0:00:03 > 0:00:06If you're critically ill, or seriously injured,
0:00:06 > 0:00:09seconds count. And in Britain's biggest county,
0:00:09 > 0:00:10you can be a long way from help.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13- Where's the patient? - Stuck under the car!
0:00:13 > 0:00:17The Yorkshire Air Ambulance flies at 150 miles an hour,
0:00:17 > 0:00:21and thanks to its speed, hundreds of patients are alive today -
0:00:21 > 0:00:25saved by a highly skilled team of doctors and paramedics.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28- Stand clear everybody. - Keep going, mate.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31It covers some of the UK's most rugged landscapes.
0:00:31 > 0:00:33Turning roadsides into operating theatres.
0:00:33 > 0:00:37We're going to pop him off to sleep with an emergency anaesthetic, OK?
0:00:37 > 0:00:39And town centres into heli pads.
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 > 0:01:02two children are badly injured in a freak accident,
0:01:02 > 0:01:04and the team must fly them both.
0:01:04 > 0:01:08The trailer fell down the bank and it landed on two of them.
0:01:08 > 0:01:12Paramedic Darrell treats a teenager who's a millimetre from death.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14We believe he's sat on this spike on the railing.
0:01:14 > 0:01:16He's been a very lucky man.
0:01:16 > 0:01:21High in the hills, a runner's at the centre of a major rescue operation.
0:01:21 > 0:01:22Too many people running along here.
0:01:29 > 0:01:31Caring for the grandkids can be one of the pleasures
0:01:31 > 0:01:33of middle age for many.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36But keeping children amused isn't easy.
0:01:36 > 0:01:40And with all that fun comes an awful lot of responsibility.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44For cousins Ethan and Louise here,
0:01:44 > 0:01:47a ride behind Granddad's tractor mower is an exciting
0:01:47 > 0:01:49part of the summer holiday.
0:01:49 > 0:01:54But one day this year, the fun ended in a terrible accident.
0:01:54 > 0:01:58We'd been called to a detail just outside of Pickering.
0:01:58 > 0:02:00Three young lads had been playing on a trailer
0:02:00 > 0:02:03had fallen off of it, and one of them sustained quite a
0:02:03 > 0:02:06nasty fracture to his leg.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09Ethan and Louis are badly hurt.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11The trailer in which they were riding turned over
0:02:11 > 0:02:15and rolled down the bank on the left in this family video.
0:02:15 > 0:02:17Ethan's leg is badly broken.
0:02:17 > 0:02:22It's feared Louis has a serious head injury.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24There's another cross with a yellow car
0:02:24 > 0:02:26- at your three o'clock, now. - Got it, mate. Yeah.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29Pilot Chris Attrill must find somewhere to land
0:02:29 > 0:02:31in the remote village of Newton on Rawcliffe.
0:02:31 > 0:02:35Approach for that, and land on the section of junction.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38Yeah. I've got a feeling there's a set of wires there, mate.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40Just where that blue car's pulled up.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44It should be easy, but power lines and phone wires are in the way.
0:02:44 > 0:02:46There you go, guys.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49Paramedics Darren Axe and Sam Burgess
0:02:49 > 0:02:51will have to walk to their patients.
0:02:52 > 0:02:57They were being towed on the little trailer behind
0:02:57 > 0:03:03my husband's lawn tractor and there's a very, very steep bank down there.
0:03:03 > 0:03:08And the trailer came off and fell down the bank,
0:03:08 > 0:03:13and it landed on...two of them.
0:03:15 > 0:03:17It was...just a horrible fright.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23Sam and Darren must decide which of the children
0:03:23 > 0:03:25most needs a flight to hospital,
0:03:25 > 0:03:30a decision based on examinations carried out by local paramedics.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33He's had his first morphine, so...
0:03:33 > 0:03:35That were only five minutes ago so...
0:03:35 > 0:03:36We'll let that rest a bit then.
0:03:36 > 0:03:41He's making plenty of noise, sat up, all the rest of it.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44This kid's been in the same accident. He's just bumped his head,
0:03:44 > 0:03:46but he's been really quite quiet.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49He's not complaining of anything, and mum says normally he would.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52The team suspects five-year-old Ethan has broken his femur,
0:03:52 > 0:03:54the biggest bone in the body.
0:03:54 > 0:03:58Four-year-old Louis has banged his head. It's immediately clear
0:03:58 > 0:04:00that both the children need to be flown to hospital.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04If we can, we will, but it's a matter of space inside the machine.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06That's what holds us back.
0:04:06 > 0:04:11Like you say... He's had five minutes... Get another bit in.
0:04:11 > 0:04:15Morphine is the strongest painkiller available to the paramedics
0:04:15 > 0:04:18but children this young can only be given a small dose.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21Ethan is still struggling with the pain.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23If we give you some more of our really nice medicine,
0:04:23 > 0:04:27then that pain will go away and you'll feel better. OK?
0:04:30 > 0:04:36We'll just do that first...and then we're going to take you for a ride.
0:04:36 > 0:04:40Sam suspects Louis' head injury may be serious.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42Do you feel me touching your hand?
0:04:42 > 0:04:46Yeah? Do you feel me touching your other hand?
0:04:46 > 0:04:49Do you feel me touching your tummy?
0:04:49 > 0:04:51We'll get you moved fairly soon, all right?
0:04:51 > 0:04:54Darren and Sam decide to take both boys to hospital -
0:04:54 > 0:04:56Louis and his mum first.
0:04:56 > 0:05:00The helicopter will then return for his cousin.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02Me and Chris, now, will fly with him,
0:05:02 > 0:05:06and Chris will return to get this lad.
0:05:08 > 0:05:10It didn't appear too serious initially,
0:05:10 > 0:05:14but he is very quiet and...with him being so quiet after such an injury...
0:05:14 > 0:05:17He's quite a boisterous boy, apparently.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20Daddy is on his way in the train, cos he wants to come and see you,
0:05:20 > 0:05:22cos he's so worried.
0:05:22 > 0:05:26Louis' mum Rebecca is trying to reassure her son -
0:05:26 > 0:05:28he wants his daddy who's at work.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31She's desperately worried but trying to conceal it.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37Sam knows children with head injuries
0:05:37 > 0:05:39often display relatively few symptoms,
0:05:39 > 0:05:42but then deteriorate far faster than adults.
0:05:46 > 0:05:48En route to James Cook.
0:05:48 > 0:05:52If Louis' condition worsens, Sam will have to cope alone.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57The 35-mile-flight to the James Cook Trauma Centre
0:05:57 > 0:06:01in Middlesbrough could be stressful for patient, parent and paramedic.
0:06:12 > 0:06:14The human body is an amazing thing.
0:06:14 > 0:06:18Packed inside each of us is around 20 feet of intestine,
0:06:18 > 0:06:212,500 miles of airway
0:06:21 > 0:06:24and a staggering 60,000 miles of blood vessel,
0:06:24 > 0:06:27not to mention several vital organs.
0:06:27 > 0:06:31So it's not surprising that even a minor injury can do serious damage.
0:06:35 > 0:06:40Every day, Yorkshire's ambulances respond to around 2,000 emergencies,
0:06:40 > 0:06:44but it's a hot day and the number of 999 calls
0:06:44 > 0:06:46has soared with the temperature.
0:06:46 > 0:06:48It's left paramedics struggling to cope with demand.
0:06:48 > 0:06:52I've just had an update. This is a very serious injury.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55It's gone through his abdomen, back out.
0:06:55 > 0:06:59Have we got any vehicles en route to it yet, over?
0:06:59 > 0:07:01That's a negative. I've looked.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04We haven't got anyone to send at the moment, over.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08The summer sun means that paramedics John Baxter and Darrell Cullen
0:07:08 > 0:07:12may be on their own - with a critically injured patient.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15- There's a...- I could put it there. I could put it in the school.
0:07:15 > 0:07:19Your choice. School's got a fence around it, though.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22Pilot Andy Lister is forced to drop his crew
0:07:22 > 0:07:26almost quarter of a mile from the patient.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28Heli 99 is now landing at the scene.
0:07:30 > 0:07:35This lad's just going to show us where the...casualty is.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38It's just somewhere up here on the right-hand side.
0:07:38 > 0:07:4116-year-old David Harrop slipped while climbing over a fence.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44One of these spikes entered his groin
0:07:44 > 0:07:47and came out on the other side of his body.
0:07:47 > 0:07:51Hello there. Hi, mate. How's it going?
0:07:51 > 0:07:54He's in the care of a lone fast-response paramedic.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57We believe he's sat on this spike on a railing.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00It's gone in from his...bottom of his right buttock.
0:08:00 > 0:08:02It's come through his abdomen?
0:08:02 > 0:08:05Darrell knows that David could be bleeding internally.
0:08:05 > 0:08:09The spike penetrated an area near his femoral artery.
0:08:09 > 0:08:14If it's punctured, he could bleed to death internally in minutes.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16His mates have lifted him off, so I'm assuming he's sat it...
0:08:16 > 0:08:19He's in severe pain.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22I'm going to be up front with you now - it's probably going to hurt,
0:08:22 > 0:08:26- but just take a bit more of that. - Keep taking that...
0:08:26 > 0:08:29David was with his mates when the accident happened.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32They lifted him off the fence and carried him home.
0:08:32 > 0:08:36He were climbing over a green fence about this big.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38He didn't put his hand down and slipped backwards...
0:08:38 > 0:08:42And then landed on the spike. OK.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44Did you, like, fall?
0:08:44 > 0:08:48It was a fall...and then he landed on the...yeah.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50Did you take him off, then?
0:08:50 > 0:08:52He got himself off. He stood straight back up.
0:08:52 > 0:08:53Despite the demand,
0:08:53 > 0:08:57a ground ambulance has finally been found to help the helimed team
0:08:57 > 0:09:00For Darrell and John it's a welcome sight.
0:09:00 > 0:09:02Neither David nor his family and friends
0:09:02 > 0:09:06seem to realise how serious his injury is.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08We'll give you a bit more morphine and get you settled.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11He were climbing over a spike fence, and slipped backwards,
0:09:11 > 0:09:13and it's gone straight through his leg.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16I tried putting pressure on it - he just wouldn't let me.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18We tried lifting him off, but he wouldn't stay still.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20He's walked himself up here.
0:09:20 > 0:09:24Just make note of that pain and tell me if it gets any better.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27In the next few minutes it should start to kick in.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32Where the pole has gone through him, which is right under his buttock
0:09:32 > 0:09:34and then out through his abdomen,
0:09:34 > 0:09:38there's some significant vascular problems that could be caused.
0:09:38 > 0:09:40That could go at any time or be mass problems,
0:09:40 > 0:09:42so we're going to take him to Northern General,
0:09:42 > 0:09:45which is...the nearest hospital with vascular surgery.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47Just to be sure there's someone there
0:09:47 > 0:09:49who can get in there and sort it out.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55Just to re-check his blood pressure and that.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57Pinch of blood from your fingertip, all right?
0:09:58 > 0:10:00He'll be monitoring David's condition
0:10:00 > 0:10:02every second of his flight.
0:10:02 > 0:10:06To help him, he's marking the position of the pulse in his foot.
0:10:06 > 0:10:10Its disappearance could be the first sign of an internal bleed -
0:10:10 > 0:10:12and that could be fatal.
0:10:20 > 0:10:22I like to keep fit and, on my days off,
0:10:22 > 0:10:24chances are you'll find me in the gym.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27But compared with one group of hardcore athletes,
0:10:27 > 0:10:30I'm totally out of condition.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33Fell running is acknowledged to be one of the UK's
0:10:33 > 0:10:35toughest sports.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40Fell runners think marathons are for wimps,
0:10:40 > 0:10:43and even the thought of the race they call the Fellsman
0:10:43 > 0:10:47reduces serious joggers like me to tears.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49Imagine running 60 miles over a route
0:10:49 > 0:10:55that climbs a total of 11,000 feet up some of England's biggest peaks.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58Not surprisingly, one entrant needs these guys.
0:10:58 > 0:11:02They've got someone up on Whernside on a stretcher that's fallen.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05From there, there's no vehicle access, so they've requested us.
0:11:07 > 0:11:09The team's heading to the Three Peaks area
0:11:09 > 0:11:10in the Yorkshire Dales.
0:11:10 > 0:11:12This rugged landscape
0:11:12 > 0:11:15is a racetrack for some of the UK's top fell runners.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21The casualty's near the top of Whernside, a 2,000ft peak.
0:11:22 > 0:11:26The wind means it would be too dangerous for pilot Chris
0:11:26 > 0:11:29to shut down Helimed 99's engines,
0:11:29 > 0:11:32so paramedic Paul's off to find their patient.
0:11:32 > 0:11:3499, we're actually on the ground.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37Paul's just heading over to them now, mate.
0:11:37 > 0:11:39All right, Glen. So you've been running up here, have you, pal?
0:11:39 > 0:11:42I was running down at the time.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44I just seem to have sprained my ankle, I think.
0:11:44 > 0:11:45Right. OK.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50Fell running is an extreme sport.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53It's not about speed but sheer endurance.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56And Glynn Daniels has made the mistake
0:11:56 > 0:11:58of running downhill too quickly.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01It looks like his ankle is broken.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03Have you put that bandage on yourself?
0:12:03 > 0:12:05- No.- One of the other competitors just put it on.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07Right. So nothing's come through at all?
0:12:07 > 0:12:10- No.- As far as you're aware.- No.
0:12:10 > 0:12:11She said she'd sooner rather do that,
0:12:11 > 0:12:15- that take the shoe off and having the swelling come up.- Right.
0:12:15 > 0:12:19Glynn's one of 400 competitors running the Fellsman.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22Can you move the foot at all? Can you rotate it a little bit?
0:12:22 > 0:12:23- Yeah.- You can.
0:12:23 > 0:12:28So it's looking a bit more like a sprain rather than a break.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31Paul knows how his patient feels,
0:12:31 > 0:12:33he's actually taken part in this race.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38Pilot Chris wants to land Helimed 99 on the track
0:12:38 > 0:12:41so rescuers do not need to lift their patient
0:12:41 > 0:12:44over a six-foot dry-stone wall.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46We'll just work out the best way to get you down, Glen.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48That's the top and bottom of it, pal.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51You're on a bit of a funny little part of this path,
0:12:51 > 0:12:52as you can see.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54There's too many people running along there.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57They'd have to stop the race.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00But fellow runners are reluctant to stop.
0:13:00 > 0:13:02Chris can't find a gap in the field to touch down.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07All right, mate. I'm just going to leave it for the moment.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09We'll go away.
0:13:09 > 0:13:10I'll just go back to where I was, mate.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13You, unfortunately, are going to have to get him over,
0:13:13 > 0:13:18cos people are going to try and come underneath if we try and land.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26Right, Glen. The pilot doesn't want to shut that down.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29If he shuts it down then he's in a lot of trouble.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31So we're going to do what you call a hot load,
0:13:31 > 0:13:33and its where these rotors running.
0:13:33 > 0:13:34You'll be complete safe,
0:13:34 > 0:13:37all you need to do is listen to what we say, pal.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40Got the most important person here. All right, pal.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43What I'm going to do, I'm going to get him to the wall.
0:13:43 > 0:13:45Once we get him to the wall, we're going to seat him on the wall.
0:13:45 > 0:13:49Keep that back to the wall and don't walk towards the aircraft.
0:13:49 > 0:13:50We'll do the walking.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53We'll put his arm around us and we'll hop him on his good leg.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58Push down that good leg. Don't rest on that right.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01Right. If you go round someone's shoulder. Go round here.
0:14:02 > 0:14:06And we're just going to have a hop, slowly away to that wall.
0:14:06 > 0:14:07Let us know when you need a rest,
0:14:07 > 0:14:11- cos you've got one leg and we've got two.- Oh, no. I'm good.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14So Glynn has to be lifted over the wall.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18The weather's taken a turn for the worse and there's no time to waste.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21The windchill is beginning to bite.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25Watch your hands on that stone there, pal.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28Anywhere else, Glynn's injury would be minor -
0:14:28 > 0:14:30it certainly wouldn't require an air ambulance.
0:14:31 > 0:14:35So their patient's being flown down to the valley below.
0:14:36 > 0:14:40A ground ambulance is waiting beneath the Ribblehead railway viaduct
0:14:40 > 0:14:43to take him on the next leg of his journey to hospital.
0:14:45 > 0:14:50At last, pilot Chris can shut down Helimed 99's engines.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53It's been a difficult flight for such a minor injury.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57There was a lot of contestants, shall we say, or competitors is
0:14:57 > 0:14:59probably a better word.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02Barking also comes to mind, running around there.
0:15:02 > 0:15:04A lot of people running down the track,
0:15:04 > 0:15:06so they probably wanted to continue on with their race,
0:15:06 > 0:15:09and they would probably get in our way.
0:15:09 > 0:15:10And, obviously, to stay out of their way,
0:15:10 > 0:15:13we landed back on the other side of the wall
0:15:13 > 0:15:16and had to put the casualty across the wall.
0:15:17 > 0:15:21It turns out Glynn's a very serious runner.
0:15:21 > 0:15:26Well, I did Coventry 40 miler last week - that went OK.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29I did the Belvoir Challenge the month before,
0:15:29 > 0:15:32which is an off-road marathon. Again, OK.
0:15:32 > 0:15:36Left foot down first. Just sit your bum down first.
0:15:36 > 0:15:37Just get a rest.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40Paul Kilner can only admire his stamina.
0:15:40 > 0:15:44I did once try this, unfortunately I never completed it.
0:15:44 > 0:15:46I stopped at about 28 miles.
0:15:46 > 0:15:47It was a lot hotter than today.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50It throws many challenges up, for anyone who's ever competed in this.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53But, yeah, whether I'll ever do it again, I don't know.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57Glynn's driven off to hospital,
0:15:57 > 0:16:00leaving his fellow runners to complete their race.
0:16:00 > 0:16:05What he doesn't know is that the weather is about to deteriorate.
0:16:05 > 0:16:09And tonight, for the first time in its history, the race is called off,
0:16:09 > 0:16:14after several entrants are overtaken by hypothermia.
0:16:28 > 0:16:29Back in North Yorkshire,
0:16:29 > 0:16:33the operation to rescue two children injured in a freak accident
0:16:33 > 0:16:37is reaching a critical stage - and the team's concerned.
0:16:37 > 0:16:41Five-year-old Ethan's leg is badly broken after an accident involving
0:16:41 > 0:16:44a trailer towed by his granddad's tractor mower.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48Paramedic Darren needs to straighten it.
0:16:48 > 0:16:50Ethan, we're just going to wait another minute
0:16:50 > 0:16:53until that medicine works, and then we're going to straighten your leg
0:16:53 > 0:16:55out a little bit and make it better.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58Ethan's in pain but his grandparents are
0:16:58 > 0:17:00suffering their own trauma.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03My... My husband's in a terrible state.
0:17:03 > 0:17:07He was towing their trailer behind his lawn tractor
0:17:07 > 0:17:10and he's in a dreadful state.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12We don't really know how they are or...or anything.
0:17:12 > 0:17:14SCREAMING
0:17:14 > 0:17:19But, as you can hear, the little boy Ethan, he's in terrible pain,
0:17:19 > 0:17:20and he can't move his leg.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26It's just been an awful shock.
0:17:26 > 0:17:28Ethan's cousin Louis is already airborne,
0:17:28 > 0:17:30on his way to hospital in Middlesbrough.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33The boys were visiting their grandparents' home
0:17:33 > 0:17:36in the remote village of Newton on Rawcliffe.
0:17:36 > 0:17:38Local paramedics called in the helimed team.
0:17:38 > 0:17:43With only one crew being immediately available in the vicinity,
0:17:43 > 0:17:48helimed would be quicker, and that's proved to be the case, really.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51In fact, they're going to return for the second child, cos it will still
0:17:51 > 0:17:55be quicker doing than taking him by land ambulance to hospital.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59- All still good, mate?- Yeah. We're all good in the back, mate.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04Poor little lad is having the usual dilemma
0:18:04 > 0:18:06that children have on helicopters -
0:18:06 > 0:18:08they want to sleep cos it's a really smooth ride,
0:18:08 > 0:18:11but he's really excited about being on a helicopter
0:18:11 > 0:18:13so he wants to stay awake as well.
0:18:13 > 0:18:14Boys will be boys.
0:18:17 > 0:18:19Back at the scene of the accident,
0:18:19 > 0:18:22paramedic Darren knows he must straighten his young patient's leg.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25The problem is, Ethan's still in a lot of pain
0:18:25 > 0:18:27and he can't give him any more morphine.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30- OK, Ethan... - Just squeeze my hand...
0:18:30 > 0:18:32I'm going to take the knee.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35Ethan really doesn't want his leg straightening
0:18:35 > 0:18:37and decides to fight back.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39Thanks for that(!)
0:18:39 > 0:18:43Paramedic Daz is caught by a swift blow from the five-year-old.
0:18:43 > 0:18:45Please don't take me...!
0:18:45 > 0:18:49- I'm bleeding now. - Look what you've done to the man.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52You've busted my nose. That was a good shot, wasn't it?
0:18:52 > 0:18:56Eventually, Daz does manage to straighten the damaged limb
0:18:56 > 0:18:58and the team remove him from the trailer,
0:18:58 > 0:19:01but persuading Ethan to lie down will require further patience.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04I want you to take some more this magic wind.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07You listen to it and it makes a noise, like a dragon.
0:19:07 > 0:19:12Did you hear that? And when you hold it in your mouth and suck
0:19:12 > 0:19:14the pain goes away.
0:19:14 > 0:19:16Remember we used it earlier..?
0:19:16 > 0:19:21You take some nice, deep breaths from me, as though were trying to suck
0:19:21 > 0:19:24the cream out of a...bun.
0:19:24 > 0:19:26Eventually, Darren's persuasion works
0:19:26 > 0:19:28and Ethan's almost ready for his flight.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31- There you go.- You've done it!
0:19:31 > 0:19:33I told you it would be all right once we got there.
0:19:33 > 0:19:35That's better.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38He didn't like my bedside manner...too much,
0:19:38 > 0:19:42and gave me a bit of a left hook, and took a chunk out of my nose
0:19:42 > 0:19:45with a really long fingernail.
0:19:45 > 0:19:49So...nobody can say that I've not bled for this.
0:19:49 > 0:19:51And...he's a little bit more settled now.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54But that's the first time anybody's caught me in 20 years.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57Despite his patient's left hook,
0:19:57 > 0:19:59Darren hasn't lost his sense of humour -
0:19:59 > 0:20:01the village pub looks tempting.
0:20:01 > 0:20:05Can't pop over and get two pints of lager, can you?
0:20:05 > 0:20:08- Lager?- And a double rum.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10A double rum for him and a pint of lager for me.
0:20:10 > 0:20:16This is 98. Lifted from James Cook and running back for the second run.
0:20:16 > 0:20:22As Helimed 98 heads south, paramedic Darren can only await its arrival.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25It's always difficult dealing with kids.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28They don't react the same way as adults.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31We sort of gave as much pain relief as we could to this
0:20:31 > 0:20:34young man that we've got here. He has settled eventually
0:20:34 > 0:20:37but it took a lot of patience and a lot of discussion.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40I always find it's best not to lie to them.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43Tell them the truth, tell them that it's going to hurt,
0:20:43 > 0:20:46and eventually they'll come round to your way of thinking
0:20:46 > 0:20:48and you can get them to do what they want.
0:20:55 > 0:20:56Ethan and his mum
0:20:56 > 0:20:59will be airborne in minutes for Middlesbrough, where they
0:20:59 > 0:21:01and the boys' shocked grandparents
0:21:01 > 0:21:04will find out how serious their injuries are.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17Air ambulances save lives by saving time.
0:21:17 > 0:21:22The helimed team cover 6,000 square miles, but nowhere's so remote
0:21:22 > 0:21:25that hospital is more than 10 minutes away.
0:21:25 > 0:21:26And, in some cases,
0:21:26 > 0:21:29that can make the difference between life and death.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35David Harrop's life is in the balance
0:21:35 > 0:21:38but this flight could save him.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41Hi there, it's Darrell from air ambulance.
0:21:41 > 0:21:45We're bringing in a 16-year-old lad, a David Harrop.
0:21:46 > 0:21:47Half an hour ago,
0:21:47 > 0:21:51a spike from this fence tore through the muscles and blood vessels
0:21:51 > 0:21:53at the top of his right leg.
0:21:53 > 0:21:5520 miles from his home in Doncaster,
0:21:55 > 0:21:57surgeons are already preparing to operate
0:21:57 > 0:22:00on their 16-year-old patient.
0:22:00 > 0:22:06His pulse rate's 74, and it's saturating at 100 on oxygen.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09The only pain he has is actually at the site of the injury.
0:22:09 > 0:22:13Peripheral pulses are present. His foot pulses are present.
0:22:13 > 0:22:18Helimed 98 alpha. We are now lifting from scene.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20Shall be landing in about three minutes.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23Paramedic Darrell Cullen knows the short flight
0:22:23 > 0:22:27to Sheffield Northern General Hospital will take less than 10 minutes,
0:22:27 > 0:22:30but for him it will feel much longer.
0:22:30 > 0:22:34His BP and all his observations are absolutely fine.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37At this time, we're happy with his condition.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43The bizarre accident has left David
0:22:43 > 0:22:46with what amounts to a very serious stab wound.
0:22:46 > 0:22:47In the next few minutes,
0:22:47 > 0:22:51doctors at the Northern General will find out the extent of his injury.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55He seems to be moving everything,
0:22:55 > 0:22:58so hopefully it's gone through and missed everything.
0:22:58 > 0:23:02If it's hit an artery, it can cause serious problems.
0:23:02 > 0:23:06It...it could fracture the pelvis perhaps, when it goes through there.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08It could be all sorts of problems
0:23:08 > 0:23:10that happens with injuries in that area.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14That night, they operate on the wound
0:23:14 > 0:23:19and carry out extensive repairs to muscles, nerves and blood vessels.
0:23:19 > 0:23:24Phenomenally lucky, really, because the spike has passed very close
0:23:24 > 0:23:25to major blood vessels,
0:23:25 > 0:23:28which do carry all the blood to the lower limbs,
0:23:28 > 0:23:30so the amount of blood
0:23:30 > 0:23:33passing through those blood vessels would have led to
0:23:33 > 0:23:36catastrophic haemorrhage, had they been injured.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38So it's a remarkable escape.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43I can't believe he just walked home.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46Neither can I. He should have just stayed where he were.
0:23:46 > 0:23:48Back home in Doncaster,
0:23:48 > 0:23:52his shocked friends can only reflect on a freak accident
0:23:52 > 0:23:54that could easily have cost David his life.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57I've had to stand under a bit of fence
0:23:57 > 0:23:59and get David onto my shoulders, with Jordan helping me.
0:23:59 > 0:24:03So...and then I had to walk him round and that's when we realised how
0:24:03 > 0:24:07bad it were. So... Jordan rang him mum and I rang t'ambulance people.
0:24:09 > 0:24:14It's a good job helicopter come, otherwise he might not be here now.
0:24:14 > 0:24:16A week later, their mate's back home -
0:24:16 > 0:24:20still showing the scars of a very narrow escape.
0:24:21 > 0:24:23Said it were a millimetre away from...
0:24:23 > 0:24:27If I went a millimetre to the left I would have died, basically, so...
0:24:27 > 0:24:30That's all I've been thinking about - if it did actually go to the left
0:24:30 > 0:24:33I wouldn't be here now, telling you this.
0:24:33 > 0:24:35Yeah. I won't be doing it again.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40We would expect, when seeing somebody like this,
0:24:40 > 0:24:44that they would have some kind of major injury, internally.
0:24:44 > 0:24:48So...he's been a very lucky man.
0:24:53 > 0:24:54Back to Helimed 98 now,
0:24:54 > 0:24:58and the paramedics have a difficult case on their hands.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01In the village of Newton on Rawcliffe,
0:25:01 > 0:25:03in the North York Moors National Park,
0:25:03 > 0:25:05two boys have been injured
0:25:05 > 0:25:08after they rolled down an embankment in this trailer.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11Kids were just having a little ride on the tractor and trailer,
0:25:11 > 0:25:14a little lawn mower, and they've fallen off.
0:25:14 > 0:25:18Four-year-old Louis has already been flown to James Cook Hospital
0:25:18 > 0:25:22and five-year-old Ethan is now ready to make the same short flight.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25Aw, light as a feather.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27His mother Jackie will be travelling with him to hospital.
0:25:27 > 0:25:29Mummy...
0:25:29 > 0:25:32- Hang on a minute. - You can, in a second.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35Ethan's still in pain, and this flight
0:25:35 > 0:25:38will save him the discomfort of a half-hour
0:25:38 > 0:25:39road journey to hospital.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42His grandparents' home is in the heart of the North York Moors,
0:25:42 > 0:25:45with its tourist traffic and narrow roads,
0:25:45 > 0:25:48but nothing will delay Helimed 98.
0:25:50 > 0:25:55Doctors are waiting to examine the second young member of the family.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58They find that his leg is badly fractured.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01They need to wait for the swelling to subside
0:26:01 > 0:26:04before making a decision on how to mend the break.
0:26:04 > 0:26:06They just tilted the bed up, his leg up in the air,
0:26:06 > 0:26:09and he was in absolute agony all that night.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12They decided, the next day, they wouldn't plaster it,
0:26:12 > 0:26:14he would have a pin.
0:26:14 > 0:26:15Mum, can I have something?
0:26:15 > 0:26:18You can, darling. We'll have your tea in a minute, shall we?
0:26:18 > 0:26:21As soon as he had his operation, he seems to be a lot better.
0:26:23 > 0:26:27Within 24 hours, Ethan's sitting up and taking notice,
0:26:27 > 0:26:31but his thirst for adventure is temporarily dimmed.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33He did say, "I'm not going to play out ever again."
0:26:33 > 0:26:36But I think he will, cos he's not an indoor person.
0:26:36 > 0:26:40He doesn't like it...he likes to get his wellies on and be out,
0:26:40 > 0:26:43don't you? You'll play outside again, won't you?
0:26:43 > 0:26:46Just not near Granddad's tractor and trailer.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51And a few days later, Ethan is reunited with his cousin
0:26:51 > 0:26:54and playmate Louis back at their grandparents' home.
0:26:54 > 0:26:56His head injury turned out to be minor,
0:26:56 > 0:27:01but Ethan won't be climbing trees again until his leg heals.
0:27:01 > 0:27:02Would you like to come down?
0:27:04 > 0:27:05For Louis's mum,
0:27:05 > 0:27:09seeing her four-year-old playing happily again is a big relief.
0:27:09 > 0:27:10The ambulance man said,
0:27:10 > 0:27:12"The ones that are making a lot of noise are all right,
0:27:12 > 0:27:15"it's the ones that are really quiet that we're more worried about."
0:27:15 > 0:27:17And I kind of thought, "Oh, no!"
0:27:18 > 0:27:20It's a day that the boys' grandparents
0:27:20 > 0:27:25are unlikely to forget in a hurry - especially their granddad.
0:27:25 > 0:27:32Poor John - he a couple of days of absolute hell,
0:27:32 > 0:27:36because he felt so responsible.
0:27:36 > 0:27:40He felt like he could have killed his grandchildren.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42How would you feel?
0:27:42 > 0:27:47You feel so useless when there's a child in agony.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50It's the most horrible situation.
0:27:50 > 0:27:54The ambulance men, after the kids had gone in the helicopter,
0:27:54 > 0:27:57they were brilliant with my dad.
0:27:57 > 0:28:03And checked him out, because he was in such a state of shock,
0:28:03 > 0:28:06and so devastated by it all.
0:28:06 > 0:28:07And I'm pleased to say,
0:28:07 > 0:28:09both those young patients have now fully recovered
0:28:09 > 0:28:12much to the relief of their parents and grandparents.
0:28:24 > 0:28:30Subtitles By Red Bee Media Ltd