0:00:02 > 0:00:06If you're critically ill or seriously injured, seconds count
0:00:06 > 0:00:08and in Britain's biggest county
0:00:08 > 0:00:13- you can be a long way from help. - 'She's stuck under the car!'
0:00:13 > 0:00:20The Yorkshire Air Ambulance flies at 150mph and thanks to it, hundreds of patients are alive today,
0:00:20 > 0:00:24saved by a highly-skilled team of doctors and paramedics.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27Stand clear!
0:00:27 > 0:00:31It covers some of the UK's most rugged landscapes,
0:00:31 > 0:00:37- turning roadsides into operating theatres... - Use an emergency anaesthetic.
0:00:37 > 0:00:42- ..and town centres into helipads. - Just behind you, Tim.
0:00:42 > 0:00:47Every day, the Helimed team's skill, speed and courage is saving lives.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58Today on Helicopter Heroes:
0:00:58 > 0:01:03a bus crashes and the team joins a major rescue operation.
0:01:03 > 0:01:08A car's hit the front of the bus. The driver's seat is all collapsed.
0:01:08 > 0:01:12As a teaching hospital, we do research studies.
0:01:12 > 0:01:16The heart patient who's about to become a medical guinea pig.
0:01:16 > 0:01:20A cave rescuer falls ill deep underground.
0:01:20 > 0:01:22He's started being sick.
0:01:22 > 0:01:24The Yorkshire branch...
0:01:24 > 0:01:31And high in the Dales, Britain's oldest and toughest motorbike race claims another victim.
0:01:36 > 0:01:42Every one of the UK's 15 ambulance services has a document they hope they'll never need.
0:01:42 > 0:01:46The Major Incident Plan is a blueprint to deal with disaster
0:01:46 > 0:01:50and the Helimed choppers are a vital part of it.
0:01:51 > 0:01:57The Helimed team has to get used to responding in seconds to emergencies.
0:01:57 > 0:02:03Today a routine flight to back up a ground ambulance is about to change dramatically.
0:02:03 > 0:02:05Helimed 99, receiving?
0:02:05 > 0:02:09- Yeah, receiving. - Divert to Wakefield.
0:02:09 > 0:02:14That's a car and a bus. There's two patients trapped in a car,
0:02:14 > 0:02:18one trapped on the bus. Believed six injured.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22Six casualties. Three serious head injuries.
0:02:22 > 0:02:28The head-on crash happened on a suburban road near the village of Crofton.
0:02:28 > 0:02:33Most of the victims are shoppers returning home. The car was carrying three young men.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36Luckily, no one was in this shelter.
0:02:37 > 0:02:41They've requested both helicopters. The others are en route as well.
0:02:41 > 0:02:46If you think you need three, let me know when you're on scene.
0:02:46 > 0:02:51For paramedics Darren Axe and Darrel Cullen, it'll draw on years of training.
0:02:51 > 0:02:55Is that the incident just down there?
0:02:55 > 0:03:01- I think so. There's emergency service vehicles.- No sign of wires. I'll go for a landing.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05There's one man has got
0:03:05 > 0:03:12a very bad cut head, a few shaken up, but apparently the bus driver is trapped under the bus.
0:03:12 > 0:03:16The car driver, there's nothing left of his car. They're cutting him out.
0:03:16 > 0:03:22It's a chaotic scene. Firefighters are trying to reach the bus driver who is unconscious.
0:03:22 > 0:03:24Many of her passengers were elderly.
0:03:24 > 0:03:30Most were thrown from their seats in the impact, but the young men in the car came off worst.
0:03:30 > 0:03:34- Two are still trapped. - Hang on, mate. Has he moved at all?
0:03:34 > 0:03:39- We need him out now. We're getting this door off.- Fantastic.
0:03:41 > 0:03:46Fire crews have freed the 20-year-old front passenger. He has serious head injuries.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49But that's not all.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54His chest sounds aren't great.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57I'm assuming he was front seat passenger.
0:03:57 > 0:04:02Just so that I know the seatbelt were worn or anything.
0:04:02 > 0:04:07We'll get him on board and on the aircraft, ready to go.
0:04:07 > 0:04:1498, 99 are on scene. There's plenty of room to land in the field opposite the incident.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17We'll probably go to LGI.
0:04:17 > 0:04:23The two other men in the car are very badly hurt. The rear passenger was thrown forward.
0:04:23 > 0:04:30The driver is crushed. They are both in and out of consciousness, have broken limbs and head injuries.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33Everything is being done to keep them alive.
0:04:33 > 0:04:41They're saying he's urgent. If we could get him out first, we can bring him out this way.
0:04:41 > 0:04:45He's got to come out, mate, so let's just get him.
0:04:45 > 0:04:51More back-up is needed fast. Both these men need to be freed and airlifted to Leeds General Infirmary
0:04:51 > 0:04:55- as soon as possible. - Oxygen's on and fully running.
0:04:55 > 0:04:57Just do another pressure.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01Get him strapped on, mate. That'll be great.
0:05:01 > 0:05:05- Just wondering the ETA for the other crew, Andy.- I'll get on to Dave.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08Dave, it's Andy.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11- Go ahead. - Have you got an ETA for 98?
0:05:11 > 0:05:16Yeah, roger. They should be 3-4 minutes. They're into a headwind.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20Yeah, copy that. The lads are working quite hard.
0:05:20 > 0:05:25'We'll try to get one of them packaged, ready for 98.'
0:05:25 > 0:05:27It's really chaotic at the moment.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31We're strapped for resources, but the other air ambulance is coming.
0:05:31 > 0:05:36We've got one casualty packaged, but it may be best to take them.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39Down there. At 11 o'clock.
0:05:40 > 0:05:46We've got blue flashing lights, a large tailback of traffic.
0:05:46 > 0:05:52We'll take this guy out as soon as we have enough access there. A rapid extrication, all right?
0:05:52 > 0:05:58Have you got any more portable oxygen? Can we have it? And an oxygen mask, please.
0:06:00 > 0:06:05- You're over the trees to the rear, Ian.- Thank you.- All clear.
0:06:05 > 0:06:11- I'll get you fairly close to this one.- The rear seat passenger was catapulted into the windscreen.
0:06:11 > 0:06:17He has a head injury, but paramedic Darren fears he may also have fractured his neck.
0:06:17 > 0:06:23He'd like to safeguard his spine, but today safety must be sacrificed for speed if he's to live.
0:06:23 > 0:06:28Just sit him up towards you and then lay him back.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31Then we can bring his leg through.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34Until the rear passenger is out, they cannot free the driver.
0:06:34 > 0:06:39Keep still, chief. We're just going to give you some oxygen. Keep still.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42He's going to come out feet-first.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46Bend his knee. He's got a broken lower leg.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50- I want him to come this way now, Ryan.- Start moving him this way.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53I need a splint, mate, for his leg.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56- Both of them.- Two splints.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58Just rest him.
0:06:58 > 0:07:03Paramedics are trained to prioritise the most seriously injured patients
0:07:03 > 0:07:06in a process called triage,
0:07:06 > 0:07:10but in accidents like this it's especially difficult.
0:07:10 > 0:07:16The front passenger is thought to be the most critical case, so he will fly first.
0:07:16 > 0:07:23- Have you all got him? - Paramedics measure consciousness on a scale of 3-15
0:07:23 > 0:07:27on the Glasgow Coma Scale or the GCS.
0:07:27 > 0:07:32He's GCS 3 at the moment, so he's deeply unconscious.
0:07:32 > 0:07:37He's got a head injury, chest injuries and abdominal injuries.
0:07:41 > 0:07:46They've gone off to Leeds General Infirmary with our first casualty.
0:07:46 > 0:07:53There's still somebody trapped in the car and another casualty that they're still trying to stabilise.
0:07:53 > 0:07:58The first patient's survival is in real doubt.
0:07:58 > 0:08:05The Helimed team must turn its attention to the other survivors. Their prospects are equally bleak.
0:08:13 > 0:08:20Would you know if you were suffering a heart attack? Doctors say too few of us will recognise the signs.
0:08:20 > 0:08:25Symptoms range from crushing chest pains to mild discomfort
0:08:25 > 0:08:31and the latest research shows that women often experience different warning signs from men.
0:08:31 > 0:08:36Anywhere, a heart attack is a killer, but in a remote area like the Yorkshire Dales
0:08:36 > 0:08:39it is particularly deadly.
0:08:41 > 0:08:4630% of all deaths in the UK are caused by heart disease.
0:08:46 > 0:08:51Helimed 99, we're looking to depart for Ingleton.
0:08:53 > 0:08:59Today, paramedics on the ground and in the air are racing to prevent another patient becoming
0:08:59 > 0:09:02one of those statistics.
0:09:02 > 0:09:07Helimed 99. Estimated time of arrival is 10.58.
0:09:07 > 0:09:0910.58, over.
0:09:09 > 0:09:15Helimed 99 is heading up into the Three Peaks, the most rugged part of the Dales,
0:09:15 > 0:09:21- where a woman is fighting for her life.- She came into my house and complained of chest pains.
0:09:21 > 0:09:25The doctor had told her to phone an ambulance, which I did.
0:09:25 > 0:09:29We have reports of a 71-year-old young lady
0:09:29 > 0:09:36who's had pains in her back and chest. The crew have identified that she's having a heart attack.
0:09:36 > 0:09:40If their patient is to survive, she needs speedy hospital treatment
0:09:40 > 0:09:43and up here that means going by air.
0:09:43 > 0:09:49- How long do you think it'll take to drive in? - That area, about an hour 40.
0:09:49 > 0:09:54- It's all single-track roads.- How long will it take us to fly back?
0:09:54 > 0:09:56- About 20 minutes?- 20 minutes.
0:10:03 > 0:10:07Local paramedics have beaten the Helimed team.
0:10:07 > 0:10:12- How are you feeling now? - I've felt better!- You've felt better?
0:10:12 > 0:10:15We're going to take you to the helicopter.
0:10:15 > 0:10:2171-year-old Ruth Goldsack was just getting out of the shower when she started to feel unwell.
0:10:21 > 0:10:25- Is it Leeds General that have accepted her?- Yes.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28Any previous cardiac history?
0:10:28 > 0:10:35Ruth's wired up to an ECG monitoring system showing the unmistakable signs of a heart attack.
0:10:35 > 0:10:39The blood supply to her heart muscle is being reduced by a clot.
0:10:40 > 0:10:45Her heart is being starved of oxygen and is failing.
0:10:45 > 0:10:53If the crew can get Ruth to hospital quickly, the blockage can be cleared and the heart will recover.
0:10:53 > 0:11:00If not, Ruth could go into cardiac arrest. If that happens, this pad will allow her rescuers
0:11:00 > 0:11:05- to shock her heart back into a normal rhythm. - Have you got pain in your back?
0:11:05 > 0:11:11- I'll give you gas and air. - I don't need that.- It'll take the pain away and relax things.
0:11:11 > 0:11:17Breathe this for a couple of minutes. Just breathe as normal and suck on that as you breathe.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20OK? That's it. Just like that.
0:11:20 > 0:11:24Paramedics Sammy and Andy are so concerned about her condition,
0:11:24 > 0:11:28they decide they will both travel in the back of the helicopter.
0:11:31 > 0:11:37If Ruth's heart stops during the flight, she will need both of them to keep her alive.
0:11:37 > 0:11:43- She is suffering crushing chest pain...- All right, love?- ..the most common symptom of a heart attack.
0:11:43 > 0:11:49- Are you all right? Ruth? - Heart patients often suffer a feeling of impending doom.
0:11:49 > 0:11:55It's distressing and the only antidote they can give her is reassurance.
0:11:59 > 0:12:07Just 20 minutes after taking off from the Dales, Ruth is now moments from specialist care.
0:12:14 > 0:12:18In the Cath Lab, doctors are waiting for her arrival.
0:12:18 > 0:12:24- They have the skill to save her life, but Ruth can also help them. - You're having a heart attack.
0:12:24 > 0:12:32That's what you're having. We need to open up the blocked artery which is the reason for it.
0:12:32 > 0:12:37Because this is a teaching hospital, we often do research studies.
0:12:37 > 0:12:43We're involved in studies trying to find better ways to treat patients having heart attacks.
0:12:43 > 0:12:47She's being asked to volunteer to become a medical guinea pig.
0:12:47 > 0:12:53They've just prepared her for in the theatre. She's going to have an investigation
0:12:53 > 0:12:58where they make an incision in the leg and thread catheters up into the heart.
0:12:58 > 0:13:03They can inject dye and get an accurate picture of what's blocked.
0:13:03 > 0:13:09Instead of just opening out the blocked artery, the LGI team is experimenting
0:13:09 > 0:13:13in treating all the arteries in the heart at once.
0:13:13 > 0:13:17It's thought this may save thousands more lives.
0:13:17 > 0:13:21The purpose is to see whether we can improve patients' outcomes
0:13:21 > 0:13:25by looking at patients with more than one problem in the arteries.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28Do we need to just fix the blockage
0:13:28 > 0:13:34compared to fixing all of the narrowings and blockages simultaneously at the same time?
0:13:34 > 0:13:41Really the evidence is unclear as to what is the best way to go. That's the purpose of doing a trial.
0:13:41 > 0:13:45A month later and Ruth is back at home and making a good recovery.
0:13:45 > 0:13:53Despite a history of heart problems in her family, she had no idea she had a heart condition
0:13:53 > 0:13:59- and was suffering a heart attack. - It felt like a heavy weight, like a brick on my chest.
0:13:59 > 0:14:04I thought it was indigestion. I did suffer with that quite a bit,
0:14:04 > 0:14:08but when I got the pains in the back and then my arms,
0:14:08 > 0:14:12alarms started to go off. And then the sweating.
0:14:12 > 0:14:17I'm not a sweaty person anyway. That's when I rang the doctor.
0:14:17 > 0:14:19I realised things weren't right.
0:14:19 > 0:14:24Ruth's heart attack gave her a scare and made her aware that her lifestyle may have been to blame,
0:14:24 > 0:14:30so ever since her surgery she has undergone another life-changing operation.
0:14:30 > 0:14:37My daughter has cleared all my fridge, my freezer and my cupboard of all sweets,
0:14:37 > 0:14:40cakes and biscuits and fatty things
0:14:40 > 0:14:45so that I can't eat them any more. And I have lost weight!
0:14:45 > 0:14:51The pioneering heart operation Ruth underwent seems to have given her a new lease of life.
0:14:51 > 0:14:55Surgeons believe she was at high risk of another heart attack.
0:14:55 > 0:15:03One artery was blocked completely and another artery had a 99% critical narrowing in.
0:15:03 > 0:15:07So she was perfect for the trial. She had multi-vessel disease.
0:15:07 > 0:15:11But the actual procedure itself is not painful at all.
0:15:11 > 0:15:17Usually what we see is that immediately we open the artery, patients feel dramatically better
0:15:17 > 0:15:21and make a very quick improvement, in front of our eyes often.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25Ruth has no regrets taking part in the medical trial.
0:15:25 > 0:15:30I have got family and very close friends
0:15:30 > 0:15:34that have had heart problems this year. And I feel
0:15:34 > 0:15:39that maybe doing this study will help other people in the future
0:15:39 > 0:15:46because it's more common than you actually realise. If I can help in some small way, I will.
0:15:54 > 0:15:58The Helimed team meets some inspiring people,
0:15:58 > 0:16:04patients who smile through pain or overcome disability to fulfil their dreams,
0:16:04 > 0:16:11but the raw courage of one man the paramedics met in the summer puts many of us to shame.
0:16:12 > 0:16:19Deep under the rolling Yorkshire Dales is a secret world known only to the most adventurous visitors.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22This is caving country.
0:16:22 > 0:16:26Every weekend, hundreds of potholers find their thrills down here.
0:16:26 > 0:16:32When it all goes wrong, it's men like Ralph Johnson who are here to help.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35He's a veteran of cave rescue.
0:16:36 > 0:16:40I've been in cave rescue for 40-odd years now.
0:16:40 > 0:16:45I've been a controller for about 30 years. I just get on with it.
0:16:45 > 0:16:49People say, "How many times have you been on a rescue?" I don't know.
0:16:49 > 0:16:56"How many people have you rescued?" I don't know. I don't dwell on it. I just do it and then go home.
0:16:56 > 0:17:01He's 71 now and he knows his days down here are numbered.
0:17:01 > 0:17:07He was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He's been told that he has three months to live.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10And today Ralph is the one who's being rescued.
0:17:10 > 0:17:16He's collapsed and become trapped underground. Mountain Rescue and Helimed 99 are on their way.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19Is it just clever cloud?
0:17:19 > 0:17:25That one on the left looks like it could be cloud surrounding it.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27It's a race against time.
0:17:27 > 0:17:33The sun is going down and there's thick fog on its way. They need to get to Ralph quickly.
0:17:33 > 0:17:39Ralph is deep underground. Paramedics Graham and Leon know that as well as his medical condition,
0:17:39 > 0:17:42hypothermia is a real risk.
0:17:42 > 0:17:47They started going down this series of vertical pitches in here.
0:17:47 > 0:17:52- Yeah.- Went down two of them, knew he was feeling unwell, felt weak.
0:17:52 > 0:17:59- He managed to make his own way back up to the second pitch.- Is it safe for me to peek over the edge?
0:17:59 > 0:18:04The locations of many of the caving systems round here are very difficult
0:18:04 > 0:18:12and it's easy to walk in, but very difficult when somebody is injured and we get the stretcher.
0:18:12 > 0:18:16So it takes a lot of personnel for an underground incident.
0:18:16 > 0:18:22Ralph will have to be carefully manhandled through passages he's explored for decades.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25To get Ralph out will take stamina and skill.
0:18:25 > 0:18:32You see the bottom of the limestone there. There's a hole and there's a pitch which is about 30 foot high.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35He's on the bottom of that pitch.
0:18:35 > 0:18:39But paramedic Graham knows there's a problem looming.
0:18:39 > 0:18:43It's really foggy at Leeds and on the way over here
0:18:43 > 0:18:47as the sun goes down Leeds Bradford will fog in again.
0:18:47 > 0:18:52He doesn't want to leave here any later than quarter to four.
0:18:52 > 0:18:58Many of Ralph's rescuers know him. Some were trained by him. Many cavers owe their lives to him,
0:18:58 > 0:19:00so this is payback time.
0:19:00 > 0:19:06He's still just inside the cave. It's about 30 feet down, but not far along.
0:19:06 > 0:19:11He's not very well. They've stopped because he's feeling very unwell.
0:19:11 > 0:19:15He's vomiting fairly copiously by the sound of it.
0:19:15 > 0:19:20Basically, I'm concerned now that he might start to get dehydrated.
0:19:20 > 0:19:25Just being sick itself makes you feel unwell, and also what the cause of that is.
0:19:25 > 0:19:29I want to get him out as quick as I can.
0:19:29 > 0:19:36Rescue teams have located Ralph and he's on his way up while Steve manoeuvres Helimed 99 to the cave.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45At last, Ralph reaches daylight.
0:19:45 > 0:19:51The after effects of his last chemotherapy session left him feeling dizzy and disorientated,
0:19:51 > 0:19:57lethal symptoms in some caves where 100-foot rock faces are not uncommon.
0:19:57 > 0:20:02We've relocated the helicopter in this field.
0:20:04 > 0:20:08Ralph's exploits as a rescuer are well-known in the potholing world,
0:20:08 > 0:20:12but today he has to take a back seat.
0:20:15 > 0:20:20So we're pretty much all right for time. It's just the weather, isn't it?
0:20:20 > 0:20:27The team wants Ralph to be examined in hospital, but fog is closing in fast in the Vale of York.
0:20:27 > 0:20:31This could threaten his flight to A&E in Harrogate.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38OK there, Ralph?
0:20:38 > 0:20:41- Yeah? Just feeling grotty?- Yeah.
0:20:43 > 0:20:47- Not as bad as I was. - Right. Are you warm enough?
0:20:47 > 0:20:51- A little bit cold.- A little bit?
0:20:51 > 0:20:53Dave, lifted en route to Harrogate.
0:20:53 > 0:21:01The plan is to get to Harrogate, but we may have to route to yourself if the weather closes in, over.
0:21:01 > 0:21:05Pilot Steve doesn't like what he sees ahead. It may look clear,
0:21:05 > 0:21:11but there's fog on the horizon which is a serious hazard when travelling at 150mph.
0:21:11 > 0:21:16You can see the fog. This is the Vale, isn't it?
0:21:16 > 0:21:18Like a big strip the whole way up.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21Like a wall, isn't it?
0:21:21 > 0:21:24We can't get through to Harrogate.
0:21:24 > 0:21:30Steve is forced to abort the flight to Harrogate A&E, so he's diverting to Leeds Bradford Airport
0:21:30 > 0:21:33to await a ground ambulance.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38Just let me stand up. Yeah? Come here.
0:21:38 > 0:21:43For Ralph, it's time for tea and a chat with the rescue team
0:21:43 > 0:21:48as he waits for an ambulance to drive him into hospital.
0:21:49 > 0:21:53This isn't how Ralph or his rescuers thought his journey would end,
0:21:53 > 0:21:56but you can't beat the weather.
0:21:57 > 0:22:05Ralph spends 24 hours in St James Hospital before he's sent home to enjoy the rest of his life.
0:22:07 > 0:22:13It's not long before Ralph is back potholing. He's determined that his advanced pancreatic cancer
0:22:13 > 0:22:20won't stop him and today he's buying steel joists for a cave he's climbing down later.
0:22:20 > 0:22:26I just made a decision when I was given the diagnosis that there's no point worrying
0:22:26 > 0:22:33about things you can do nothing about. Sitting feeling miserable. Get on with life. Enjoy every day.
0:22:33 > 0:22:39Two weeks ago I was down a cave in Yorkshire. Last weekend I was in Poland down the salt mines.
0:22:39 > 0:22:46Today I'm on my way to Derbyshire with some steel to repair a cave that's in danger of collapse.
0:22:46 > 0:22:53I've had, what, 54 years caving. A really good time. Caved all over the world.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56So I'll carry on as long as I can.
0:22:56 > 0:23:00Hopefully, without being rescued again.
0:23:00 > 0:23:05He's rescued hundreds of people stuck underground in his lifetime
0:23:05 > 0:23:07and now he's had his turn.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09Embarrassing.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12No doubt I'll have to live that down somehow.
0:23:12 > 0:23:17It'll cost me a few pints of beer when I get up to Yorkshire again.
0:23:29 > 0:23:33Let's return now to that serious crash in West Yorkshire,
0:23:33 > 0:23:37where a car smashed into the front of a busy bus.
0:23:37 > 0:23:43The floor of the bus collapsed and the driver fell onto the road where she's now trapped.
0:23:45 > 0:23:50One of the three occupants of the car is already on his way to Leeds,
0:23:50 > 0:23:54but the driver is still trapped and the other passenger barely alive.
0:23:54 > 0:23:59Fire crews are trying to cut the bus driver out of her wrecked vehicle.
0:23:59 > 0:24:05She lay unnoticed for several minutes after the crash, despite the accident being witnessed
0:24:05 > 0:24:09by dozens of people on a busy suburban road.
0:24:09 > 0:24:15I was driving behind the bus and this black car came round the corner,
0:24:15 > 0:24:19careered onto the wrong side of the road, straight into the bus.
0:24:19 > 0:24:24Then I just stopped, otherwise I'd have hit the back of the bus.
0:24:24 > 0:24:29On board the bus were a mother and baby and more than a dozen elderly passengers.
0:24:29 > 0:24:34Two of the eleven patients have quite bad head injuries. One's collapsed.
0:24:34 > 0:24:38The driver is the one they are treating as very serious.
0:24:38 > 0:24:42The Fire Brigade are trying to cut her out as we speak.
0:24:42 > 0:24:49The other members of the bus have been quite lucky. They have cuts from flying glass,
0:24:49 > 0:24:56banging their heads against the poles. They might have minor fractures, but apart from that,
0:24:56 > 0:24:58hopefully they'll be all right.
0:24:58 > 0:25:02Back at the wrecked car, the rear passenger's condition is critical.
0:25:02 > 0:25:07Hi blood pressure is low. They fear he's bleeding internally from two broken legs.
0:25:07 > 0:25:12- Where was he?- He was the rear passenger, ejected forward.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15Both femurs looked all right. Lower legs are not.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20Watch your heads, chaps. Just duck.
0:25:20 > 0:25:24Helimed 99 is about to take off for Leeds General Infirmary.
0:25:24 > 0:25:3010 miles away, the hospital's helipad team is about to unload the front seat passenger from 98.
0:25:30 > 0:25:35He hit the dash with such force, he has a critical brain injury.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39OK, lads. Can somebody get this end?
0:25:39 > 0:25:4399, roger. 98 have just landed at LGI.
0:25:43 > 0:25:47The aircraft's going to return with Dave Appleby, over.
0:25:47 > 0:25:53Thanks to the airbag, the driver is the least injured, but he is still unconscious and bleeding.
0:25:53 > 0:25:59He will need to be prepared for flight. The rear passenger is on Helimed 99
0:25:59 > 0:26:02on the way to the LGI.
0:26:02 > 0:26:07Those who saw their car crash were shocked.
0:26:07 > 0:26:12I just saw these boys in the front. I just hope they're all right.
0:26:12 > 0:26:17Now all the attention is on the bus driver, still trapped under her cab.
0:26:17 > 0:26:24Fire crews are having difficulty getting her out and her condition is getting worse with every minute.
0:26:32 > 0:26:38Every year, the Yorkshire Dales is the background to one of the toughest races in motorsport.
0:26:38 > 0:26:44The Scott Trial pits rider and machine against an 84-mile course
0:26:44 > 0:26:46across unforgiving moorland.
0:26:50 > 0:26:55Hundreds of bikers have turned out for this year's trial.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58It's a tradition that dates back almost a century.
0:26:58 > 0:27:01The Yorkshire branch of the Auto-cycle Union
0:27:01 > 0:27:04holds its 17th annual trial for the Scott trophy.
0:27:04 > 0:27:09By the time the competitors plough through 15 miles of assorted frightfulness of muddy moor,
0:27:09 > 0:27:14they will feel like taking the chap who designed the course and ducking him.
0:27:14 > 0:27:19Today, flat hats and tweed have been replaced by helmets and body armour,
0:27:19 > 0:27:22but the hazards were the same 80 years ago.
0:27:22 > 0:27:26Only 20 out of the 80 entered finished the course.
0:27:26 > 0:27:30But the response to an accident is rather faster today.
0:27:30 > 0:27:37Helimed 98 is on its way to the remote part of the course. A biker has come off at high speed.
0:27:37 > 0:27:39You all right, mate?
0:27:39 > 0:27:46Course marshals alerted ground paramedics and now the Helimed team will take over his treatment.
0:27:46 > 0:27:52He's hit that boulder behind you, gone over the handlebars. He was going some speed.
0:27:52 > 0:27:5818-year-old Matthew Maynard was riding across this field when he hit a rock.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01He's broken his leg badly.
0:28:01 > 0:28:06It requires surgery, despite him wearing all the right protective gear.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09He's in a lot of pain.
0:28:09 > 0:28:13- Just keep going on that, mate. - Just cut it, mate.
0:28:13 > 0:28:20But he's not alone today. Helimed 99, too, has been called to the trial course.
0:28:20 > 0:28:24Is that 98 at two o'clock?
0:28:24 > 0:28:28Oh, yeah, it is. Hey, look at that.
0:28:28 > 0:28:34We're going to a motocross meet for a biker with, apparently, two broken arms.
0:28:34 > 0:28:40It sounds like it's been a bit of a chaotic racing meet to have two helicopters in.
0:28:40 > 0:28:47Rider 17, another young lassie from the local Richmond club is Robyn Alderson...
0:28:47 > 0:28:54Half an hour ago, 20-year-old Robyn Alderson was one of the few women riders starting the trial.
0:28:54 > 0:29:00It's her second attempt. She comes from a biking family and her dad has won the Scott trophy,
0:29:00 > 0:29:03but today she's riding for a fall.
0:29:03 > 0:29:08Robyn's day has ended in a course ambulance. She has two broken wrists
0:29:08 > 0:29:11sustained when she went over her handlebars.
0:29:11 > 0:29:18I did it a couple of years ago. I got about halfway and thought I'd have another go,
0:29:18 > 0:29:22but obviously it wasn't meant to be this year.
0:29:22 > 0:29:27- Robyn, how does that hand feel? - It's not so bad, really.
0:29:27 > 0:29:31- As I take this off, if it becomes bad, say.- Yeah.- And we'll stop.
0:29:31 > 0:29:37Robyn crashed in such a remote location she'd to walk to get help.
0:29:37 > 0:29:42- You walked a mile? - Er, yeah, it will have been. - About that.- And climbed a gate.
0:29:42 > 0:29:46How did you get over a gate? Did you just have to...?
0:29:46 > 0:29:52- It's just like one of those gates out there.- So you got over without using your hands.
0:29:54 > 0:30:01The 84-mile trial is broken into 75 sections. On each part, the rider is scored.
0:30:01 > 0:30:07They get marks for speed and skill. Put your foot on the ground and you lose marks.
0:30:07 > 0:30:12The Swaledale Mountain Rescue Team has been busy
0:30:12 > 0:30:16as this year's course is particularly tough.
0:30:16 > 0:30:22It's the weather. It's been wet everywhere, so it's very muddy, boggy.
0:30:22 > 0:30:26Probably difficult to manage the motorcycles.
0:30:26 > 0:30:31Robyn is ready to be airlifted to hospital. By all accounts, she'll be back next year.
0:30:31 > 0:30:36- See you, Robyn! - Thanks very much! Bye!- Bye!
0:30:36 > 0:30:40I've been well impressed by the way she's not made a fuss at all.
0:30:40 > 0:30:46They are hardy stock. She's gone over the handlebars and probably broken two arms,
0:30:46 > 0:30:52but her biggest fear was the needle when I cannulated her, which made us laugh.
0:30:52 > 0:30:56- Can you hear me now?- Back at the other crash site, there's a problem.
0:30:56 > 0:30:59There's nothing like technology(!)
0:30:59 > 0:31:04Paramedic Darren's having to communicate with the Ambulance Service via space.
0:31:04 > 0:31:07We're in the bottom of a valley,
0:31:07 > 0:31:13so we're having difficulty in getting any kind of communication. The radio's down,
0:31:13 > 0:31:17there's no mobile phone signal. I'm trying the satellite phone.
0:31:17 > 0:31:20Matthew's family have arrived.
0:31:20 > 0:31:24They know how dangerous the Scott Trial is.
0:31:24 > 0:31:30It's his second time of competing in it. Last year he finished 46th, which was very good.
0:31:30 > 0:31:37He just wanted to do it again, but it's gone a bit pear-shaped across a field with a stone in it.
0:31:37 > 0:31:41Now that Matthew and Robyn are heading for A&E,
0:31:41 > 0:31:46land paramedics are freed up. It looks like a busy day.
0:31:46 > 0:31:51- Think of the hot cups of tea you'll have to take now! - Just feed him in to Daz.
0:31:51 > 0:31:55Rest him there, chaps. Keep hold of him. Feed him round.
0:31:55 > 0:32:02Both the Helimed teams' patients are flown to James Cook hospital in Middlesbrough.
0:32:03 > 0:32:06A&E staff realise both Robyn and Matthew were friends
0:32:06 > 0:32:11who were both unaware the other had also failed to finish the trial.
0:32:11 > 0:32:15I went straight into A&E
0:32:15 > 0:32:19and had all my x-rays and whilst they were taking me to the ward,
0:32:19 > 0:32:24Matt was on the next ward. They wheeled me on in my bed
0:32:24 > 0:32:28and we had a chat for a few moments about what had happened
0:32:28 > 0:32:31and then I was taken into the ward.
0:32:31 > 0:32:37But we managed to text each other and finding more out about what had happened.
0:32:37 > 0:32:41Unfortunately, Matt was in a bit longer than I was.
0:32:41 > 0:32:45Matthew underwent major surgery to rebuild his leg.
0:32:45 > 0:32:51They put two screws and a pin all the way down my leg. And two screws at the bottom of it.
0:32:51 > 0:32:54I've got a lot of titanium in my leg.
0:32:56 > 0:33:02It's now eight weeks since the trial and Robyn has made a good recovery.
0:33:02 > 0:33:06She's at home in her dad's shed, raring to get back in the saddle.
0:33:06 > 0:33:13'I started riding when I was about 13 and I had a go on my dad's bike. I got quite interested
0:33:13 > 0:33:16'and got one for Christmas.'
0:33:17 > 0:33:23My dad rode for a number of years, my uncle and I've got three cousins that ride as well.
0:33:25 > 0:33:31Like most victims of the trial, Robyn has no one to blame for her crash but herself
0:33:31 > 0:33:34and the treacherous local landscape.
0:33:34 > 0:33:38I was on a straight bit of track. That's the most embarrassing thing.
0:33:38 > 0:33:43It wasn't even a hard part of the course. I came across a ditch
0:33:43 > 0:33:47and somehow managed to get off the track slightly onto that.
0:33:47 > 0:33:54I couldn't get slowed up in time. I went straight into it, straight over the handlebars
0:33:54 > 0:33:56and that was the end of that!
0:33:56 > 0:34:01Matthew is still not able to ride. His leg was very badly broken.
0:34:01 > 0:34:06- Hello! Are you all right? - Not too bad. You?- Well, thank you.
0:34:06 > 0:34:11At least both riders are now fit enough to compare their scars
0:34:11 > 0:34:15and plan their next assault on the Scott.
0:34:15 > 0:34:19It's known as one of the hardest one-day trials there is to do.
0:34:19 > 0:34:23It's the one trial that everybody wants to get round,
0:34:23 > 0:34:29just because it's so tough. It's a shame I was only 6 or 7 miles into it when I had a big crash.
0:34:29 > 0:34:32That was the end of me for this year.
0:34:32 > 0:34:39Both Robyn and Matt are already planning their next races, undeterred by their injuries.
0:34:39 > 0:34:43They feel a lot better than they did a few months ago,
0:34:43 > 0:34:49but I think I've got a long way to go before I'll be back riding a trial.
0:34:49 > 0:34:56I'm looking forward to getting back onto the bike and doing a lot more competitions this year.
0:34:56 > 0:35:02There's a six-day trial I want to be fit for and do the British Championships.
0:35:02 > 0:35:06These fellows say they do it for fun. I wouldn't do it for £1,000!
0:35:06 > 0:35:11Watchers get as wet as the riders. The only way to keep clean is to stand half a mile away.
0:35:11 > 0:35:18Riders in the UK's toughest bike race have suffered the same injuries as Matt and Robyn for 80 years.
0:35:18 > 0:35:23But the accident toll has done little to put off riders.
0:35:23 > 0:35:27They'll be lining up for another Scott Trial later this year.
0:35:32 > 0:35:38Now back to West Yorkshire where nine people are already on their way to A&E
0:35:38 > 0:35:43after a serious crash, but the Helimed team's attention is now on the bus driver,
0:35:43 > 0:35:47badly injured as she stopped to pick up passengers.
0:35:47 > 0:35:54Trapped under her own bus, 61-year-old June Place was very lucky to survive the impact.
0:35:54 > 0:35:58The floor beneath her seat gave way and she fell onto the road below.
0:35:58 > 0:36:04It was 10 minutes before the first rescuers found her. Now more than an hour later,
0:36:04 > 0:36:06she has at last been freed.
0:36:06 > 0:36:12June was so badly crushed, her legs and pelvis are broken in many places.
0:36:12 > 0:36:17- So we're querying pelvis, femur... - We think pelvis more likely.
0:36:18 > 0:36:22We've open left ankle...
0:36:22 > 0:36:25June is the fourth serious casualty from the scene.
0:36:25 > 0:36:32Another six of her passengers were also injured. She is secured, heavily sedated and on morphine,
0:36:32 > 0:36:35so ready to be transported to hospital.
0:36:35 > 0:36:3910 miles away, at Leeds General Infirmary,
0:36:39 > 0:36:43the rear passenger of the car is now minutes from treatment.
0:36:45 > 0:36:52Managers have declared the accident a major incident. All available staff have been called to A&E.
0:36:52 > 0:36:57As they start work, paramedic Darren can at last relax.
0:36:57 > 0:37:00That's been the biggest one for a couple of months.
0:37:00 > 0:37:06Unfortunately, I seem to be a magnet for this kind of thing. I've done quite a lot of it.
0:37:06 > 0:37:10There are dozens of trauma specialist seeing to the patients.
0:37:10 > 0:37:15Basics doctor is on scene, Ambulance Service, Fire Service, Police.
0:37:15 > 0:37:20It's a massive thing and that's before you get into Emergency
0:37:20 > 0:37:24and the patients are now treated by the doctors in here.
0:37:24 > 0:37:29The teams that are in the department here are really keyed-up for trauma now.
0:37:29 > 0:37:36Obviously, this tests out the systems they've got in place and it's working really well.
0:37:38 > 0:37:42June is in and out of consciousness, but is in a stable condition.
0:37:42 > 0:37:47The question is will Leeds be able to cope with another emergency patient?
0:37:47 > 0:37:52Air desk from 98. Patient is loaded on the helicopter.
0:37:52 > 0:37:57We've just received information that 99 has gone to LGI.
0:37:57 > 0:38:01Are they able to accept another patient?
0:38:01 > 0:38:04'They're happy to accept her. Over.'
0:38:04 > 0:38:10The last critically-injured patient from the bus crash is about to take off for hospital.
0:38:10 > 0:38:17An hour ago, June Place was stopping to pick up passengers in a community that is now in shock.
0:38:17 > 0:38:20It's a long, fast road. The sign's there.
0:38:20 > 0:38:26- Reduce speed.- People don't bother about the speed they're going.
0:38:26 > 0:38:29But at Leeds General Infirmary, there's a problem.
0:38:29 > 0:38:36The helipad can't take two helicopters. Pilot Andy Lister must quickly take off
0:38:36 > 0:38:41to make way for Helimed 98 with bus driver June on board.
0:38:41 > 0:38:44All right, guys? Some multiple fractures...
0:38:44 > 0:38:48Within a minute, she's on her way to A&E.
0:38:48 > 0:38:52Tough job, that one. Two are critically injured.
0:38:52 > 0:38:55This lady's stable at the moment,
0:38:55 > 0:38:58but, yeah, it's been a tough job. Yeah.
0:38:58 > 0:39:05Consultants are already planning the treatment for all three Helimed patients.
0:39:05 > 0:39:12That night, the LGI's operating theatres are busy as a team of orthopaedic surgeons begins work.
0:39:13 > 0:39:17Two weeks later and bus driver June is still in hospital.
0:39:19 > 0:39:24- Hiya.- Hello, love. - Would you like a tea or coffee? - Tea, one sugar, please.
0:39:24 > 0:39:29June has undergone extensive surgery to rebuild her crushed leg
0:39:29 > 0:39:34and has been told it will be months before she can walk again, let alone drive a bus.
0:39:34 > 0:39:38- Lovely. Thank you very much, yeah. - Enjoy.
0:39:38 > 0:39:40I've been a bus driver for...
0:39:40 > 0:39:45I think roughly about 16... 15 or 16 years.
0:39:45 > 0:39:51It was the 149 service to Wakefield, which would have been my finishing trip.
0:39:52 > 0:39:58All I remember is seeing a car and I think I probably said,
0:39:58 > 0:40:01"What the...is happening?!"
0:40:01 > 0:40:07And I don't remember anything about the crash, the impact or anything.
0:40:07 > 0:40:11I heard them say, "We're going to get you out now, June."
0:40:11 > 0:40:18And then wondering, "Out of where? Where am I?" I felt the fresh air on my face as they got me out,
0:40:18 > 0:40:25which felt nice, you know. The next thing I remember is somebody...
0:40:25 > 0:40:33asking me where I hurt. "Can we have your arm to put a line in?"
0:40:33 > 0:40:36Just take that off for a second.
0:40:36 > 0:40:41I knew I was being put on a helicopter. I didn't see it.
0:40:41 > 0:40:46But I could hear the engine, the blades, I don't know, when we lifted off.
0:40:46 > 0:40:50It didn't seem two minutes before we were coming down again.
0:40:50 > 0:40:56It's common for victims of trauma to block out memories of a serious accident.
0:40:56 > 0:41:00All they are left with are their injuries as a reminder.
0:41:00 > 0:41:06The injuries I received... If we start from the top, I had the scapula, your shoulder blade,
0:41:06 > 0:41:08and five broken ribs,
0:41:08 > 0:41:15and then this arm, I think it was an open fracture to the radius and ulna,
0:41:15 > 0:41:18which is the two bones there.
0:41:18 > 0:41:23And then, on the right leg is an open fracture,
0:41:23 > 0:41:25round about the ankle area.
0:41:25 > 0:41:30And what this frame is doing is holding all the bone in line.
0:41:30 > 0:41:37June considers herself lucky to be alive and believes she owes her life to the emergency services.
0:41:37 > 0:41:41Without them, I wouldn't be here. That's without a doubt.
0:41:42 > 0:41:44I think they...
0:41:44 > 0:41:47They were professional in every aspect.
0:41:47 > 0:41:51Although I couldn't see, I could hear.
0:41:51 > 0:41:55I could hear what they were saying to me, reassuring me
0:41:55 > 0:42:01and telling me everything. "Don't worry." And getting me on that helicopter into LGI
0:42:01 > 0:42:04in no time. No time at all.
0:42:04 > 0:42:09I don't think I'd have been here. That is without a doubt.
0:42:09 > 0:42:13And I just can't thank them enough. Honestly.
0:42:13 > 0:42:17I'm pleased to tell you June is continuing to make a good recovery
0:42:17 > 0:42:24and she's hopeful that she'll soon be fit enough to get back behind the wheel.
0:42:35 > 0:42:37Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd