0:00:03 > 0:00:07If you're critically ill or seriously injured, seconds count.
0:00:07 > 0:00:11And in Britain's biggest county, you can be a long way from help.
0:00:11 > 0:00:13- Where's the patient? - She's stuck under the car!
0:00:13 > 0:00:18The Yorkshire Air Ambulance flies at 150mph, and thanks to its speed,
0:00:18 > 0:00:21hundreds 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 up to speed with an emergency anaesthetic, OK?
0:00:37 > 0:00:39..and town centres into helipads.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41- OK on the left?- Just behind you, Tim.
0:00:41 > 0:00:47And every day the helimed team's skill, speed and courage is saving lives.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58Today on Helicopter Heroes:
0:00:58 > 0:01:04The shops are busy and if helimed pilot Chris can't find a parking space, a man may die.
0:01:04 > 0:01:08- This big opening. - That's the one I'm looking at, mate.
0:01:08 > 0:01:13Paramedic Tony's scrambled to a serious accident on the school run.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16We'll look after you, OK? Just hang on there a second.
0:01:16 > 0:01:20A digger driver's trapped, and John must save his crushed leg.
0:01:20 > 0:01:24Fire Service are getting it all sorted so they can lift it, Willie.
0:01:24 > 0:01:28And a biker's bizarre injury means a difficult case for Darren.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31Behind the seat there's a splint.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40Thanks to the air ambulance's speed, many people find medical help
0:01:40 > 0:01:44is with them before they've even finished their 999 call,
0:01:44 > 0:01:49but some emergencies are so urgent, even that is not fast enough.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56This is how I like to spend a lot of my leisure time.
0:01:56 > 0:01:58You can pump iron or just work on your fitness,
0:01:58 > 0:02:00and watch your favourite telly at the same time.
0:02:00 > 0:02:04It's a great way to stay in shape.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07But at this gym in the market town of Selby,
0:02:07 > 0:02:10staff are trying to save a member's life.
0:02:10 > 0:02:12He's just collapsed with a massive heart attack.
0:02:12 > 0:02:17- It's a cardiac arrest, is it? - Yeah, but they've got output now.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20The BP is down, but they've got output.
0:02:20 > 0:02:26The crew obviously worked well to get output so quickly and now he needs to be really over to Leeds
0:02:26 > 0:02:29and the way we can do that is with the aircraft.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32It's quick enough to get him there.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36Pilot Chris Attrill knows a man's life is at stake.
0:02:36 > 0:02:38If he can't find somewhere to land,
0:02:38 > 0:02:41the patient may face a half-hour drive to A&E.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45It's a trip he's unlikely to survive.
0:02:45 > 0:02:49- You see where the Homebase is?- Yep. - There's a car going, just turning left now.- Yeah.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53Down the side of the Homebase. Can you go to the bottom of there and turn left?
0:02:53 > 0:02:56- There's a big area over there.- Yep.
0:02:56 > 0:03:01Below, shoppers are unaware the air ambulance desperately needs a landing site.
0:03:01 > 0:03:07The delivery yard behind a pet store is the best option Chris can see.
0:03:07 > 0:03:11- They've got some loose pallets there to the right.- Yeah.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14OK, you're clear of the building behind. Bags of room now.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17That's all right, mate. Happy with that. There you go, guys.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19Hopefully they'll let us through Pets At Home.
0:03:21 > 0:03:25Ground crew have seconds to bring paramedic Glen up to speed.
0:03:25 > 0:03:29This is Owen, a 74-year-old gentleman, on the treadmill, seen to collapse.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31Fell over backwards, cracked the back of his head.
0:03:31 > 0:03:35- How many shocks?- He's had three shocks.- OK.- With an AED.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38Their patient was lucky in one way -
0:03:38 > 0:03:42the gym has a heart defibrillator and staff trained to use it.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46Defib read his heart rate, realised there wasn't a heart rate,
0:03:46 > 0:03:50and advised shock so it shocked him three times in total,
0:03:50 > 0:03:53at which point he started to come round a little bit.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56- Have we managed to get a 12 lead? - Yeah.- Cool.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59The medical jargon disguises the seriousness of his condition.
0:03:59 > 0:04:01But to Glen's trained eye,
0:04:01 > 0:04:05the print-out from the crew's ECG machine is unmistakable.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07Quadruple bypass last year, might be a septal infarct.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11- It's a bit hard to tell, but there you go.- Come on then, bud. Go.
0:04:11 > 0:04:12Come on, let's go.
0:04:12 > 0:04:1574-year-old Owen Grimley's heart is racing
0:04:15 > 0:04:18and failing to feed his brain with oxygen.
0:04:18 > 0:04:22Unless they can get him to a cardiac unit quickly, he will die.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28He's got some previous cardiac history so LGI Cath Labs will need to know.
0:04:28 > 0:04:32He's currently got a GCS of about six. Go right, mate.
0:04:32 > 0:04:36GCS of about six and I'll give you an update as soon as we get him on board.
0:04:38 > 0:04:40Owen's wife was with him when he collapsed.
0:04:40 > 0:04:45Now all she can do is watch as her husband is loaded aboard Helimed 99.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48- Has his arrest stopped, yeah?- Just about a little bit, but nothing...
0:04:48 > 0:04:51He's had no adrenaline at all? OK.
0:04:51 > 0:04:55Owen was fit for his age, despite open heart surgery last year.
0:04:55 > 0:04:59He hoped it had cured his heart problems. It hadn't.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02Yep, LGI has accepted. Thanks, bud. Thanks.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06Leeds is just ten minutes' flying time.
0:05:06 > 0:05:1299 now through the district of Selby, en route direct to the LGI...
0:05:12 > 0:05:17It's crucially important now he gets to Leeds very quickly and hopefully get a good outcome.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21Owen's heart rhythm is unstable.
0:05:21 > 0:05:26Glen and Lee are concerned their patient may not live to reach hospital.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29To them, this will feel like a very long flight.
0:05:37 > 0:05:42In all those gloomy statistics about health and life expectancy,
0:05:42 > 0:05:44there's actually a lot of good news stories too
0:05:44 > 0:05:48and one of them is that you're four times less likely to die on the roads now
0:05:48 > 0:05:51than you were 40 years ago.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54But some road users are still very vulnerable.
0:05:56 > 0:06:00When the school bell goes, hundreds of children, eager to get home,
0:06:00 > 0:06:03pour out of their classrooms, some into buses,
0:06:03 > 0:06:07many onto the roads often busy with rush-hour traffic.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10The number of accidents involving children on the walk
0:06:10 > 0:06:14to and from school has dropped dramatically in recent years.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17But you can't be there for them all the time.
0:06:17 > 0:06:22It just happened so quick. Julie couldn't restrain Joshua, he just ran out.
0:06:22 > 0:06:27A split second of not paying attention on the short walk home from school
0:06:27 > 0:06:30has left this seven-year-old with serious injuries.
0:06:30 > 0:06:34He was just running across, was Joshua, before his mum could shout him.
0:06:34 > 0:06:38Then obviously the van couldn't see, coming round.
0:06:38 > 0:06:42The accident has happened just around the corner from Josh Butler's home
0:06:42 > 0:06:45in the Pennine town of Liversedge.
0:06:45 > 0:06:49He went flying up in the air, landed near the pavement.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52His mum screamed and run across.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55I just came across and told her not to move him.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57She just wanted to cradle him.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00Ambulance crews arrived within minutes.
0:07:00 > 0:07:04They immediately requested backup from the helimed team.
0:07:04 > 0:07:09- All right, guys? Hiya, hiya.- This is Josh. He's been hit by that 4x4.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11It's hit him on the front end, going 30 mph.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14It hadn't gone on the bonnet, it's thrown him.
0:07:14 > 0:07:19You can clearly see where Josh's head has hit the bumper of the four-wheel drive.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22He has a major injury to his skull.
0:07:22 > 0:07:24He has been crying.
0:07:24 > 0:07:27He has got quite a large hematoma on the side of his head.
0:07:27 > 0:07:28His pupils are quite slow to react
0:07:28 > 0:07:31and he has episodes where it's difficult to get a response out of him,
0:07:31 > 0:07:35and then he'll be really upset and crying.
0:07:35 > 0:07:39Hiya, mum. It's all right, we'll look after him. OK, just hang on there a second.
0:07:39 > 0:07:44The lump on Josh's head could be a sign of a bleed inside his skull.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47If so, it could put pressure on his brain.
0:07:47 > 0:07:49He's never been more awake than what we've got now.
0:07:49 > 0:07:54Josh has been drifting in and out of consciousness and has been vomiting.
0:07:54 > 0:07:56He has just been upset and crying.
0:07:56 > 0:08:01Combined with his head injury, it's a potentially fatal combination for Josh.
0:08:01 > 0:08:02He could choke.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06Dr Simon Ward decides to anaesthetise him at the roadside,
0:08:06 > 0:08:11a procedure called Rapid Sequence Induction or RSI.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15Has he ever had an anaesthetic before? Maybe in hospital, an anaesthetic?
0:08:15 > 0:08:18- He broke his arm when he was little so...- And he was fine then?
0:08:18 > 0:08:21- He didn't have any problems with the anaesthetic?- No.
0:08:21 > 0:08:25Josh's mum is understandably beside herself.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29She saw it all happen, and there was nothing she could do about it.
0:08:29 > 0:08:34I tried to calm Julie down and just came in and tried to get her some hot tea,
0:08:34 > 0:08:38and the driver as well, and then everyone just congregated round.
0:08:38 > 0:08:44A situation update - a planned RSI for a seven-year-old young man
0:08:44 > 0:08:46and transferred to LGI.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49I believe that Jez is just arriving. Over.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52As Dr Simon prepares a cocktail of sleep-inducing drugs,
0:08:52 > 0:08:57another helimed doctor who lives in nearby Huddersfield arrives to help.
0:08:57 > 0:09:02Dr Jez Pinnel is a consultant anaesthetist.
0:09:03 > 0:09:05OK, buddy.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09This is a procedure that carries some risks,
0:09:09 > 0:09:12but with a 20-mile flight ahead of him,
0:09:12 > 0:09:14the risks of not doing it are greater.
0:09:26 > 0:09:30Machinery has taken the hard labour out of many manual jobs,
0:09:30 > 0:09:31but in the construction business,
0:09:31 > 0:09:36more plant means the potential for even more serious injuries.
0:09:36 > 0:09:40And the helimed team often comes face to face with the results.
0:09:43 > 0:09:48Mechanical diggers can weigh in at up to six tonnes,
0:09:48 > 0:09:52but today in the Pennines emergency services are heading to a bizarre accident
0:09:52 > 0:09:56involving one of the smallest earthmovers you can buy.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59If we're happy he's stable, can we roll, please.
0:09:59 > 0:10:03Pilot Steve Cobb's encyclopaedic knowledge of Yorkshire
0:10:03 > 0:10:06can often help where map-reading fails
0:10:06 > 0:10:10but this emergency is almost beyond his mental database.
0:10:10 > 0:10:12Is Long Preston after Hellifield?
0:10:12 > 0:10:15Yeah. We're about a mile after.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19- Hellifield's where the railway's coming from the south?- Yep.- Yeah.
0:10:21 > 0:10:26Builder William Airey was helping out a farmer in the Dales.
0:10:26 > 0:10:30- In that white house across there, the only one by the look of it.- Yeah.
0:10:30 > 0:10:32Popping off nicely. All happy with that, kid?
0:10:32 > 0:10:33- All looking good at the side. - Lovely.
0:10:33 > 0:10:37The farm is on the road going from Yorkshire to the Lake District.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40In emergency services terms, this is remote.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43Hello, Willie. I'm John,
0:10:43 > 0:10:45the paramedic that's come in't helicopter.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47When the digger tipped over,
0:10:47 > 0:10:50William's lower leg got trapped underneath it.
0:10:50 > 0:10:52He's in great pain.
0:10:52 > 0:10:57- What is it out of 10, Willy? - I'd say about 10.- 10, right.
0:10:57 > 0:10:58It's hurting a lot then, OK.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01Paramedic John Baxter has a dilemma.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05So what happened, Willy? How's it ended up on its side?
0:11:05 > 0:11:09His patient understandably wants the weight of the digger off his leg
0:11:09 > 0:11:10as soon as possible.
0:11:10 > 0:11:11Right.
0:11:11 > 0:11:15Complaining of a lot of pain, so John will get that under control
0:11:15 > 0:11:19before they start moving any of the machinery around him.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22And then we'll see what his injuries are when we get out,
0:11:22 > 0:11:24whether he needs to go with us
0:11:24 > 0:11:28or whether he can go by land to the nearest emergency department.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32Crush injuries like this can prove fatal.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35Toxins build up below where the blood supply is cut off.
0:11:35 > 0:11:36Grab hold of that there.
0:11:36 > 0:11:40If the digger's weight is suddenly released from William's lower leg,
0:11:40 > 0:11:45those toxins could send his body into shock and kill him.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48Bearing in mind the locality, I think we'll fly him through to Blackburn.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50He'll get through quicker there
0:11:50 > 0:11:53and they can get him the sort of pain relief
0:11:53 > 0:11:54he needs to settle his leg.
0:11:54 > 0:11:59Fire service are getting it all sorted so we can lift it, Willy, all right?
0:11:59 > 0:12:02Their patient may want the earthmover shifted quickly,
0:12:02 > 0:12:05but the paramedics must take their time.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08Willy, I'm going to give you some pain relief now, OK?
0:12:08 > 0:12:10It'll take a few minutes to work.
0:12:11 > 0:12:15And then the fire service are going to get you out.
0:12:15 > 0:12:16Morphine to kill the pain
0:12:16 > 0:12:20and fluids on stand-by in case his blood pressure plummets.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22What we'll do is aim for lifting this corner,
0:12:22 > 0:12:25- obviously counterweights there. - That's fine, yes.
0:12:25 > 0:12:26So you tell us when you're ready.
0:12:26 > 0:12:30The fire and rescue service have hydraulic rams
0:12:30 > 0:12:34and special airbags designed to lift heavy vehicles.
0:12:34 > 0:12:38But a digger is less stable. They must be careful.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41Obviously a mini digger, there's quite a bit of weight involved.
0:12:41 > 0:12:43You don't want any involuntary movement
0:12:43 > 0:12:47so it's going to have to be really careful and delicate.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50- Right, do you think you can climb out?- Yeah.- Yeah?
0:12:50 > 0:12:52At last, William is freed.
0:12:52 > 0:12:56Blood flow to much of his leg has been cut off for more than an hour.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59It could still lead to serious complications
0:12:59 > 0:13:01but his workmates are relieved.
0:13:01 > 0:13:03Look at the support we have here. It's brilliant.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06We can't thank the Yorkshire Air Ambulance enough.
0:13:06 > 0:13:08It could've saved him.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11Toxins that have built up in William's trapped leg
0:13:11 > 0:13:14are now flowing around his body.
0:13:14 > 0:13:15Compartment syndrome kills
0:13:15 > 0:13:18and paramedic John is looking for symptoms.
0:13:18 > 0:13:20There are none so far.
0:13:20 > 0:13:22See if I can get a pulse.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24PATIENT GROANS
0:13:29 > 0:13:32William is taken to Blackburn's Royal Hospital.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35Over the next three days the builder undergoes a series of tests
0:13:35 > 0:13:39to see if the damaged tissue in his lower leg will recover.
0:13:40 > 0:13:42I just wanted that weight off my leg.
0:13:42 > 0:13:48You can imagine something that's a ton of weight just pressing down
0:13:48 > 0:13:52and it's just quietly going numb, is your foot.
0:13:52 > 0:13:56It's just that weight and the pain was horrendous, yeah.
0:13:57 > 0:14:01'When he took the weight off, I couldn't feel anything,
0:14:01 > 0:14:04'it was just, like, numb. It was nothing there at all.
0:14:04 > 0:14:08'And yeah, it's worrying.'
0:14:08 > 0:14:12You think because there's no feeling there, it's dead, you know.
0:14:12 > 0:14:17Amazingly, there are no broken bones. William has been lucky.
0:14:17 > 0:14:22It has crushed muscles and damaged soft tissue.
0:14:22 > 0:14:27A week on crutches and then the builder will be back in his digger.
0:14:27 > 0:14:29It's like somebody riding a horse.
0:14:29 > 0:14:30When a horse kicks them off,
0:14:30 > 0:14:33they get back on and that's how they learn.
0:14:33 > 0:14:37It's part of my job and I'll just have to be more careful in future.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52Now let's return to the desperate battle to save pensioner
0:14:52 > 0:14:56Owen Grimley whose heart has already been restarted once today
0:14:56 > 0:14:59by the staff at his local gym.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04Helimed 99, one minute to landing at LGI.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08Helimed 99 is on final approach to the Leeds General Infirmary,
0:15:08 > 0:15:10much to the relief of its crew.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16Patient Owen Grimley is 74 and fighting for his life.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19He desperately needs angioplasty -
0:15:19 > 0:15:23a procedure to clear out the blocked blood vessels that half an hour ago
0:15:23 > 0:15:25gave him an almost fatal heart attack.
0:15:25 > 0:15:27He's been at the gym, working out.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30He's been on a treadmill and had a sudden collapse,
0:15:30 > 0:15:32gone into cardiac arrest.
0:15:32 > 0:15:36The people at the gym, the staff I think have done an outstanding job.
0:15:36 > 0:15:40They carry a defibrillator there which is a machine
0:15:40 > 0:15:42that can get the heart restarted.
0:15:42 > 0:15:46And they've done that and I think got him quickly going again,
0:15:46 > 0:15:51called for the emergency services so hopefully the outcome will be good.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54Owen's booked in to the cath lab,
0:15:54 > 0:15:57a specialist unit where surgeons use micro-surgical techniques
0:15:57 > 0:16:01to operate on heart patients within minutes of their attacks.
0:16:01 > 0:16:05Owen? Owen?
0:16:05 > 0:16:07Land crew assessed he'd fallen backwards.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10I haven't had a look round the back of his head.
0:16:10 > 0:16:11But there's a problem for doctors.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14No-one knows whether the head injury Owen sustained when he fell
0:16:14 > 0:16:17from the treadmill is complicating his condition.
0:16:17 > 0:16:21When we arrived he was like this but his C-spine's not cleared. You know that, don't you?
0:16:21 > 0:16:24- OWEN GROANS - OK?- OK.- All right.
0:16:26 > 0:16:31The angio team are ready to ease the blood flow into Owen's ailing heart.
0:16:31 > 0:16:35All right, Owen, OK. All right. OK, mate.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38But he's semi-conscious and struggling.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40All right, Owen. Just relax. Just relax.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43- That's it.- Stay nice and still. - Owen, Owen?
0:16:43 > 0:16:47They can't operate on him like this, and a delay could be lethal.
0:16:47 > 0:16:52Owen, just relax. Owen, it's OK. You're safe.
0:16:52 > 0:16:56Owen's life is now in the hands of a team of highly-trained nurses,
0:16:56 > 0:16:59radiologists and surgeons.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02But if it hadn't been for the staff of his gym
0:17:02 > 0:17:05and a defibrillator, he would already be dead.
0:17:05 > 0:17:0915 miles away, his amateur lifesavers are anxious for news.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13I knew it was serious but I was just kind of living, like...
0:17:13 > 0:17:16Every second I need to get this guy breathing
0:17:16 > 0:17:19but it was just so great when we saw he'd got a heartbeat.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22He started to breathe again and we could see with his neck,
0:17:22 > 0:17:27he was trying to grasp so that was amazing, just to see that.
0:17:27 > 0:17:29I went over to the helicopter.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32Seeing him in the helicopter, there was no life still.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35I still wasn't 100% sure if he was back or not.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38So basically he was dead
0:17:38 > 0:17:43and we managed to bring him back to breathing again.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46It was a team effort and also a bit of luck as well.
0:17:46 > 0:17:51Owen's heart rhythm has stabilised since his arrival at the LGI.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54But that's about to change.
0:17:54 > 0:17:55VT, about 200.
0:17:55 > 0:18:00Suddenly, his heart rate soars to 200 beats a minute.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02It's a speed it cannot sustain
0:18:02 > 0:18:05and it's starving his brain of oxygen.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08Unless the team can slow his heart, he will die.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11Come on, guys. Everyone clear. Shocking.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16For the second time today, a shock from a defibrillator
0:18:16 > 0:18:19has restored Owen's heartbeat.
0:18:19 > 0:18:23Once more he has a chance of survival - but it's slim.
0:18:23 > 0:18:26I had a similar job to this, it happened in Halifax.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29We brought a gentleman here and he had two stents put in
0:18:29 > 0:18:32and he remained unconscious for a fortnight.
0:18:32 > 0:18:36They tried to wake him up six times and on the sixth time he came round.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40And two weeks later, he's 99% fit and well.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42But that's very unusual.
0:18:42 > 0:18:46Owen must rely on the fitness his trips to the gym have given him
0:18:46 > 0:18:49if he's to beat the odds and survive.
0:18:57 > 0:19:01All of the Helimed team's doctors have advanced skills developed
0:19:01 > 0:19:05during years of experience in A&E but what happens when your patient
0:19:05 > 0:19:10needs a risky medical procedure and you're miles from a hospital?
0:19:12 > 0:19:15The short walk home from school has left seven-year-old Josh Butler
0:19:15 > 0:19:17with a massive head injury.
0:19:17 > 0:19:23Helimed 99 has brought Dr Simon Ward's life-saving surgical skills to the roadside.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26He's going to anaesthetise Josh.
0:19:27 > 0:19:29All right, Josh.
0:19:30 > 0:19:34One set of drugs to make him go to sleep,
0:19:34 > 0:19:37then another to paralyse his muscles and stop him from breathing
0:19:37 > 0:19:41and then Dr Simon inserts a tube down his throat
0:19:41 > 0:19:43so he can take control of his airway
0:19:43 > 0:19:46and breath for his patient.
0:19:46 > 0:19:48Well done, matey.
0:19:48 > 0:19:50It all happens quickly
0:19:50 > 0:19:53but now they need to get Josh to hospital as soon as possible.
0:19:53 > 0:19:55The problem with him is that he wasn't conscious
0:19:55 > 0:19:59and he's been sick a lot so the worry is that if he's sick
0:19:59 > 0:20:03and that can go down his airways, it can cause problems with his breathing
0:20:03 > 0:20:05which is going to make any brain injury worse
0:20:05 > 0:20:07so it's by far the safest way to transfer him,
0:20:07 > 0:20:09especially in a helicopter.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14As Josh takes off, it's a moment of relief
0:20:14 > 0:20:18for the local paramedics who first responded to his accident.
0:20:20 > 0:20:24It's quite reassuring cos you know he'll get to the right place faster
0:20:24 > 0:20:25and he'll get treatment.
0:20:25 > 0:20:29Especially at this time of day, it's rush hour, Traffic's really busy.
0:20:29 > 0:20:33It would've been difficult to get him to the appropriate hospital in good time.
0:20:33 > 0:20:38The emergency services left behind still have their jobs to do,
0:20:38 > 0:20:41and for them, helping Josh's mother is top priority.
0:20:42 > 0:20:43It were difficult.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46She had to pass me the telephone to speak to her husband
0:20:46 > 0:20:49because she couldn't get the words out, what had happened.
0:20:49 > 0:20:51Which were quite upsetting to explain to him
0:20:51 > 0:20:53what has just happened to his little boy.
0:20:53 > 0:20:57Helimed 99, (INAUDIBLE) the LGI.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00While Josh arrives by air, his father,
0:21:00 > 0:21:04a long-distance lorry driver, is hundreds of miles away.
0:21:04 > 0:21:06He is told Josh may not survive.
0:21:07 > 0:21:11A police escort picks him up and brings him to be with his son.
0:21:12 > 0:21:16They told us that they were going to have to take him down for an operation
0:21:16 > 0:21:19and it was a life-saving operation, there was no question
0:21:19 > 0:21:22that he had to have this. If he didn't, he'd die.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27Surgeons removed a section of Josh's skull
0:21:27 > 0:21:29to relieve the pressure on his brain.
0:21:30 > 0:21:34They told us he might not get through the operation.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37They told us if he got through the operation,
0:21:37 > 0:21:40that he might be paralysed, he might be blind.
0:21:41 > 0:21:46Um... And it's just the worst thing that any parent could be told.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49But the main thing was getting him through the operation,
0:21:49 > 0:21:51we just had to take one step at a time.
0:21:51 > 0:21:55Two weeks later and with metal plates replacing parts of his skull,
0:21:55 > 0:21:59Josh has made a remarkable recovery.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03He's just doing absolutely amazing.
0:22:03 > 0:22:07I think he's stunning the doctors, how quick he's coming on.
0:22:07 > 0:22:08Aren't you?
0:22:08 > 0:22:12I didn't look both ways, I only looked one.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15I got hit by a car.
0:22:15 > 0:22:17I could see him.
0:22:17 > 0:22:22I can see the pictures there, I can see him looking right
0:22:22 > 0:22:24and then it was too late.
0:22:24 > 0:22:28He carried on walking instead of looking left.
0:22:28 > 0:22:34And I split all my head open there. That was just a big scab.
0:22:34 > 0:22:38Just the response of everybody was just amazing.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42There was the doctors there in no time, there were ambulance,
0:22:42 > 0:22:45there was the police and then there was the helicopter
0:22:45 > 0:22:49all within the space of 10 minutes, maximum. Absolutely amazing.
0:22:50 > 0:22:54- We can smile now, can't we? - Yeah.- Mm.
0:22:54 > 0:22:58Three months later and the kids of Year Three
0:22:58 > 0:23:01at Norris Thorpe School have their classmate back.
0:23:01 > 0:23:05And I know that you were all really pleased to see him back in school.
0:23:05 > 0:23:11- Let's all say welcome back to Joshua.- KIDS: Welcome back, Joshua.
0:23:11 > 0:23:17And it's no surprise road safety has been high on the learning list.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20For Josh and his friends, a lesson learned the hard way.
0:23:21 > 0:23:27You need to look and listen
0:23:27 > 0:23:30and when you can't hear anything,
0:23:30 > 0:23:36always look. If you can't see nowt, you can cross the road.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38Look and listen.
0:23:46 > 0:23:50Yorkshire's flying paramedics rarely spend more than an hour
0:23:50 > 0:23:53with any patient but the treatment they give
0:23:53 > 0:23:57can be the start of a recovery that can take a year or more.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02A sunny summer's evening and the winding lanes of the Dales.
0:24:02 > 0:24:06It's a combination that appeals to enthusiastic bikers,
0:24:06 > 0:24:09but can be catastrophic when things go wrong.
0:24:10 > 0:24:14- Head on.- Right. - He probably hit some of the tree.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17It's all right-sided injuries. He's still bent in half.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20The shattered remains of this motorbike tell a story,
0:24:20 > 0:24:25a massive impact head-on with a car, body against metal.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28Get a board out, Daz. We'll want to be fairly rapid with this.
0:24:28 > 0:24:32The biker, Anthony Hatton, is virtually folded in half.
0:24:32 > 0:24:34I haven't seen his pelvis yet
0:24:34 > 0:24:36so I presume there's going to be some pelvis damage as well.
0:24:36 > 0:24:40Fortunately for the biker one of the first people to
0:24:40 > 0:24:45arrive on the lonely B-road near Hellifield was an off-duty nurse.
0:24:45 > 0:24:49The right leg had gone over the shoulder and was leaning on
0:24:49 > 0:24:55his chest and the left arm was quite sore, swollen and had gone blue.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58You just do what you can do really and help in any way you can
0:24:58 > 0:25:02but as soon as we arrived he was talking and breathing.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05After he hit the car, witnesses say Anthony flew
0:25:05 > 0:25:1030 metres through the air before hitting the road and some trees.
0:25:10 > 0:25:15We were informed he'd come round a bend, hit the car head-on.
0:25:15 > 0:25:19It looks like he's impacted with the trees. Debris all over the road.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22Found the gentleman lying on the side at the road
0:25:22 > 0:25:26with some quite horrific musculoskeletal injuries
0:25:26 > 0:25:28and obvious fractures.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31As well as his broken leg, paramedic Al Day suspects there could be
0:25:31 > 0:25:33other life-threatening injuries.
0:25:33 > 0:25:37Hello, Tony. You all right? We'll get you on the helicopter now.
0:25:37 > 0:25:41We'll have you in hospital in Blackburn in 10/15 minutes, OK?
0:25:41 > 0:25:43TONY MUMBLES
0:25:43 > 0:25:46Andy, just in them drawers in front of you there,
0:25:46 > 0:25:50to your right-hand side behind the seat, there's a SAM Splint.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53Paramedic Darren rides motorbikes himself.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56This is one of the worst accidents he's seen.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01The witnesses to the smash didn't try and move the biker,
0:26:01 > 0:26:04they just comforted him and kept him talking until paramedics arrived.
0:26:04 > 0:26:08That was the right thing to do.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11The lady that was involved in the accident, she phoned the ambulance.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14Considering she was in the accident herself, she'd done really well.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17Anthony has been conscious throughout.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19He suddenly realises what's happened to his leg.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21Bear with us.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24- Is that my foot?- Yeah.- Bear with us. Do you think it's come over that way, or...?
0:26:24 > 0:26:27Paramedic Al knows the biker's broken leg
0:26:27 > 0:26:31- must be straightened before he can be put on the helicopter. - Got any Entonox?
0:26:31 > 0:26:35But there's a real danger that when they straighten it,
0:26:35 > 0:26:37the main artery in his leg will start to bleed.
0:26:37 > 0:26:41The massive loss of blood pressure could kill him.
0:26:41 > 0:26:45We'll be on us way, mate, in a couple of minutes.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48The winding lanes of the Dales are great for a bike ride out,
0:26:48 > 0:26:52but when you're as critically injured as biker Anthony,
0:26:52 > 0:26:54- they are your enemy. - You what, buddy?
0:26:54 > 0:26:56MUFFLED SPEECH
0:26:56 > 0:26:57We are, mate.
0:26:57 > 0:27:01It's a straight as we can make it and you can't move it again.
0:27:01 > 0:27:05It would take an hour by road to get to a major hospital from here.
0:27:05 > 0:27:07Feet first, then, people.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10We've got a chappie for you, come off his motorbike head-on
0:27:10 > 0:27:13into a car at high speed.
0:27:13 > 0:27:17He's not haemodynamically stable, query pelvis.
0:27:17 > 0:27:21Fractured right... Open fracture to his right femur,
0:27:21 > 0:27:22query both lower legs.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24ANTHONY: Please, my arm. Oh, God.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27Right shoulder and right arm injuries
0:27:27 > 0:27:30and he's vascular compromising his right arm.
0:27:30 > 0:27:34Whether Anthony will recover from his injuries and walk again
0:27:34 > 0:27:39is still in doubt, but he has arrived at the right place
0:27:39 > 0:27:41and as quickly as possible.
0:27:41 > 0:27:45- Please, my leg is just so sore. - I know. Let's get you in.
0:27:45 > 0:27:50- Take the weight off, and rest it there.- Please help my hand.
0:27:50 > 0:27:52We will do, mate.
0:27:54 > 0:27:58After three weeks in intensive care in Blackburn
0:27:58 > 0:28:01and still sedated, Anthony is transferred to Liverpool,
0:28:01 > 0:28:04and into the hands of one of the UK's leading trauma surgeons.
0:28:04 > 0:28:09It's his job to rebuild his shattered leg and shoulder.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12What he suffered, he had these fractures
0:28:12 > 0:28:14of the whole of the shoulder blade
0:28:14 > 0:28:16but he also had an injury to the artery,
0:28:16 > 0:28:18the main artery that supplies the arm.
0:28:18 > 0:28:22He actually had a very serious injury to all the nerves that
0:28:22 > 0:28:27supply the muscles of the arm. This is the most serious of his injuries.
0:28:27 > 0:28:29He believes his job was made easier
0:28:29 > 0:28:33by his patient's quick transfer to hospital by helicopter.
0:28:33 > 0:28:36In the past there used to be a practice
0:28:36 > 0:28:41between rescue teams on trying to stabilise patients more,
0:28:41 > 0:28:43so spend time at the scene but my understanding
0:28:43 > 0:28:48is now that the emphasis is on "scoop and run" as they call it
0:28:48 > 0:28:51so they pick the patients and take them to hospital
0:28:51 > 0:28:53as soon as possible.
0:28:53 > 0:28:57I guess that's a big difference with him being airlifted.
0:28:58 > 0:29:01Six weeks after his accident
0:29:01 > 0:29:03and Anthony has only just come out of intensive care.
0:29:03 > 0:29:06At the moment he can only use one arm,
0:29:06 > 0:29:11and has to use a wheelchair but THIS is progress.
0:29:11 > 0:29:12A lot of the recovery
0:29:12 > 0:29:14from the main serious damages
0:29:14 > 0:29:16was all while I was asleep.
0:29:16 > 0:29:19So it's only like the operations I've had since I've woken up.
0:29:19 > 0:29:22There's not been too many of those thankfully.
0:29:22 > 0:29:26Anthony still has a long way still to go after this horrific crash,
0:29:26 > 0:29:30but he is determined to get back on his feet as soon as he can
0:29:30 > 0:29:33and is very grateful to be alive.
0:29:33 > 0:29:36If it hadn't had been for them, I wouldn't be here now.
0:29:36 > 0:29:39I would never have made it back in the ambulance.
0:29:39 > 0:29:42I'd lost so much blood and there was so much damage at the time,
0:29:42 > 0:29:44I wouldn't have got back.
0:29:44 > 0:29:48And it wouldn't have been five-to-one against surviving,
0:29:48 > 0:29:50I probably wouldn't have made it.
0:29:50 > 0:29:54So I owe them everything. Everything.
0:29:54 > 0:29:59More than a year on from his crash, Anthony is now back on his feet
0:29:59 > 0:30:02but doctors have warned him he's likely to be living
0:30:02 > 0:30:04with the effects of his injuries for life.
0:30:07 > 0:30:11An accident can have a devastating effect on the victim's life.
0:30:11 > 0:30:15From bankruptcy to divorce, the consequences can be life-changing
0:30:15 > 0:30:18in ways few people expect.
0:30:19 > 0:30:22It's midwinter in the Pennines and when a heavy snowfall
0:30:22 > 0:30:24puts the skids under your car,
0:30:24 > 0:30:30digging it out of the drifts is a daily chore. It's also hard work.
0:30:30 > 0:30:32In the village of Crossflatts, a commuting couple's attempt
0:30:32 > 0:30:35to get to work has had a terrible ending.
0:30:35 > 0:30:38Helimed 99 is on the case.
0:30:38 > 0:30:43The main casualty was a lady that was getting into the silver BMW
0:30:43 > 0:30:45that's just been dug out from the side road
0:30:45 > 0:30:49as another car's hit the back of her.
0:30:49 > 0:30:52Passers by were helping Susan Hotchkiss and her partner Bill
0:30:52 > 0:30:54free their hatchback from the snow
0:30:54 > 0:30:57when another car skidded and collided
0:30:57 > 0:30:58with the rear of their BMW.
0:30:58 > 0:31:02We'd just dug them out, literally. She was walking up the lane to get in the car
0:31:02 > 0:31:06when the car got struck from behind by the silver BM.
0:31:06 > 0:31:07She'd just been into the boot
0:31:07 > 0:31:09and she was walking around to the passenger seat.
0:31:09 > 0:31:14- She was lucky cos she was at the rear of the car seconds before. - Could've been a lot worse, really.
0:31:14 > 0:31:17The impact threw Susan into the road.
0:31:17 > 0:31:20She's badly hurt and, with her stunned partner,
0:31:20 > 0:31:23is being examined in the back of an ambulance.
0:31:23 > 0:31:26- Were you in't car at the time? Were you wearing a seatbelt?- Yeah.
0:31:26 > 0:31:30OK. How've you got this cut on your head? You'd hit the windscreen?
0:31:30 > 0:31:34Susan and Bill were planning to get married.
0:31:34 > 0:31:36Their wedding is only a week away, and in the Caribbean.
0:31:36 > 0:31:41Obviously injuries, lower back pain. (INAUDIBLE) I'll give you some more.
0:31:41 > 0:31:44Paramedic James Vine is amazed
0:31:44 > 0:31:46at his patient's apparently miraculous escape.
0:31:46 > 0:31:49She's been thrown approximately 10 feet.
0:31:49 > 0:31:51At the moment just on a primary survey doesn't look like
0:31:51 > 0:31:54she's got serious injuries but we'll err on the side of caution.
0:31:54 > 0:31:58The heavy overnight snow has put the ambulance service
0:31:58 > 0:32:01and hospital A&Es under severe pressure.
0:32:02 > 0:32:04Just due to the mechanism, the speed she's been hit
0:32:04 > 0:32:07and how far she's been thrown, we'd like to bring her to you.
0:32:08 > 0:32:12The centre of Leeds has also been carpeted with snow.
0:32:14 > 0:32:16The fire crew which mans the helipad on top of the LGI
0:32:16 > 0:32:20has been out early to clear it ahead of Helimed 99.
0:32:21 > 0:32:24The pain in your back, Sue, just so I know how far down it is, roughly.
0:32:24 > 0:32:28- What are you saying, is it really low down?- Yeah, to't bottom.
0:32:28 > 0:32:33- And my bum. - So your coccyx area?- Yeah.
0:32:33 > 0:32:37Bride-to-be Susan and Bill were busy planning their wedding
0:32:37 > 0:32:41away from the British winter weather in the sunshine of Barbados.
0:32:41 > 0:32:45Now all her plans may have to be put on hold.
0:32:45 > 0:32:49Whether she makes it onto that plane for the Caribbean in a week's time
0:32:49 > 0:32:53depends on the findings of the X-rays she's about to have
0:32:53 > 0:32:57and how quickly she can recover from her injuries.
0:33:01 > 0:33:04Susan misses her flight.
0:33:04 > 0:33:07Her planned wedding day is spent in a hospital bed.
0:33:07 > 0:33:10Several vertebra in her spine are crushed
0:33:10 > 0:33:13and she spends months in a body brace before finally
0:33:13 > 0:33:15she can stand up without it.
0:33:16 > 0:33:19I was discharged about 10 days
0:33:19 > 0:33:24and then I wore a brace for a good nine weeks, 10 weeks.
0:33:24 > 0:33:27And it's going to be a slow process.
0:33:27 > 0:33:30Even though the bones have healed and it's still going to need
0:33:30 > 0:33:35lots of physio and work to get my body back to as it were, hopefully.
0:33:37 > 0:33:39Susan and Bill had only moved in to their new house
0:33:39 > 0:33:43a week before the accident. The building work can go ahead
0:33:43 > 0:33:47but those Caribbean wedding plans are going to take a back seat
0:33:47 > 0:33:52until Susan fully recovers and that's going to take time.
0:33:52 > 0:33:54We'd just moved into the property that we're in now.
0:33:54 > 0:33:58I thought I must go in to work that Friday cos the following Monday
0:33:58 > 0:34:00I was flying to Barbados to get married
0:34:00 > 0:34:02so that all has got to be reorganised
0:34:02 > 0:34:07but as I say, at least I'm on the mend which is a good thing.
0:34:07 > 0:34:11And eight months later and Susan and Bill managed to swap
0:34:11 > 0:34:14the Pennine Hills for a Caribbean beach.
0:34:14 > 0:34:18It's been a long road to recovery, but this is a day
0:34:18 > 0:34:19that's been worth waiting for.
0:34:21 > 0:34:25You can't put a price on the pain and inconvenience caused
0:34:25 > 0:34:29by accidents like Susan's, although some injury lawyers will try.
0:34:29 > 0:34:31But the mental trauma of a major accident
0:34:31 > 0:34:34is often even more devastating.
0:34:35 > 0:34:40Helimed 98 has been scrambled to a country road in West Yorkshire.
0:34:40 > 0:34:42There's been a serious accident.
0:34:42 > 0:34:46A horse has been killed and its rider badly injured.
0:34:46 > 0:34:48Are you concerned about that pelvis enough for a pelvic splint?
0:34:48 > 0:34:51- If you've got a splint and we can get it on.- Yeah.
0:34:51 > 0:34:55Dr Alison Walker is the Helimed team's medical director
0:34:55 > 0:34:58and she's already examined the patient.
0:34:58 > 0:35:01This lady's obviously been hit from behind whilst on a horse
0:35:01 > 0:35:02and she got thrown off.
0:35:02 > 0:35:06I'm concerned she's got injuries to the right side of the chest.
0:35:06 > 0:35:10Right shoulder and right hip or pelvis so we're just going to fly her into Leeds.
0:35:10 > 0:35:14Angela Naylor has survived two major impacts.
0:35:14 > 0:35:19The first, when a car hit her horse. The second, when she hit the ground.
0:35:19 > 0:35:22Horse versus car or vehicle incidents are not that common
0:35:22 > 0:35:25but when they occur, can be very serious.
0:35:25 > 0:35:27Right, Ange, my name's Glen
0:35:27 > 0:35:30and I'm just going to pop a little tourniquet round this hand.
0:35:30 > 0:35:35- Is that pain still a nine out of 10 on that right side?- Yeah.- OK, luvvy.
0:35:35 > 0:35:39Let's see if we can do something to make that a little better then.
0:35:39 > 0:35:43Angela's an experienced horsewoman. She was riding along
0:35:43 > 0:35:45the lane near her home in the pit village
0:35:45 > 0:35:48of Allerton Bywater when the accident happened.
0:35:48 > 0:35:53Angela wears all the luminous things, everything. Just...
0:35:53 > 0:35:55You know what I mean, you can't miss her really.
0:35:55 > 0:35:59It's not the first incident to happen here.
0:35:59 > 0:36:02I don't know how it happened but they do come fast down this road.
0:36:02 > 0:36:05A local vet was called to treat Angela's horse
0:36:05 > 0:36:10but its leg was too badly broken and it had to be put down.
0:36:10 > 0:36:13We maybe see one or two like this every year
0:36:13 > 0:36:16where horses are hit by cars and fatally injured.
0:36:16 > 0:36:20I think the take-home message for people is to
0:36:20 > 0:36:23be aware when they're driving down country lanes.
0:36:23 > 0:36:26You may well encounter a horse round a bend so they should
0:36:26 > 0:36:29please try and slow down and take that into consideration.
0:36:33 > 0:36:35Since you've been in ours and the ambulance company,
0:36:35 > 0:36:38- have you had any pins and needles develop anywhere?- No.
0:36:38 > 0:36:41- You've had a pain develop in your chest.- Yeah.
0:36:41 > 0:36:43Is that a new onset in the last 10/15 minutes?
0:36:43 > 0:36:46- It happened when I first landed which I thought was winding.- Right.
0:36:46 > 0:36:49Then it eased a bit but now it's come back.
0:36:49 > 0:36:51And it's a pain that is made worse by you breathing?
0:36:51 > 0:36:54- Yeah.- OK, is it like a sharp, stabbing pain?- Yeah.- OK.
0:36:57 > 0:37:01OK, clear on the left. (INAUDIBLE)
0:37:01 > 0:37:03Angela's pain is worrying.
0:37:03 > 0:37:07Paramedic Glen is concerned it could be a symptom of a spinal injury,
0:37:07 > 0:37:10a common and potentially lethal effect of a fall from a horse.
0:37:10 > 0:37:14One study suggested riders are 20 times more likely
0:37:14 > 0:37:18to be injured in an accident than motorcyclists.
0:37:18 > 0:37:21- 16 hands though, that's a big horse. - It IS a big horse.
0:37:21 > 0:37:23She could well have a spinal compression.
0:37:23 > 0:37:28At Leeds General Infirmary doctors are waiting to X-ray Angela's back.
0:37:28 > 0:37:34I'll be with you all't way into the hospital, OK. My name's Glen again.
0:37:34 > 0:37:37The car has taken the horse out from underneath her
0:37:37 > 0:37:39and she's come crashing to the ground
0:37:39 > 0:37:41and sustained a nasty hip injury.
0:37:41 > 0:37:44Query, maybe she's fractured her hip there or her pelvis
0:37:44 > 0:37:47and her clavicle as well on the right side so all the injury's
0:37:47 > 0:37:50been taken down her right and hopefully
0:37:50 > 0:37:53we've got to here to the LGI and we can get her on the mend quickly.
0:37:54 > 0:38:00Lee is right - Angela's injuries are extensive and serious.
0:38:00 > 0:38:02We're just going down the slope now down into the department.
0:38:02 > 0:38:05We'll be inside in a minute or two.
0:38:05 > 0:38:09X-rays will confirm that Angela's pelvis is broken in three places.
0:38:09 > 0:38:11She's fractured a vertebra in her spine
0:38:11 > 0:38:16and she's cracked three ribs and her collar bone.
0:38:16 > 0:38:19It's the beginning of a long and painful road to recovery.
0:38:19 > 0:38:22It's several weeks before she's fit to leave hospital.
0:38:30 > 0:38:35And a year to the day after her fall, she's still unable to ride,
0:38:35 > 0:38:39thanks to a catalogue of injuries that could've killed her.
0:38:39 > 0:38:40Broken collarbone,
0:38:40 > 0:38:45two broken ribs. Broke my pelvis in three places.
0:38:45 > 0:38:47I've got a screw in for that now.
0:38:47 > 0:38:53And fractured one of my vertebrae at the bottom of my spine.
0:38:53 > 0:38:56Both Angela and her riding companion were also left
0:38:56 > 0:39:00with mental scars of an accident that should not have happened.
0:39:00 > 0:39:03'My friends understand how long it takes.
0:39:03 > 0:39:06'But I think strangers think,
0:39:06 > 0:39:08"Oh, she'll get over it a bit quicker."
0:39:08 > 0:39:10'And that does help, to talk to somebody'
0:39:10 > 0:39:15and just get it out so it's not all bottled up.
0:39:15 > 0:39:18'She spent ages in hospital and when she came out of hospital,
0:39:18 > 0:39:23'she was in a wheelchair and that and I think she's done amazing to get back to where she is.'
0:39:23 > 0:39:27She's just been so headstrong. She's been absolutely brilliant.
0:39:27 > 0:39:30I've not been on a horse yet and it's a year to't day
0:39:30 > 0:39:35but I can be round horses now so that doesn't upset me as much.
0:39:35 > 0:39:37But I've kept my stable on
0:39:37 > 0:39:40with the hope that I will be getting another horse.
0:39:41 > 0:39:45The people still recovering long after their injures there
0:39:45 > 0:39:49but in one case today, the survival of one of the team's patients
0:39:49 > 0:39:51is still in real doubt.
0:39:55 > 0:39:58As Helimed 99 returns to base,
0:39:58 > 0:40:01a long battle is beginning in the Leeds General Infirmary.
0:40:03 > 0:40:07Cardiologists are fighting to save the life of Owen Grimley
0:40:07 > 0:40:08who collapsed in his gym.
0:40:09 > 0:40:12They've inserted an electronic pump into his main artery
0:40:12 > 0:40:15in the hope of helping his ailing heart.
0:40:15 > 0:40:21At 74, his age is against him but his fitness proves crucial.
0:40:21 > 0:40:25By the end of the week he's well enough to receive visitors -
0:40:25 > 0:40:27his relieved wife and daughter.
0:40:28 > 0:40:31Oh, that's really, really nice.
0:40:32 > 0:40:36Owen was on his daily visit to the gym for a gentle workout
0:40:36 > 0:40:37when he collapsed.
0:40:37 > 0:40:42As far as I know, I walked a mile at a very slow speed.
0:40:42 > 0:40:45I never get up above three miles an hour.
0:40:45 > 0:40:52But I don't remember much more after that. Over I went, banged my head,
0:40:52 > 0:40:58burned my knees and finished up two days later coming round in hospital.
0:40:58 > 0:41:02Owen's survival is all the more remarkable in that he happened
0:41:02 > 0:41:05to collapse yards from one of the only three defibrillators
0:41:05 > 0:41:09in the town of Selby - population, 13,000.
0:41:09 > 0:41:11If it had happened outside
0:41:11 > 0:41:12of this gym or even if
0:41:12 > 0:41:16he was just in Selby doing a bit of shopping, God forbid,
0:41:16 > 0:41:19he probably wouldn't even have survived the heart attack
0:41:19 > 0:41:23due to us having a defib. It was a definite plus side
0:41:23 > 0:41:25to helping him come round.
0:41:25 > 0:41:29- Breathing in, breathing out, how's that?- Good.- OK?
0:41:29 > 0:41:33'My wife told me that the team at the gym were unbelievable.'
0:41:34 > 0:41:37It was just like a machine.
0:41:37 > 0:41:42They closed the gym down and the machine kicked into place
0:41:42 > 0:41:44and just saved my life.
0:41:44 > 0:41:48It is very rewarding that we've managed to save someone's life.
0:41:48 > 0:41:51We've actually brought them back from the dead, as such.
0:41:51 > 0:41:53I can't express...
0:41:53 > 0:41:58I was a dead man and they just saved my life.
0:41:58 > 0:42:00They saved my life.
0:42:00 > 0:42:03I died and they brought me back again.
0:42:07 > 0:42:11I'm looking forward to seeing Owen. A little bit apprehensive
0:42:11 > 0:42:13but I'm really pleased that he's back on his feet
0:42:13 > 0:42:16and he's able to get about and come in and see us
0:42:16 > 0:42:17so, yeah, looking forward to it.
0:42:19 > 0:42:22I've come here to meet everybody that was involved on the day.
0:42:22 > 0:42:26If you're going to have a heart attack, this is the place to do it.
0:42:28 > 0:42:29- Boo! - THEY LAUGH
0:42:29 > 0:42:31- Are you all right, Owen?- Hi, Owen.
0:42:31 > 0:42:34- I'm brilliant, how are you? - Not bad, yourself?
0:42:34 > 0:42:36- Hi, Owen. - THEY KISS
0:42:36 > 0:42:37- Oh, it's lovely to see you.- And you.
0:42:37 > 0:42:40- You're looking really well. - Do you think so?
0:42:40 > 0:42:42Yeah. You look very smart.
0:42:42 > 0:42:43I've even brought my hat!
0:42:43 > 0:42:47- It's raining outside. - Is it? Oh, right.- Yeah.
0:42:47 > 0:42:49- It wasn't at half five this morning. - You look very well.
0:42:49 > 0:42:53- How are you feeling?- 100%.
0:42:53 > 0:42:56And you'll be pleased to hear Owen's gym class heroes
0:42:56 > 0:42:57are now using their experience
0:42:57 > 0:43:00to help train their colleagues in first aid.
0:43:03 > 0:43:06Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd