49We've just got some fluids going through him
0:38:49 > 0:38:52at this moment in time, but he's stable with his blood pressure
0:38:52 > 0:38:54so at the moment everything looks good,
0:38:54 > 0:38:57but until we get him to hospital and potentially have an X-ray on that
0:38:57 > 0:39:00and check it out then I think we were wise to do what we did.
0:39:01 > 0:39:05As Helimed 98 touches down on the Leeds General Infirmary,
0:39:05 > 0:39:10five floors below, the scanner team await a trucker who's undoubtedly
0:39:10 > 0:39:14got several seriously broken bones, and nobody knows which ones.
0:39:14 > 0:39:18The X-rays reveal that Martin's pelvis has come apart.
0:39:19 > 0:39:23He immediately goes in for the first operation in a programme of surgery
0:39:23 > 0:39:27that is going to last several weeks and involve a lot of metalwork.
0:39:27 > 0:39:32I'm going to be laid up a good six weeks at least.
0:39:32 > 0:39:35To be honest I thought, "I wonder if I'm going to die?"
0:39:35 > 0:39:38But you don't panic in these situations
0:39:38 > 0:39:41because there's not a lot you can do about it.
0:39:41 > 0:39:46I'm there, sideways, strapped into a seat looking up at...
0:39:47 > 0:39:52It's another big one bearing down on me, sliding, with no control,
0:39:52 > 0:39:55and I thought, "What can I do?"
0:39:55 > 0:39:57I thought this might be it, you know.
0:39:59 > 0:40:02The first people to clamber into Martin's upturned lorry were not
0:40:02 > 0:40:07the emergency services, but two people who lived nearby.
0:40:07 > 0:40:11They kept him going at the worst of times.
0:40:13 > 0:40:15They managed to get into the cab and support my head and try
0:40:15 > 0:40:17and stem the bleeding some.
0:40:17 > 0:40:22At this point I had begun to shiver and go into shock and at that
0:40:22 > 0:40:26point I was just in and out of consciousness and one of the young
0:40:26 > 0:40:30men were trying to keep me focused and keep me awake and everything.
0:40:31 > 0:40:35Martin has never met his rescuer, Chris Bartle,
0:40:35 > 0:40:38who lives in the terrace of houses that his lorry nearly demolished.
0:40:39 > 0:40:42Chris heard the crash and responded instinctively,
0:40:42 > 0:40:46despite the obvious danger to himself.
0:40:46 > 0:40:49If I was in that situation I would want to know someone was going
0:40:49 > 0:40:53to help me, and I think the more people that are willing to just jump
0:40:53 > 0:40:57in and not think about it, you know, humanity will be a better place.
0:40:57 > 0:40:59I had a bit of light banter with him.
0:40:59 > 0:41:01I told him that it's one way of getting himself a new wagon.
0:41:01 > 0:41:05I just tried to keep him occupied
0:41:05 > 0:41:09so he didn't think about what was actually wrong with him.
0:41:09 > 0:41:12Right, we're just going to bob a little bit of oxygen on, pal.
0:41:12 > 0:41:16And then I heard, "You all right, mate, the cavalry's here."
0:41:16 > 0:41:18And I thought, "Great stuff."
0:41:18 > 0:41:21Yeah, and then the next minute I was surround by fireman
0:41:21 > 0:41:23and the air ambulance.
0:41:23 > 0:41:25Just breathe normally, pal, all right.
0:41:25 > 0:41:27You don't have to do anything different. Well done.
0:41:27 > 0:41:30I've never been so pleased to get into a helicopter in my life,
0:41:30 > 0:41:32honestly.
0:41:32 > 0:41:37Away from the cold and everything and then once I were aboard I just
0:41:37 > 0:41:41felt safe and cosy and everything and the guys were brilliant.
0:41:41 > 0:41:45- You're doing really well, Martin. - Fantastic work, it was.
0:41:45 > 0:41:47And I'm pleased to tell you Martin is now
0:41:47 > 0:41:51back at work behind the wheel, after a nasty reminder of the risks
0:41:51 > 0:41:55of descending the wuthering heights of Bronte Country.
0:41:57 > 0:41:59Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd