0:00:03 > 0:00:06If you're critically ill or seriously injured, seconds count,
0:00:06 > 0:00:11and in Britain's biggest county, you can be a long way from help.
0:00:11 > 0:00:13- OPERATOR: Where's the patient? - Stuck under the car!
0:00:13 > 0:00:17The Yorkshire air ambulance flies at 150mph,
0:00:17 > 0:00:20and thanks to its speed hundreds of patients are alive today,
0:00:20 > 0:00:24saved by a highly-skilled team of doctors and paramedics.
0:00:25 > 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 > 0:00:39..and town centres into helipads.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42- Still good on the left? - Just behind you, Tim.
0:00:42 > 0:00:44And every day the Helimed team's skill,
0:00:44 > 0:00:47speed and courage is saving lives.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58Today, on Helicopter Heroes...
0:00:58 > 0:01:03Two trucks crash, and explosive gas bottles are leaking,
0:01:03 > 0:01:05but moving this patient could kill him.
0:01:05 > 0:01:08He's got a partially amputated right lower leg.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13Exploring a shipwreck leaves a diver seriously ill.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16Air rescue on scene on the beach, over.
0:01:16 > 0:01:18On the highest hill in the Peak District,
0:01:18 > 0:01:21a student's at the centre of a difficult rescue.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24I've fallen then twisted my back a bit.
0:01:24 > 0:01:28And the farmer who drove to his GP with a fractured skull.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31Was it your bull then that thumped you?
0:01:36 > 0:01:39We all expect the emergency services
0:01:39 > 0:01:41to take risks to save the lives of others,
0:01:41 > 0:01:44and those of us who have put on a uniform
0:01:44 > 0:01:46are only too aware that's the case.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49But sometimes extreme courage is called for
0:01:49 > 0:01:51in the most unlikely places.
0:01:52 > 0:01:56The ambulance crews based in the market town of Settle
0:01:56 > 0:01:59cover one of the most remote areas of the Yorkshire Dales.
0:01:59 > 0:02:04Their patch includes thousands of square miles of fell and moor
0:02:04 > 0:02:06stretching to the borders of the Lake District.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10Today, they have been called to the only major road
0:02:10 > 0:02:13running through the area - the A65.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15And Helimed 99 is on its way to join them.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19A65. Yeah, lots of accidents, lots of motorcyclists.
0:02:19 > 0:02:23As well as being a scenic route, it's a very dangerous route, as well.
0:02:23 > 0:02:27Two lorries have crashed head on. One was carrying gas cylinders.
0:02:27 > 0:02:31Its contents are strewn across the road and leaking.
0:02:31 > 0:02:36One of the lorries is carrying propane, and the propane is leaking.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39- Nice.- And they've requested two helicopters.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42Pilot Steve approaches with extreme care.
0:02:45 > 0:02:49One of the critically injured drivers had been delivering oxygen
0:02:49 > 0:02:51to the local ambulance station.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55This one's the most serious driver, he's a big lad.
0:02:55 > 0:02:56He's just delivered to us at Settle.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59Ten minutes ago, they were drinking tea with him.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03Now the local paramedics are fighting for driver Ian Rooke's life.
0:03:03 > 0:03:05How are we doing?
0:03:05 > 0:03:07We have Ian, a 45-year-old gentleman,
0:03:07 > 0:03:08the driver of the BOC wagon.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12From what I can gather, he's been ejected through the windscreen.
0:03:12 > 0:03:14We've only just started, we had to drag him away.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18He's obviously just delivered an oxygen supply to us, Entonox.
0:03:18 > 0:03:20We'd just been chatting to him as he'd been doing his delivery,
0:03:20 > 0:03:25then two minutes later got this accident with the wagons head-on.
0:03:25 > 0:03:27When we got on scene, all the gases were going off
0:03:27 > 0:03:30and we made a quick decision, rightly or wrongly, to put him
0:03:30 > 0:03:33on one of our sheets and drag him away so we could deal with him.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35It was risky for him,
0:03:35 > 0:03:38but if the lorry blows it will have saved his life.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40Airway's OK, tried to get a collar,
0:03:40 > 0:03:42his neck's too big for a collar.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46Firefighters are trying to cool the leaking cylinders.
0:03:46 > 0:03:50Many have lost the valves sealing in their contents.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53An explosive cloud is blowing in the wind.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57We've got a male been ejected from his vehicle,
0:03:57 > 0:04:01partially amputated right leg, fractured left leg.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06Having a little trouble actually getting him
0:04:06 > 0:04:10packaged at this stage, he's about 20 stone.
0:04:13 > 0:04:17These paramedics have been assigned to care for the second trucker.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20Pilot Steve knows the warning about explosive gas
0:04:20 > 0:04:23may not have reached the second helicopter.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26He's hoping to marshal it away from the danger zone.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30We might as well do it. If we're going to reposition him,
0:04:30 > 0:04:33we might as well do it when we've reached combi, haven't we?
0:04:33 > 0:04:35No matter how experienced paramedics are,
0:04:35 > 0:04:39few are immune from the stress that comes from dealing
0:04:39 > 0:04:40with a patient they know.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44Though they're not showing it, emotion will come later.
0:04:44 > 0:04:46Injury-wise he has been KO'd,
0:04:46 > 0:04:50he has multiple abrasions and lacerations to his body,
0:04:50 > 0:04:54but he's got a partially amputated right lower leg.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56We're querying a left femur,
0:04:56 > 0:04:59and obviously we can't rule out a pelvis.
0:04:59 > 0:05:01You can't go past that whatsoever.
0:05:01 > 0:05:03We've got to go in that field, that's where the aircraft is.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06At last, firefighters have had enough.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08They've found highly-explosive acetylene cylinders
0:05:08 > 0:05:10in the back of the truck.
0:05:10 > 0:05:12One is enough to demolish a building.
0:05:12 > 0:05:16Together, they're capable of sparking a disaster.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18The medical team must retreat now.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30FOGHORN BLARES
0:05:30 > 0:05:32The North Sea is a dangerous place.
0:05:32 > 0:05:36It's estimated more than 5,000 ships have been
0:05:36 > 0:05:38wrecked off the Yorkshire coast alone,
0:05:38 > 0:05:43and some of those long lost vessels are still claiming casualties today.
0:05:45 > 0:05:50Scarborough - the largest resort on the Yorkshire coast.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53This place attracts holidaymakers from across the country,
0:05:53 > 0:05:55and here, in the once bustling fishing harbour,
0:05:55 > 0:05:57a new industry is growing.
0:06:01 > 0:06:06Offshore diving is an increasing part of Scarborough's economy.
0:06:06 > 0:06:07Watch the back.
0:06:07 > 0:06:09There you go.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11Divers are drawn to this part of the coast
0:06:11 > 0:06:15because of the shipwrecks, which lie beneath the North Sea waves.
0:06:17 > 0:06:21But exploring the deep can put huge pressures on the human body.
0:06:29 > 0:06:33And today the Helimed team is racing to the coast
0:06:33 > 0:06:35to help a diver in deep trouble.
0:06:35 > 0:06:39'22-year-old male with the bends
0:06:39 > 0:06:42'going to the hyperbaric unit.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47'EMA is currently waiting for the patient to arrive
0:06:47 > 0:06:50'on the pier at Scarborough front.'
0:06:53 > 0:06:56The diver's friends have called 999 as they think
0:06:56 > 0:06:59he might be developing the bends, or decompression sickness -
0:06:59 > 0:07:03a potentially lethal condition where nitrogen bubbles
0:07:03 > 0:07:05build up in the bloodstream and joints.
0:07:05 > 0:07:09As divers themselves, it's a condition paramedics James
0:07:09 > 0:07:12and Sam are both very aware of.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15I've never come across a patient who's had the bends before,
0:07:15 > 0:07:19but, like James, I'm quite a keen diver in my spare time,
0:07:19 > 0:07:22so I know a little bit about the theory behind it.
0:07:22 > 0:07:26There are potential problems post-diving with flight,
0:07:26 > 0:07:29but that tends to be if you're in a pressurised cabin.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31Because this aircraft doesn't have a pressurised cabin
0:07:31 > 0:07:34and we're not going to be flying at any great altitude,
0:07:34 > 0:07:36we should be fine.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42'Coastguard and crew are landing on the beach.'
0:07:42 > 0:07:46It would be a hot load, wouldn't it?
0:07:46 > 0:07:47Yeah.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50Landing on the beach leaves the helicopter
0:07:50 > 0:07:51in a vulnerable situation.
0:07:51 > 0:07:53I can see an ambulance there.
0:07:54 > 0:07:56Nothing exciting on the beach,
0:07:56 > 0:08:00just some people down at the sea on the far right-hand side.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03Are they securing the beach there, see the coastguard coming out?
0:08:03 > 0:08:05- Two guys there.- Two people, yeah.
0:08:05 > 0:08:09- I get the feeling that's where they want us to...- Yeah.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12What I'm going to do, because there's a bit of a crosswind,
0:08:12 > 0:08:14I'll come down the beach,
0:08:14 > 0:08:17- rather than come too low over the sand.- Yeah, OK.
0:08:17 > 0:08:21If they shut down here and the engines won't restart,
0:08:21 > 0:08:25Helimed 98 could be swamped by the incoming tide.
0:08:25 > 0:08:26And clear out.
0:08:26 > 0:08:28Air desk, on scene, on the beach, over.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31So, to be safe, pilot Mark Griffiths
0:08:31 > 0:08:35will keep the rotor blades turning while Sam examines his patient.
0:08:35 > 0:08:39He's actually very stable. He has got right shoulder pain.
0:08:39 > 0:08:43He's had mild headaches, but that seems to have eased off.
0:08:43 > 0:08:45He's quite talkative and he is walking at the moment,
0:08:45 > 0:08:48we put him on more oxygen just to keep it going.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51- Have you been diving today?- Yeah.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54And you think you've ascended too fast?
0:08:54 > 0:08:57No, perfect ascent, perfect.
0:08:58 > 0:09:0117-year-old Adam Naylor has just been diving
0:09:01 > 0:09:04more than 40 metres below the surface.
0:09:04 > 0:09:06At the moment is it just
0:09:06 > 0:09:09- a bit of pain in your left shoulder? - Right.- Your right shoulder, sorry.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12He knows the pain in his shoulder could be a sign of the bends.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15- You've not had any pain anywhere else, have you?- No.
0:09:15 > 0:09:18Just in your shoulder and a bit of pins and needles on the oxygen.
0:09:18 > 0:09:22This rescue has become a bit of a seaside attraction,
0:09:22 > 0:09:24but the paramedics know they can't hang around.
0:09:24 > 0:09:28He is walking, mate, so we're just going to walk him across.
0:09:28 > 0:09:30Do you need anything else?
0:09:30 > 0:09:33No, he doesn't even need any pain relief, mate.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36Did you get the Royal Navy doctor thing?
0:09:36 > 0:09:39I heard something about keeping below 1,000 feet,
0:09:39 > 0:09:42but that's pretty common sense.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49I'll take him in, if you stay outside of this.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53Although he looks OK, diver Sam knows that the bends could
0:09:53 > 0:09:57still be developing inside Adam's body well after the dive.
0:09:57 > 0:10:01If so, only specialist treatment in a decompression chamber
0:10:01 > 0:10:0740 miles away can prevent it causing disability, or even death.
0:10:14 > 0:10:18The Derbyshire Peak District is Britain's oldest national park,
0:10:18 > 0:10:22and is reckoned to be the second most popular in the world,
0:10:22 > 0:10:25with a staggering 22 million visitors a year.
0:10:25 > 0:10:29But some of those visits end in an emergency.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32High hills and low clouds have always been
0:10:32 > 0:10:36a deadly combination for airmen, but when someone needs help,
0:10:36 > 0:10:39the Helimed team does its best to reach them.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42Today's mission couldn't be to a more difficult place -
0:10:42 > 0:10:45the highest hill in the Peak District.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48- I think it might be off in that cloud, you know.- Do you think?
0:10:48 > 0:10:51I'm wholly convinced. We've got another mile to go
0:10:51 > 0:10:53and there's a big blanket of cloud where we want to go.
0:10:53 > 0:10:57Somewhere on the 2,000 foot high slopes of Kinder Scout,
0:10:57 > 0:11:01a teenager with a minor injury is in a very serious situation.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04Mountain Rescue have got in touch
0:11:04 > 0:11:06because the distance for them to get up the hills
0:11:06 > 0:11:09would take them quite a considerable amount of time.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12The weather around us isn't particularly amazing at the moment,
0:11:12 > 0:11:14so exposure to the environment is their main concern
0:11:14 > 0:11:15for the patient at the moment.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18Let's just follow this path and see if we come across anyone.
0:11:18 > 0:11:22- We could land and go along the top and go down somewhere.- Yeah.
0:11:22 > 0:11:27On a clear day, Kinder stands out as the biggest single peak
0:11:27 > 0:11:30in a national park of 550 square miles,
0:11:30 > 0:11:33an area bigger than Greater London.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36Paramedics Leon and Graham face a scramble down to find
0:11:36 > 0:11:39the casualty in an empty landscape.
0:11:39 > 0:11:4399 Air desk, Have you got the number for the Mountain Rescue, Dave?
0:11:43 > 0:11:4716-year-old Beth Harrison was scaling Kinder with a college party
0:11:47 > 0:11:50when she slipped and injured her back.
0:11:50 > 0:11:54Essentially, there was 36 of us up there, all climbing,
0:11:54 > 0:11:56just on our way back down.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58But she just took a little bit of a slip and jarred her back.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01But she's OK, she's smiling away.
0:12:01 > 0:12:06Members of the Edale Mountain Rescue Team have been keeping her warm,
0:12:06 > 0:12:10and one of their volunteer paramedics has been giving Beth pain relief.
0:12:10 > 0:12:14We've given her some gas and air, Entonox, for the pain.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16Its common name is laughing gas, as you can see.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19It's really good for pain.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21It has got it down to zero, which is what we like.
0:12:21 > 0:12:26I slipped, then I cut myself on my stick, and what I've done is just
0:12:26 > 0:12:28fallen and then twisted my back a bit,
0:12:28 > 0:12:31and it's just been really painful.
0:12:31 > 0:12:35Kinder is a popular walking route, but it's not for the fainthearted.
0:12:35 > 0:12:39Its paths are slippery, and a fall can be fatal.
0:12:39 > 0:12:43Getting Beth up the peak to safety will not be easy.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45We've rigged a back rope up to three chaps at the top,
0:12:45 > 0:12:48who'll be holding it, so that as we carry the stretcher up
0:12:48 > 0:12:51we know we have a final point of security.
0:12:51 > 0:12:55Should anybody slip or anything we have the rope there to keep the stretcher secure.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58At last, the long climb to the top can begin.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01Go up a bit, then we'll go across to the rope
0:13:01 > 0:13:04then straight up to Andy up there, OK?
0:13:04 > 0:13:05You all right?
0:13:05 > 0:13:07- SHE LAUGHS - I'm glad she's having fun!
0:13:07 > 0:13:09OK, let's have it right up.
0:13:09 > 0:13:13We'll have it right up as far as we can.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16I'm going up the path, it's too steep for me.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19At the top of Kinder, most would be out of breath,
0:13:19 > 0:13:21but Mountain Rescue train for this.
0:13:21 > 0:13:23Put yourself back as best you can.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29Beth's journey in the Helimed 99 is going to be short -
0:13:29 > 0:13:33a short flight down into the valley below, where a land ambulance waits.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36- Down here, I take it? - Down here to the left, mate.
0:13:37 > 0:13:41The patient, I believe, is going to make her way off to Chesterfield
0:13:41 > 0:13:47Calow Hospital by the land crew, and we're going to head back to base.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50The student's day in hospital was short.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53Beth was so keen to get her walking boots back on,
0:13:53 > 0:13:56she returned to her college course the next day.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12Back to the scene of that serious crash in North Yorkshire now,
0:14:12 > 0:14:15and fears are growing that an explosion
0:14:15 > 0:14:17could cause further casualties.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22Lorry driver Ian Rooke was dragged clear of his truck
0:14:22 > 0:14:26by two local paramedics who, ten minutes before the crash,
0:14:26 > 0:14:29were drinking tea with him at their ambulance station.
0:14:31 > 0:14:33The Fire Brigade have discovered the load -
0:14:33 > 0:14:36initially thought to be just medical oxygen -
0:14:36 > 0:14:40also includes propane and acetylene.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42Some of the necks appear to have been damaged,
0:14:42 > 0:14:45so there's the potential for those to suddenly go off,
0:14:45 > 0:14:48and there could obviously be fatal consequences from that.
0:14:48 > 0:14:53The sound of escaping gas is very evident to all the emergency crews.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56The high-pressure cylinders it's leaking from could easily ignite,
0:14:56 > 0:15:00and Helimed 99 is in the danger zone.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04Pilot Steve Cobb, must move his helicopter away,
0:15:04 > 0:15:05into a safer position.
0:15:05 > 0:15:11- We're going to have to reposition our aircraft.- Yeah, you don't go back there.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14So I'm going to ask the pilot to put it down out of the road here.
0:15:14 > 0:15:18Could somebody stand and make sure nothing comes beyond your police car?
0:15:20 > 0:15:23The hiss of escaping gas is now almost drowning out
0:15:23 > 0:15:27Helimed 99's engines. Fears of an explosion are growing.
0:15:29 > 0:15:30Is that pain easing?
0:15:30 > 0:15:34Gas from the truck is making local paramedic Emma Carr feel woozy
0:15:34 > 0:15:38but it won't prevent her trying to reassure her patient.
0:15:38 > 0:15:43- We'll give you some morphine relief, all right? I know. - MOANING
0:15:43 > 0:15:46A tourniquet has been put around their patient's
0:15:46 > 0:15:51partially-severed leg but he is still losing dangerous amounts of blood.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54If his blood pressure continues to drop he could die.
0:15:54 > 0:15:59If you want to grab the sides just so we support it.
0:15:59 > 0:16:03Do you want to take it up a little bit or are you all right to keep it down?
0:16:03 > 0:16:06Are you happy to support it? Are you happy to move?
0:16:06 > 0:16:08The fire brigade advised the paramedics not to walk past
0:16:08 > 0:16:12where the cylinders were which was the only access to the helicopter,
0:16:12 > 0:16:14so we've moved the helicopter from where it was
0:16:14 > 0:16:17in this field to one further down the road
0:16:17 > 0:16:20so they can access it quite easily without passing anything dangerous.
0:16:20 > 0:16:24The paramedics have a new weapon to help them reduce severe bleeding.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27The drug TXA will help seal the leaking blood vessels
0:16:27 > 0:16:32in their patient's leg by encouraging his blood to clot faster.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34He's got potentially life threatening injuries.
0:16:34 > 0:16:36He has been unconscious as well
0:16:36 > 0:16:38so it's possible we've got a head injury.
0:16:38 > 0:16:43He's got fluids. Dressed the wounds as best we can.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46We've given him some TXA which is a new drug
0:16:46 > 0:16:50we carry to help with extensive bleeding.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53We'll get him off to LGI
0:16:53 > 0:16:55and hopefully he'll be in the best place for the right treatment.
0:16:55 > 0:17:00Just grab the feet and give a bit of support.
0:17:00 > 0:17:04With their patient's leg patched up as best they can,
0:17:04 > 0:17:06the paramedics now need manpower.
0:17:06 > 0:17:10Ian's weight will also make the task of caring for him
0:17:10 > 0:17:12in the cramped cabin of Helimed 99 even harder.
0:17:12 > 0:17:17Try and keep the weight off as far as we can into aircraft or it's going to be difficult.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20Keep coming, come on, keep coming.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23The mental and physical effort involved at a crash scene
0:17:23 > 0:17:27like this is immense but there's no respite.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30I'm going to squeeze on your arm. All right, boss, we're off.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33We'll get you to hospital shortly.
0:17:33 > 0:17:38- Cheers.- Let us know how he got on.- Yeah.- Cheers, Paul. Cheers, Tone.
0:17:38 > 0:17:42- How much morph has he had? - He's had 20.
0:17:42 > 0:17:46Ian's heart is working hard, and struggling to pump a diminished
0:17:46 > 0:17:49supply of blood around his badly-injured body.
0:17:49 > 0:17:55The team knows he's likely to lose his leg, but his life is
0:17:55 > 0:17:56also in the balance.
0:18:04 > 0:18:09An accident on the bed of the North Sea has left
0:18:09 > 0:18:12a young diver seriously ill with the bends, a life-threatening condition
0:18:12 > 0:18:16that requires very specialist treatment here on shore.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22Now lifted survivor, en route to Castle Hill.
0:18:22 > 0:18:27Adam Naylor's flight to hospital will be fast and low.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30Are your shoulders still all right? It's not got any worse, not changed at all?
0:18:30 > 0:18:35You've not got any new pains developing anywhere? Fantastic.
0:18:35 > 0:18:37Bubbles of nitrogen are trapped inside Adam's body
0:18:37 > 0:18:40and altitude could make them worse
0:18:40 > 0:18:43so pilot Mark Griffiths is hugging the tops of the
0:18:43 > 0:18:48Yorkshire Wolds. His patient's life could depend on his skill.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51Just document that he's had 15 minutes at 900 feet.
0:18:51 > 0:18:55I don't know if it will affect how long we have to stick him in the chamber for.
0:18:55 > 0:18:59I've already done that. I'm going to document when we land,
0:18:59 > 0:19:04so we've got the right timings cos it does affect the chamber time slightly.
0:19:04 > 0:19:08He's on his way here - to one of just nine category one
0:19:08 > 0:19:12hyperbaric centres in the UK - where specialists are already
0:19:12 > 0:19:16getting this odd-looking equipment ready for Adam's arrival.
0:19:16 > 0:19:20They know patients have died if not treated quickly for the bends,
0:19:20 > 0:19:23which is why speed is now so critical.
0:19:23 > 0:19:25Just to that side of the hospital?
0:19:25 > 0:19:28Yeah just where you see the light at 12 o'clock.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31That's the pad. It's a full concrete pad.
0:19:35 > 0:19:42I went down to 42 metres, a 38-minute dive, then ascended.
0:19:42 > 0:19:46When I got to the surface I started getting pains in my right bicep,
0:19:46 > 0:19:51so I told the people I was diving with.
0:19:51 > 0:19:56They put me onto oxygen and got me here basically.
0:19:56 > 0:20:01This young man has been out diving today. He said he's dived as normal.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04Normal ascent.
0:20:04 > 0:20:08When he's got back to the surface he's complained of pain in his right shoulder
0:20:08 > 0:20:10which hasn't eased off after a few minutes
0:20:10 > 0:20:15so he's told the medic on the dive boat and they're querying the bends.
0:20:15 > 0:20:17He's quite well with it really,
0:20:17 > 0:20:20but as a precaution they're taking him down to the hyperbaric
0:20:20 > 0:20:25treatment centre where they'll give him oxygen under pressure.
0:20:25 > 0:20:29Obviously the body's reacting to coming up from a rapid ascent
0:20:29 > 0:20:31so anything could happen in the next 24 hours.
0:20:31 > 0:20:35It's imperative we get him over to the hyperbaric treatment centre.
0:20:40 > 0:20:46Treating decompression sickness isn't a quick process.
0:20:46 > 0:20:48We'll just pop your neck seal on.
0:20:48 > 0:20:51Adam's already had three sessions in here. Today he's back
0:20:51 > 0:20:55for another two hours in this specialist pressurised room.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59Just pop your oxygen tube in.
0:20:59 > 0:21:01- Then we'll turn your oxygen on. - Right.
0:21:01 > 0:21:05'On Saturday evening I was in for five hours.
0:21:05 > 0:21:09'Then I've been in twice since.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12- 'Both for two hours.' - How's that feeling?
0:21:12 > 0:21:13Fine.
0:21:13 > 0:21:18'It was a really deep pain, a very strong ache in my shoulder'
0:21:18 > 0:21:22and as a diver you've been told that that's what you've got to
0:21:22 > 0:21:23look out for.
0:21:23 > 0:21:28It's joint pains and I had one in my shoulder joint.
0:21:30 > 0:21:34During the dive he's built up a nitrogen or a bubble head
0:21:34 > 0:21:36in his body. That's got trapped in tissues.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38In Adam's case in his shoulder.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41What we do here is the faster the diver gets to us
0:21:41 > 0:21:46the better that repressuring them or recompressing them
0:21:46 > 0:21:52will shrink those bubbles and allow the body to reabsorb those bubbles.
0:21:53 > 0:21:57But the main thing which decides whether that works is time.
0:21:57 > 0:22:02Adam was able to get from the water, onto the boat,
0:22:02 > 0:22:05into an ambulance and airborne to this centre in under 45 minutes.
0:22:05 > 0:22:10And that's what's meant he's set to make a full, and speedy recovery.
0:22:10 > 0:22:15The faster you get to us the quicker we can treat you
0:22:15 > 0:22:20and the more likely you are to have resolution of those symptoms.
0:22:20 > 0:22:25The longer and the bigger the delay, be that hours, days, a week,
0:22:25 > 0:22:29the harder it is for us to treat those symptoms.
0:22:29 > 0:22:33So now, it'll just be a matter of weeks before Adam can get
0:22:33 > 0:22:36back in his drysuit for another underwater trip -
0:22:36 > 0:22:39undeterred by his episode with the bends.
0:22:39 > 0:22:43'I've always been aware of it but I think I will be taking my time
0:22:43 > 0:22:46'even more than I have been now I've been bitten by it.'
0:22:55 > 0:22:58From our doorstep pints to the butter on our toast,
0:22:58 > 0:23:03we owe a lot to these girls, but every year an unlucky few see
0:23:03 > 0:23:06another side of the placid animals that graze in our fields.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12Britain is home to 10 million cattle
0:23:12 > 0:23:16and this is the bovine equivalent of the X Factor.
0:23:16 > 0:23:18Farmers drive 100 miles to exhibit their prize animals
0:23:18 > 0:23:22at Driffield Show in East Yorkshire.
0:23:22 > 0:23:26Entrants are combed and washed, gelled and polished.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29But the Helimed team knows at first hand how powerful these animals can be.
0:23:33 > 0:23:38We believe a male has been trampled by a herd of cows.
0:23:38 > 0:23:42We believe he's got back to his car. We don't know how.
0:23:44 > 0:23:48But the RRV and ambulance crew are concerned about his condition
0:23:48 > 0:23:50and that's why they've requested us.
0:23:51 > 0:23:56When a cow is faced with a dog, it can bring on a primal reaction.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59Suddenly these docile creatures can turn aggressive,
0:23:59 > 0:24:00and they have the weight advantage.
0:24:00 > 0:24:04All right, how are you doing?
0:24:04 > 0:24:09- Good.- Good.- I don't know what they told you, but we've got diminished breath sounds.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11- Trampled by cows.- 15 of them anyway.- All right.
0:24:11 > 0:24:15Daytripper Geoffrey Westgarth is lucky to be alive -
0:24:15 > 0:24:17a cow can weigh over a tonne
0:24:17 > 0:24:20and he has narrowly avoided being trampled to death by a whole herd.
0:24:20 > 0:24:24- Are you all right?- How are we doing?
0:24:24 > 0:24:26- Has my colleague given you..? - A little bit, yeah.
0:24:26 > 0:24:28Right, this is Geoffrey.
0:24:28 > 0:24:33He's been in a field with his dogs and his wife
0:24:33 > 0:24:36and the cows have become quite interested.
0:24:36 > 0:24:38He'd happened to get down towards the wall
0:24:38 > 0:24:41when they decided they would attack him.
0:24:41 > 0:24:45So he's been pushed over, kicked quite a few times
0:24:45 > 0:24:47and stood on as well.
0:24:47 > 0:24:51It is the remote nature of this area that draws in walkers
0:24:51 > 0:24:55but now Geoffrey is nearly 30 miles from the nearest accident and emergency department
0:24:55 > 0:25:00and the winding Dales roads are notoriously slow.
0:25:00 > 0:25:02He was up against the wall so he's managed to get away from
0:25:02 > 0:25:07the cows, but the trampling went on for about five, ten seconds.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10It was enough to probably give him some chest injuries, rib injuries.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13They were driven to here, about 20 minutes away
0:25:13 > 0:25:16but he couldn't go on any further in the car
0:25:16 > 0:25:18and they've called us.
0:25:18 > 0:25:20It was attacking from that side.
0:25:20 > 0:25:22There's a fair old bruising.
0:25:22 > 0:25:26You've maybe not realised they got you so many times.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28Does it hurt when I touch your stomach?
0:25:28 > 0:25:31Try not to tense. Just relax back.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37It does look like he's got significant trample injuries
0:25:37 > 0:25:40on his chest and down his left hand side.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42Geoffrey needs to be in hospital.
0:25:42 > 0:25:44His body is covered with bruises
0:25:44 > 0:25:47and he could have serious internal injuries.
0:25:47 > 0:25:49We need to take him down to James Cook.
0:25:49 > 0:25:53He'll need X-rays if he's done any damage to his lungs his ribs, his abdomen.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56The areas where he's been trampled on.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59The initial concern of the land crew was he's got a diminished air entry
0:25:59 > 0:26:04down one side of his lung, so we're concerned at that.
0:26:04 > 0:26:08The priority now is to get Geoffrey into hospital
0:26:08 > 0:26:10but with the constantly-changing weather
0:26:10 > 0:26:15and low clouds over the hills this may still be tricky.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19I know it's supposed to be summer, but very changeable.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21Showers coming through in squalls.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24Certainly around here it can prove to be bumpy trying to get
0:26:24 > 0:26:29out of here, but at least we'll have the wind behind us on the way there.
0:26:30 > 0:26:35We have lifted from just the west side of Richmond and bound for James Cook.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38He's examined and X-rayed but later released after
0:26:38 > 0:26:42treatment in Middlesbrough's James Cook Hospital.
0:26:42 > 0:26:46He knows he's been very lucky not to be seriously injured.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51Back at Driffield Show,
0:26:51 > 0:26:54the men and women who work with cattle are well aware
0:26:54 > 0:26:58of the dangers of getting too close to a protective cow and her calf.
0:26:58 > 0:27:03In the last five years in the UK, 23 farm workers were killed by cattle
0:27:03 > 0:27:09and nearly 600 injured. One of them was Eileen Wilson.
0:27:11 > 0:27:15I had a nasty accident last year with a Limousin cow.
0:27:15 > 0:27:17She didn't like me trying to get her in the crush
0:27:17 > 0:27:19and so she decided to knock me over
0:27:19 > 0:27:21and went over the top of me.
0:27:21 > 0:27:22Fortunately she missed me
0:27:22 > 0:27:25but I ended up with a dislocated knee in the process.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28I was off work for five months basically.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31Not fun at all. It hurts when they step on you.
0:27:33 > 0:27:37There's one well known risk in many fields - the bull.
0:27:37 > 0:27:42Weighing in at over a tonne, few ramblers would go anywhere near one.
0:27:42 > 0:27:47But farmers don't have any choice and neither do paramedics.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50There are times when wearing a bright red flying suit is
0:27:50 > 0:27:54an advantage. This isn't one of them.
0:27:58 > 0:28:03It's just 24 hours since the team's first cattle attack of the year.
0:28:03 > 0:28:05And paramedic Tony Wilkes has a familiar feeling.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10I've just been requested to go up to Aysgarth, to the GP practice.
0:28:10 > 0:28:13Apparently somebody's in there with a skull fracture
0:28:13 > 0:28:17and apparently THEY'VE been trampled on by some cows as well, so,
0:28:17 > 0:28:20quite a coincidence, then again, we are flying around North Yorkshire.
0:28:20 > 0:28:24There's a lot of farms and countryside and a lot of cows.
0:28:24 > 0:28:25They get up to mischief.
0:28:25 > 0:28:30In the village of Aysgarth, famous for its mile-long waterfalls,
0:28:30 > 0:28:33farmer Robert Ewbank needs help.
0:28:34 > 0:28:36He's been going to feed the bull
0:28:36 > 0:28:38and the bull's decided he wanted to come out of the gate
0:28:38 > 0:28:40at the same time he was coming out,
0:28:40 > 0:28:43so when he was walking out, the bull knocked him over
0:28:43 > 0:28:46and I think the gates hit him and he went down on the floor unconscious.
0:28:46 > 0:28:49Robert has been assessed by a local GP.
0:28:49 > 0:28:52Tony knows that a doctor wouldn't have called in the air ambulance
0:28:52 > 0:28:54unless this was a life-threatening injury.
0:28:54 > 0:28:59He's diagnosed the fact that this person has got a fractured skull.
0:28:59 > 0:29:02Obviously, there's a chance of an infection getting in there,
0:29:02 > 0:29:06pressure within the break being a problem.
0:29:06 > 0:29:08So, yes, it's obviously really a problem here,
0:29:08 > 0:29:11so we need to get to hospital, get some X-rays done,
0:29:11 > 0:29:13to see exactly what damage has been done
0:29:13 > 0:29:16and then obviously he'll be treated from there.
0:29:16 > 0:29:20Local paramedics have looked after Robert in the back of an ambulance
0:29:20 > 0:29:23and it seems that his head has sustained serious damage.
0:29:23 > 0:29:27I'm not entirely sure of the depth, but he's got quite a nasty,
0:29:27 > 0:29:30what looks like something going in there and coming out here.
0:29:30 > 0:29:34This rural doctors surgery is used to dealing with farming injuries,
0:29:34 > 0:29:37but the doctor knows that this time the patient needs
0:29:37 > 0:29:40the facilities only a large hospital can offer.
0:29:40 > 0:29:45He doesn't know, but the bull probably pushed him against the gate and he's got a head injury,
0:29:45 > 0:29:48came up here to the surgery to see if we can stitch him here,
0:29:48 > 0:29:50but he's obviously got a query skull fracture,
0:29:50 > 0:29:53because he's bleeding from his ear, so he'll have to go to James Cook
0:29:53 > 0:29:56and James Cook, being as far away as it is
0:29:56 > 0:29:59needs the air ambulance, because it will be quick to get there.
0:29:59 > 0:30:04But as the team get Robert out of the ambulance, he starts to vomit.
0:30:04 > 0:30:06We're going to get you back on some oxygen, Robert.
0:30:06 > 0:30:08If you feel sick again, just let us know.
0:30:08 > 0:30:10Even when you're on this board,
0:30:10 > 0:30:13- we can just turn you over onto one side, OK?- Yes, yes.
0:30:13 > 0:30:16In combination with his head wound,
0:30:16 > 0:30:19this could indicate rising pressure in his skull.
0:30:19 > 0:30:21How do you feel? Do you feel that sickness has passed?
0:30:21 > 0:30:24- Yes, not so bad at the minute. - Not so bad at the minute. OK.
0:30:24 > 0:30:25Will you be happy then
0:30:25 > 0:30:28if we just sort of lay you flat to see how you go?
0:30:28 > 0:30:32You just relax, let yourself come down.
0:30:32 > 0:30:35He probably has got a skull fracture, I would think.
0:30:35 > 0:30:38But he's conscious and should be fine once we get him there.
0:30:38 > 0:30:41Get some scans, but he's in the right place there at James Cook.
0:30:41 > 0:30:43They've got all the neurosurgery.
0:30:43 > 0:30:45Right, your bull then...
0:30:45 > 0:30:47INDISTINCT
0:30:47 > 0:30:50- Because it looks a big beast, does it?- Hmm, just...
0:30:50 > 0:30:56In fact, Robert's bull weighs in at three quarters of a tonne.
0:30:56 > 0:30:59Like most farmers, Robert is obviously made of tough stuff.
0:30:59 > 0:31:02It seems he actually kept on working after the accident.
0:31:02 > 0:31:05He just sort of carried on doing what he was doing, then came home
0:31:05 > 0:31:08and said, "I've had a bit of an accident."
0:31:08 > 0:31:15Well, we came to Aysgarth, just to the GP to get him checked out and...
0:31:15 > 0:31:18the GPs called the ambulance.
0:31:18 > 0:31:21He's been, er, pushed over by a bull into a fence
0:31:21 > 0:31:25and we're querying that he's got a fractured skull.
0:31:25 > 0:31:27It's all dressed at the moment.
0:31:27 > 0:31:30From what we've been told, there's two wounds.
0:31:30 > 0:31:32One anterior, one posterior
0:31:32 > 0:31:35and they're querying whether there's a foreign object in there
0:31:35 > 0:31:37that might have gone in through the gate.
0:31:37 > 0:31:39But like I say, it's dressed up at the moment.
0:31:39 > 0:31:42Did have a period of loss of consciousness when it first happened
0:31:42 > 0:31:45for about ten minutes, but it wasn't witnessed.
0:31:45 > 0:31:48Robert went to his local surgery,
0:31:48 > 0:31:51believing it was an injury his GP could treat.
0:31:51 > 0:31:56But the team knows a fracture like this is life-threatening.
0:31:56 > 0:31:59Paramedic Tony will be carefully monitoring Robert's condition
0:31:59 > 0:32:00throughout this flight.
0:32:00 > 0:32:02'I've not seen the wound itself',
0:32:02 > 0:32:04but there's a possibility there's a foreign object
0:32:04 > 0:32:07actually impaled in this patient's skull,
0:32:07 > 0:32:09which obviously is a concern.
0:32:09 > 0:32:12If it's not that, it could just be skull fragments.
0:32:12 > 0:32:14But he's obviously got a skull fracture,
0:32:14 > 0:32:16so there's all those possibilities there.
0:32:16 > 0:32:17There's bleeding to the brain,
0:32:17 > 0:32:19raised pressure within the skull itself
0:32:19 > 0:32:22and obviously infection getting in if it's an open fracture.
0:32:22 > 0:32:25So we are concerned, but saying that, he's quite stable at the moment.
0:32:25 > 0:32:29So hopefully he'll be fine with us until he gets to hospital,
0:32:29 > 0:32:32gets his X-ray, so we can see exactly what damage is done.
0:32:32 > 0:32:36He's flown to the James Cook Hospital in Middlesbrough,
0:32:36 > 0:32:39where doctors will confirm that his skull is fractured.
0:32:39 > 0:32:42The foreign object turns out to be a piece of bone
0:32:42 > 0:32:44dislodged in the attack.
0:32:46 > 0:32:49Later that day, he undergoes surgery.
0:32:49 > 0:32:51But there are no hard feelings.
0:32:51 > 0:32:55He blames himself for irritating his prize bull.
0:32:56 > 0:32:58I was going to feed him
0:33:00 > 0:33:03and something, something spooked him at the top of the shed.
0:33:03 > 0:33:07So when I set off to milk, he hit the gate and that was it.
0:33:07 > 0:33:11I came round, the next thing I knew, there was plenty of blood about
0:33:11 > 0:33:16and the bull was missing and one thing or another got sorted out...
0:33:16 > 0:33:17I came back home
0:33:17 > 0:33:20and the wife said, "I think I'd better take you to the doctor."
0:33:20 > 0:33:22As the saying is, you never trust a bull.
0:33:22 > 0:33:26They're not violent in any way at all, no, just one of them things.
0:33:26 > 0:33:30Back in Driffield, judging has started at the show.
0:33:30 > 0:33:33And vet Keith Dalby is busy.
0:33:35 > 0:33:37He believes that growing numbers of foreign breeds
0:33:37 > 0:33:41grazing British fields are behind the increase in cattle attacks.
0:33:43 > 0:33:47But it's ramblers with dogs who are most at risk.
0:33:47 > 0:33:50The great problem, of course, is the cow has just had a calf.
0:33:50 > 0:33:52Because she's very protective towards the calf.
0:33:52 > 0:33:54The last thing you want to be showing her is a dog
0:33:54 > 0:33:58because she will immediately take defensive action against the dog
0:33:58 > 0:34:00in order to protect her calf.
0:34:00 > 0:34:03Certainly, the last thing to do is to pick the dog up
0:34:03 > 0:34:08because, quite clearly, the cow will then attack the dog in your arms
0:34:08 > 0:34:09and will be attacking you.
0:34:11 > 0:34:14But it doesn't have to be a dog that gets you into trouble.
0:34:16 > 0:34:19High above the North York Moors, the Helimed team
0:34:19 > 0:34:21is heading to help an injured rider.
0:34:21 > 0:34:23She's been thrown off her horse
0:34:23 > 0:34:27after it was scared by some nervous cows.
0:34:27 > 0:34:30We were trotting up the road and there were cows at the hedge that we didn't see.
0:34:30 > 0:34:34The horse was terrified, so...she just slid along the road head first.
0:34:37 > 0:34:41The cows that spooked the horse had calves with them in the field.
0:34:41 > 0:34:44So, we're just going to walk round now and jump over the gate here
0:34:44 > 0:34:45and see what's going on.
0:34:45 > 0:34:47But first,
0:34:47 > 0:34:51a rural obstacle, which regularly confronts these paramedics.
0:34:51 > 0:34:56Electric fences are a common but painful hazard.
0:34:56 > 0:34:58It's not going to be a great way to come back,
0:34:58 > 0:35:01it might be worth telling Pete just to be aware of it.
0:35:01 > 0:35:04- Lisa's come off a horse. The silly cow, wasn't it?- Yeah.
0:35:04 > 0:35:08Spooked her horse. She's come off. She's got a laceration above her left eyebrow.
0:35:08 > 0:35:12She's got a graze on her chin. She's got a painful right elbow.
0:35:12 > 0:35:13Yeah.
0:35:13 > 0:35:17She has also got a pain in her left knee.
0:35:17 > 0:35:18- Hello, Lisa.- You keep still.
0:35:18 > 0:35:20Nice to meet you. I'm sorry it's like this.
0:35:20 > 0:35:23We are just going to pop you onto... onto a board, basically,
0:35:23 > 0:35:26I think these two have described what's been happening
0:35:26 > 0:35:27and what we're doing for you.
0:35:27 > 0:35:30So, the horse has been put away, has he, or she?
0:35:30 > 0:35:32- Yeah, yeah, they've all gone home. - Right, OK.
0:35:32 > 0:35:35She's a bit dazed, but she's not lost consciousness or anything.
0:35:35 > 0:35:36She's a bit banged up,
0:35:36 > 0:35:39she's pretty bruised and sore-legged but we think she'll be fine.
0:35:39 > 0:35:42And it doesn't look like she's got any major injuries.
0:35:42 > 0:35:44I think it's just going to be a spinal board,
0:35:44 > 0:35:47due to the mechanism of falling off the horse.
0:35:47 > 0:35:50Luckily, she's not complaining of any significant injuries,
0:35:50 > 0:35:52but obviously, the transfer to hospital is quite a long way,
0:35:52 > 0:35:54so we're just going to get a stretcher out,
0:35:54 > 0:35:57pop her on a spinal board and take her up to the aircraft.
0:35:58 > 0:36:02It's relatively rare for horses to be intimidated by cows.
0:36:02 > 0:36:04They're not often seen as a threat.
0:36:04 > 0:36:08But when young calves are accompanied by protective mothers,
0:36:08 > 0:36:10accidents can happen.
0:36:10 > 0:36:12If you tell that guy there in blue,
0:36:12 > 0:36:15it's his cows at the back of the hedge that did it.
0:36:15 > 0:36:18Nice big deep breath. That's it. Just suck it like a drink.
0:36:19 > 0:36:22The team's patient isn't a regular rider.
0:36:23 > 0:36:27The fall's left Lisa in great pain.
0:36:27 > 0:36:28How does that feel, Lisa?
0:36:28 > 0:36:31Any pain there?
0:36:31 > 0:36:34For her husband and son, it's a difficult thing to watch.
0:36:34 > 0:36:36It'll be all right, it's just a precaution.
0:36:36 > 0:36:37Is this your mum? Yeah?
0:36:39 > 0:36:43We'll look after her. Has that put you off riding horses, then?
0:36:43 > 0:36:46No, she says she wants to be back on again.
0:36:46 > 0:36:49I've yet to meet someone that's put off riding horses.
0:36:49 > 0:36:53I hadn't ridden in two years. This is the first time in two years.
0:36:53 > 0:36:57She comes up a couple of times a year, if that.
0:36:57 > 0:36:59We always take her out when she's here,
0:36:59 > 0:37:00but she doesn't ride at home, so...
0:37:00 > 0:37:02it's the only riding experience she's got, really.
0:37:02 > 0:37:05All right, ready? Lift.
0:37:06 > 0:37:09And it's an experience which, thanks to these cows,
0:37:09 > 0:37:12has left her taking a ride in Helimed 98.
0:37:12 > 0:37:15- You all right, Lisa?- Yeah.- Yeah?
0:37:15 > 0:37:17We're just having a walk down to the aircraft, we're all right.
0:37:19 > 0:37:22No loss of consciousness, no C-spine tenderness or vertical pain,
0:37:22 > 0:37:24pain on the left kneecap.
0:37:25 > 0:37:27She's got a BP of 147/65,
0:37:27 > 0:37:30GCS of 15 and is quite stable at this moment in time, over.
0:37:32 > 0:37:35Lisa is X-rayed on arrival in hospital.
0:37:35 > 0:37:37It's found her injuries are relatively minor.
0:37:37 > 0:37:41But the experience ruins the family holiday.
0:37:41 > 0:37:44Not the first to be spoiled by an animal
0:37:44 > 0:37:47that also does so much good for all of us.
0:37:49 > 0:37:53The victims of some unexpected accidents down on the farm there,
0:37:53 > 0:37:57and happily both our patients are now well on the road to recovery.
0:37:57 > 0:38:01But the outlook for injured lorry driver Ian Rooke is less certain
0:38:01 > 0:38:04after a terrible road accident in North Yorkshire.
0:38:08 > 0:38:11'We're out of Settle and on to the LGI. We just passed Skipton.'
0:38:14 > 0:38:17Ian was lucky to survive a head-on crash with another truck,
0:38:17 > 0:38:20and the explosive gas cloud
0:38:20 > 0:38:23released by his cargo of pressurised cylinders.
0:38:25 > 0:38:28'When we get him onto the thing, we'll just have a quick look,
0:38:28 > 0:38:31'and I'll have a quick look at that tourniquet as well.'
0:38:33 > 0:38:35If his blood pressure drops much further,
0:38:35 > 0:38:37the team may not be able to save him.
0:38:37 > 0:38:38Keep your arm there!
0:38:40 > 0:38:43By road, the journey would take over an hour.
0:38:43 > 0:38:46Helimed 99 is touching down at the Leeds General Infirmary
0:38:46 > 0:38:49within 15 minutes.
0:38:49 > 0:38:52Can we have plenty of hands round here if we can, please?
0:38:52 > 0:38:55Cos he's quite a large chap.
0:38:55 > 0:38:59Right, this is Ian. 45-year-old gentleman driving an artic lorry.
0:38:59 > 0:39:03Head on with another artic, ejected through the front windscreen.
0:39:03 > 0:39:05Were the Fire Service first on the scene?
0:39:05 > 0:39:08Paramedics stopped Ian bleeding to death by giving him
0:39:08 > 0:39:11a new drug, which they've only just started to carry.
0:39:12 > 0:39:15TXA speeds up the clotting process
0:39:15 > 0:39:18and was developed with the help of military medics
0:39:18 > 0:39:19working in war zones.
0:39:21 > 0:39:24They'll look at what the circulation is like to the leg below
0:39:24 > 0:39:27and make decisions then, once it's cleaned up and straightened out
0:39:27 > 0:39:31with the fractures, as to what the course of action will be.
0:39:31 > 0:39:33So that could range from, you know,
0:39:33 > 0:39:36long-standing operations and surgery
0:39:36 > 0:39:39to amputation of that leg.
0:39:39 > 0:39:42After his initial assessment by the surgeons,
0:39:42 > 0:39:45the lorry driver is put into an induced coma
0:39:45 > 0:39:48to let his body recover before surgery.
0:39:48 > 0:39:53Back at Settle Ambulance Station, the medics who first treated Ian
0:39:53 > 0:39:57have time to reflect on the most difficult and dangerous case
0:39:57 > 0:39:59any of them has dealt with.
0:39:59 > 0:40:00You obviously hope it won't be him,
0:40:00 > 0:40:03and it won't be as bad as what you're getting on your screen,
0:40:03 > 0:40:05but obviously it was when we got there.
0:40:05 > 0:40:07Ian, I'm right by your head.
0:40:07 > 0:40:11I was constantly talking to him and hopefully reassuring him,
0:40:11 > 0:40:13explaining everything that was going on
0:40:13 > 0:40:15and sort of trying to make light of the situation by saying,
0:40:15 > 0:40:17"Oh, you know, we've just seen you," you know.
0:40:18 > 0:40:21It was quite frightening.
0:40:21 > 0:40:24When you can hear all the gas bottles hissing away,
0:40:24 > 0:40:26you do feel a sense of danger there.
0:40:26 > 0:40:28Me and Paul were starting to feel very woozy and headachy,
0:40:28 > 0:40:31so it was definitely having an effect.
0:40:31 > 0:40:33That's another reason why we needed to get out of there,
0:40:33 > 0:40:36cos we didn't know what effect that would have on us.
0:40:37 > 0:40:42It did sort of make the decision easier to move him rather quickly.
0:40:43 > 0:40:46Ian spends three weeks in intensive care.
0:40:48 > 0:40:50The paramedics in Settle saved his life.
0:40:50 > 0:40:53But he loses his leg.
0:40:53 > 0:40:56I've had my leg amputated just below the...
0:40:56 > 0:40:58the knee.
0:40:58 > 0:41:00All my centre of gravity has changed.
0:41:01 > 0:41:04Where my leg came off, that was two and a half stone...
0:41:07 > 0:41:09..which I thought was amazing, myself.
0:41:11 > 0:41:14It's a month after the accident that nearly killed him,
0:41:14 > 0:41:16and Ian has only hazy memories of what happened that day.
0:41:18 > 0:41:21It was a blur. One minute you're delivering the gas to him
0:41:21 > 0:41:23and having a laugh with him,
0:41:23 > 0:41:26saying, "Morning, there's your gas."
0:41:26 > 0:41:28And, next minute they're...
0:41:28 > 0:41:32putting bandages on you and saving your life. It's...
0:41:34 > 0:41:36..a funny old world, isn't it?
0:41:36 > 0:41:38Few paramedics get to catch up
0:41:38 > 0:41:41on the progress of the patients they treat.
0:41:41 > 0:41:44But this was no ordinary incident.
0:41:44 > 0:41:48And today, visiting time brings an unexpected reunion.
0:41:48 > 0:41:51- Hello.- Hiya.- Ian? I'm Emma, Ian.
0:41:51 > 0:41:52- All right?- Nice to meet you.
0:41:52 > 0:41:55- This is Tony and this is Paul. - Hello, Ian, nice to meet you.
0:41:55 > 0:41:56All right?
0:41:56 > 0:42:01And for Ian, it's the perfect opportunity to say thank you.
0:42:01 > 0:42:03I can't thank them enough for what they've done.
0:42:03 > 0:42:06You know, if they weren't there, I wouldn't be here, so...
0:42:07 > 0:42:11..it's good to see them and thank them personally.
0:42:12 > 0:42:13And I'm pleased to tell you
0:42:13 > 0:42:16Ian's learning to adapt to life with his disability.
0:42:16 > 0:42:21He knows the outcome of his accident could have been even more serious.
0:42:33 > 0:42:37Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd