0:00:03 > 0:00:07If you're critically ill or seriously injured, seconds count.
0:00:07 > 0:00:10And in Britain's biggest county, you 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 150mph
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 > 0:00:27- Stay 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 > 0:00:37Put him off to sleep with an emergency anaesthetic, OK?
0:00:37 > 0:00:42- And town centres into helipads.- Good on the left?- Just behind you, Tim.
0:00:42 > 0:00:47And every day the Helimed team's skill, speed and courage is saving lives.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58Today, on Helicopter Heroes -
0:00:58 > 0:01:03A high-speed police chase ends in a busy shopping street.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05We just heard police cars flying around and then
0:01:05 > 0:01:08I just heard an almighty bang, because I was serving.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11A roofer slips and falls headfirst to the ground.
0:01:11 > 0:01:16He's hit that on his way through. And then landed feet, then back.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19A horse rider is ambushed by a pheasant.
0:01:19 > 0:01:21She just couldn't move, she twisted her shoulder
0:01:21 > 0:01:22and the horses just shot off.
0:01:22 > 0:01:26And a worker is crushed in an industrial accident.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29- Where's your main pain, mate? - In my lower back.- Your lower back.
0:01:36 > 0:01:38Having been in a few myself,
0:01:38 > 0:01:42I can tell you police pursuits are dangerous for everyone involved.
0:01:42 > 0:01:46And when something goes wrong, the consequences can be devastating.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52Helimed 99 is on its way to South Yorkshire.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55Reports are coming in of a police pursuit in the village
0:01:55 > 0:01:57of Stainforth, near Doncaster.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00We've come outside with the sirens and it was all over...
0:02:00 > 0:02:03I saw three and they stopped up at the corner here,
0:02:03 > 0:02:07when the red car shot over the road, straight into the tractor.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12The car, which was stolen, hit the tractor head-on.
0:02:13 > 0:02:17In the Helimed team today is Dr James Milligan,
0:02:17 > 0:02:20an A&E consultant who is trained to bring the skills you'd
0:02:20 > 0:02:24find in a trauma unit direct to the scene of an accident.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27We're going to a gentleman who has been stuck in his car.
0:02:27 > 0:02:29He sounds like he's very poorly.
0:02:29 > 0:02:30Just going to draw up a few
0:02:30 > 0:02:33drugs in preparation, so that we don't have to mess around
0:02:33 > 0:02:37too much on the ground, and get things moving as quickly as possible.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40The passenger in the car is critically injured.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43The crash happened across the road from a supermarket
0:02:43 > 0:02:45and was witnessed by many out shopping.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50How we doing?
0:02:50 > 0:02:56Obviously, in the car, hit the tractor, no seatbelt.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00- Passenger, sorry. Passenger in this side here, you can see the impact. - Yeah, yeah.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03Got a GCS of three, so that's at 100%.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06Medics use the Glasgow Coma Scale as shorthand for how
0:03:06 > 0:03:08seriously ill a patient is.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11So, his GCS is three out of fifteen when we got here.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14A GCS of three is critical.
0:03:14 > 0:03:15Poor ventilation.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18So, this guy appears to have a serious head injury.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21And we're going to be taking him to the nearest surgical unit.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23The nearest one for us is Leeds.
0:03:23 > 0:03:2719-year-old Scott Stobbs was not wearing a seatbelt
0:03:27 > 0:03:30and the impact threw him into the windscreen.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33We just heard police cars flying around
0:03:33 > 0:03:35and then the red car went flying over
0:03:35 > 0:03:38and I just heard an almighty bang and then we looked out
0:03:38 > 0:03:41and the car was over there and the tractor wheel was hanging off.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44Police were everywhere and it were mayhem.
0:03:44 > 0:03:48Scott has a serious head injury and Dr James must carry out
0:03:48 > 0:03:53a procedure that is complicated even in a sterile hospital.
0:03:53 > 0:03:57Has everybody got the piece that they need to get? Yeah?
0:03:57 > 0:03:59On lifting, ready, steady, lift.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06The teenager's brain is swelling inside his skull.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09If the pressure is not reduced or released, he will stop breathing.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12- Just confirm which hospital...- LGI.
0:04:14 > 0:04:18Yeah, LGI, we're going to RSI this patient.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21Dr James is about to anaesthetise his patient.
0:04:21 > 0:04:25He'll insert a tube through which they'll take over his breathing.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31So, we popped this chap off to sleep.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34And we just need to make sure we got some drugs to
0:04:34 > 0:04:37keep him asleep now and to protect his head as best we can.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40Dave, can I give you the drugs?
0:04:40 > 0:04:45It's going to be five of that, followed by three of that.
0:04:45 > 0:04:50At last, Scott is unconscious - his brain can now begin to recover.
0:04:50 > 0:04:54- But there's another problem.- OK, can someone have a quick listen for us?
0:04:54 > 0:04:57Scott's chest has taken much of the impact of the crash.
0:04:57 > 0:05:02He could be bleeding internally and his lungs aren't working properly.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05- Left side's congested, right side's good.- OK.
0:05:06 > 0:05:11Dr James must release the pressure - by cutting a hole in his chest.
0:05:11 > 0:05:12Yes, please, can do.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16We're just going to decompress this side of his chest.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19If someone could grab some gauze, that'd be grand.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21It's basic, but it works.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24- Ready to move?- Yeah.
0:05:24 > 0:05:28Everything emergency medics can do at the roadside has now been done
0:05:28 > 0:05:32for Scott. A helicopter to hospital is now his best chance of survival.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35He's got significant head injuries and left-side-of-his-chest injuries.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39We decided to incubate him, ventilate him, to protect his brain from further injury.
0:05:39 > 0:05:44And we've also had to put a hole in his chest to decompress a lung which was deflated.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48And we'll get him to the nearest surgical unit ASAP.
0:06:03 > 0:06:07The human brain is the most complex structure known to science
0:06:07 > 0:06:09and it's very vulnerable.
0:06:09 > 0:06:13That's why a head injury is always a top priority for the Helimed team.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20Helimed 99 is needed urgently in the town of Mexborough,
0:06:20 > 0:06:23where a man has fallen headfirst from a roof.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25It sounds like he's got a head injury because someone said,
0:06:25 > 0:06:30"He's very agitated, badly injured." Depending how agitated he is, depends on whether we can fly him
0:06:30 > 0:06:33or not. He could be like that just because of his head injury,
0:06:33 > 0:06:36so what he might need is to put him to sleep.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39Often, a patient with a serious head injury needs to be
0:06:39 > 0:06:42put into a coma to protect the brain from further damage.
0:06:42 > 0:06:48But to do this, paramedics Tony Wilkes and Andy Armitage will need back up.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51Only a doctor can administer such powerful drugs.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54OK, that's that bit of water there, so...
0:06:54 > 0:06:56INDISTINCT
0:06:56 > 0:06:58We'll be back there in ten minutes.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01- Oh, we're there, so it's... - At three o'clock, over there.
0:07:01 > 0:07:03Three o'clock, yeah, that's it.
0:07:04 > 0:07:09They are stopping off at a police helipad to pick up Dr Dave Macklin,
0:07:09 > 0:07:13a senior A&E consultant now working for the Ambulance Service.
0:07:17 > 0:07:21What's the plan of action, then, if his head injury...? And he's a bit agitated?
0:07:21 > 0:07:23Ketamine. Just enough to get him in the aircraft.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25And then get him out of there.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29The closest pilot Steve Cobb can get to the patient is
0:07:29 > 0:07:32a playing field two streets away. It's still some distance,
0:07:32 > 0:07:36so paramedic Andy and Dr Macklin need to be quick.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39INDISTINCT DISCUSSION
0:07:50 > 0:07:52The accident happened at a house under renovation
0:07:52 > 0:07:56and it's a workman who has fallen from the very top of the roof
0:07:56 > 0:07:57and hit the ground.
0:07:59 > 0:08:04He's hit that on his way through. And then landed feet, then back.
0:08:04 > 0:08:08I think he's actually taken his strap in after moving his ladder
0:08:08 > 0:08:13- and that's where he's gone. - From up there, down here.
0:08:13 > 0:08:18- The patient is 48-year-old Neil Ashton.- Neil, open your eyes for me.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21- His head injury, mainly. Airway has been clear.- Chest clear?
0:08:21 > 0:08:23Chest clear, nice air entry.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26Good radial pulse. Has that been his constant pulse throughout, that 58?
0:08:26 > 0:08:30- Yes.- It's not been slower than that or faster?- No.- 28 rest.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32I mean, he's got good air entry both sides.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34Ground paramedics have already packaged Neil
0:08:34 > 0:08:36and prepared him for flight.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39Since initial reports of being very agitated,
0:08:39 > 0:08:41Neil seems to have calmed down.
0:08:41 > 0:08:43But he is in and out of consciousness
0:08:43 > 0:08:45and has a very serious head injury.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50- You all right then, mate?- Can't really do much...
0:08:56 > 0:09:00There is not much more the Helimed team can do, other than get him
0:09:00 > 0:09:03onboard the chopper and off to the Northern General Hospital
0:09:03 > 0:09:06in Sheffield, as quickly as possible.
0:09:06 > 0:09:10We've not got normal injuries identified, just head injury.
0:09:10 > 0:09:15Neil has blood behind his eyes - a sign of bleeding on the brain.
0:09:15 > 0:09:20Erm, hypertensive, stats are OK, no other meds, he's got bilateral lines in.
0:09:20 > 0:09:22Everybody happy?
0:09:22 > 0:09:24Ready, steady, lift.
0:09:24 > 0:09:28'The people who he's working for, one of them's a nurse
0:09:28 > 0:09:30'and she recognised that he wasn't breathing.'
0:09:30 > 0:09:33She worked on him for a minute or two and got him breathing.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35And from that he was very agitated,
0:09:35 > 0:09:39so we had to hold him down until we could get more people here.
0:09:39 > 0:09:42Put a collar on, and stabilise him.
0:09:42 > 0:09:44Neil, open your eyes for me.
0:09:44 > 0:09:46Neil is slipping in and out of consciousness.
0:09:46 > 0:09:50And right now, his head injury is so serious, it is not known
0:09:50 > 0:09:52if he will survive.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55Brain surgeons in Sheffield have been alerted to expect a very
0:09:55 > 0:09:57seriously injured patient.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05Cleared the houses.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11Within minutes, they arrive at the Northern General
0:10:11 > 0:10:15and Neil is becoming increasingly agitated.
0:10:15 > 0:10:16But once in hospital,
0:10:16 > 0:10:20he is put into an induced coma to allow surgeons to operate.
0:10:20 > 0:10:26It will be nearly three months before Neil finally regains consciousness.
0:10:26 > 0:10:30When he comes to, he's confused, barely recognises his family and
0:10:30 > 0:10:35is prone to outbursts of temper - common effects of a head injury.
0:10:35 > 0:10:39At home, it has been an agonising wait for his wife, Debbie.
0:10:39 > 0:10:43The accident happened only ten days after they got married.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46The weeks after their wedding day could not have been any worse.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50It were a beautiful day, 1st of September, it was sunny.
0:10:50 > 0:10:54We had friends and family there, it was absolutely wonderful.
0:10:54 > 0:10:55Couldn't wish for a better day.
0:10:57 > 0:11:01Some days, I haven't coped, some days I've gone on autopilot.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05My main focus has just been trying to keep this family
0:11:05 > 0:11:07together as best I can.
0:11:07 > 0:11:09Erm, and it's probably
0:11:09 > 0:11:11one of the hardest jobs.
0:11:13 > 0:11:17Five months after the accident and Neil is finally home.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20He still has brain damage and recovery is very slow.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23Like many victims of serious accidents,
0:11:23 > 0:11:26he recalls very little of what happened that day.
0:11:26 > 0:11:30I was taking a chimney out for a customer of mine
0:11:30 > 0:11:32and I got to roof it in.
0:11:32 > 0:11:36Neil was on his way down for a tea break when he slipped.
0:11:36 > 0:11:40He shouted up to me to say, "I've made me a drink." Do I want a drink?
0:11:40 > 0:11:42And I said, "Yeah, I'll come down."
0:11:42 > 0:11:46And when I actually went down to get the drink,
0:11:46 > 0:11:49because I had moved my ladders around from the bottom...
0:11:50 > 0:11:54I'd not tied them back on and I fell.
0:11:56 > 0:12:00As I fell, I hit the wall with me head.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04And then I was unconscious and they brought me back to life.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08It was the quick thinking of the homeowner who found Neil
0:12:08 > 0:12:11which may have saved his life.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13The people that own the property
0:12:13 > 0:12:16won't let anybody work on it without them being there.
0:12:16 > 0:12:22Which is a stroke of luck, really, because Bev is a nurse
0:12:22 > 0:12:24so she knew exactly what to do when Neil fell.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29Neil had bleeding on both sides of the brain,
0:12:29 > 0:12:32fractured bones in his back and broken ribs.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35I'd be better off once I've had my eyes sorted out,
0:12:35 > 0:12:41so my eyes can see blood removing from behind my eyes.
0:12:41 > 0:12:43Which has been a hold-up, which has been a problem.
0:12:43 > 0:12:51And I've got to learn everything that I used to know before.
0:12:51 > 0:12:53Because of my brain injury.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56He gets frustrated because he can't draw and he can't read.
0:12:58 > 0:13:03And having to deal with that, and getting the boys to understand
0:13:03 > 0:13:07that he's still their dad, he's just a bit different at the minute.
0:13:07 > 0:13:11Neil's now enjoying being home from hospital. His priority,
0:13:11 > 0:13:15though, is to get his health back and start enjoying married life.
0:13:15 > 0:13:20I know full well I am never going to be able to climb a ladder
0:13:20 > 0:13:24and be a roofer again. I've got to look at being something different
0:13:24 > 0:13:29- once I'm better.- And Debbie, once more, has plans for the future.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32Spending a lot more quality time together as a family,
0:13:32 > 0:13:37Neil getting stronger and stronger every day. And just enjoying life.
0:13:37 > 0:13:41And keeping an eye on him, so he doesn't climb any more ladders.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53Yorkshire's famous Moors have been celebrated in fiction
0:13:53 > 0:13:56and poetry since the days of the Bronte sisters.
0:13:56 > 0:14:01But these wuthering heights are home to a major industry.
0:14:02 > 0:14:05This moorland may look barren, but it's carefully
0:14:05 > 0:14:09managed by landowners to be the perfect habitat for game birds.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12Sportsmen and women pay millions every year to
0:14:12 > 0:14:15hunt game on country estates - from grouse to pheasant.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20And hundreds of local people rely on country sports for a living,
0:14:20 > 0:14:23especially the army of beaters who frighten
0:14:23 > 0:14:25birds into the line of fire.
0:14:28 > 0:14:32Helimed 98 is heading for the Studley Royal Estate near Ripon,
0:14:32 > 0:14:33in North Yorkshire.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35But the weather is getting in the way.
0:14:37 > 0:14:42This is 98, we are airborne, we are currently low and slow.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45We are trying our best, but we can't guarantee
0:14:45 > 0:14:48that our current ETA stands at five minutes, over.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53Pilot Ian Mousette flew all over the world with the army
0:14:53 > 0:14:56and he knows Britain's weather rarely cooperates.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58But finally he finds a way through.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08Stephen was working as a beater,
0:15:08 > 0:15:13when he tried to climb over a fence, slipped and broke his leg.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15Right then, let's get you concentrated
0:15:15 > 0:15:17up off of this floor, eh?
0:15:17 > 0:15:21We were pheasant-beating today, so in these rural spots, you know,
0:15:21 > 0:15:25thankfully we've got you lads to come and get him, because we're stuck.
0:15:27 > 0:15:29Pheasants are farmed on estates like this.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32Driving them in the right direction is a skilled job.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36Stephen was trying to head off a number of birds flying
0:15:36 > 0:15:40away from the guns. His accident was witnessed by his brother.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43He had to walk across this field here, to stop
0:15:43 > 0:15:46the birds coming over this fence. So we were beating them back this way.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49And there were a load of us across here, flagging them all
0:15:49 > 0:15:52to the shooters at the other end and as we've come into these
0:15:52 > 0:15:54fields, to follow the birds, he's climbed over,
0:15:54 > 0:15:58he's got one foot stuck in barbed wire, so he's, like, jumped off the
0:15:58 > 0:16:02top of the fence, landed on one leg and obviously gone over his ankle
0:16:02 > 0:16:04and done this to himself.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07- Your knee's absolutely fine. Is that OK?- Yeah.- Yeah?
0:16:07 > 0:16:09OK, I'm not going to ask you to move it.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12Just going to cut through your shoe, is that OK?
0:16:12 > 0:16:15Sorry, mate, I'm just trying to support your ankle,
0:16:15 > 0:16:16while we get your boot off, mate.
0:16:16 > 0:16:20Good lad, keep breathing on that. You can have as much as you like.
0:16:20 > 0:16:24A local paramedic has been treating Stephen's injury,
0:16:24 > 0:16:26but it's very serious.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28Bone is protruding from his ankle -
0:16:28 > 0:16:32she realised carrying him to the nearest road would be agonising.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34Stay still, bud.
0:16:34 > 0:16:36Is that going to happen or not?
0:16:36 > 0:16:38Another go.
0:16:39 > 0:16:40Paramedic Sammy Wills
0:16:40 > 0:16:44and Tony Wilkes want to straighten Stephen's leg to restore
0:16:44 > 0:16:48proper blood flow to his foot, but it's proving too difficult.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51Well done, bud, all we're doing is cutting around your shoe, all right?
0:16:51 > 0:16:54'Bringing the pheasants in for shoot days, you know.'
0:16:54 > 0:16:56So we bring in all this ground and all this wood
0:16:56 > 0:16:58and these fields to this point.
0:16:58 > 0:17:02And he's gone down here, I'm afraid.
0:17:02 > 0:17:03How you feeling, bud?
0:17:03 > 0:17:08OK, then. What we're going to do... If you stay nice and still.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12- Is that all right?- Yeah, it's all right.- Stay still, bud.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16Removing Stephen's boot is painful, but necessary.
0:17:17 > 0:17:19- I've got his leg.- Yeah, ready.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24Good lad.
0:17:24 > 0:17:26Good lad. That's it.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34He has an open tib and fib fracture.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38With foot displacement.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41We've been unable to realign.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46Quite a large portion of his bone is protruding.
0:17:46 > 0:17:48It's not very comfortable for him. We've been unable to
0:17:48 > 0:17:52realign his foot over it, because his calf muscles are all tense.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57So, we've done the best, we've dressed it in the position we found it
0:17:57 > 0:18:02and thankfully he has got a good distal pulse, good capillary refill
0:18:02 > 0:18:05to all his foot. But, nonetheless, he's in a lot of pain.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11INDISTINCT DISCUSSION
0:18:13 > 0:18:15Fly him in 500ft. We're inbound...
0:18:15 > 0:18:18Even the flight to hospital will be painful for Stephen.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21A road journey would have been unbearable.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25It's just that beginning bit where it shakes a bit, OK?
0:18:25 > 0:18:27I'm sorry about that.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30It's all good, just relax.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33- Heater's on.- Thank you. We've put the heating on for you.
0:18:37 > 0:18:38He's flown direct to Harrogate,
0:18:38 > 0:18:42where his leg is repaired by orthopaedic surgeons.
0:18:42 > 0:18:43The break is complicated
0:18:43 > 0:18:47and he's unlikely to be working as a beater again for months.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51Shooting is a rather one-sided sport,
0:18:51 > 0:18:54with game birds in the firing line.
0:18:54 > 0:18:58But, occasionally, there is a human casualty caused by a bird.
0:19:03 > 0:19:07Helimed 98 is off to a farm 15 miles north of Harrogate.
0:19:07 > 0:19:11A horse rider has been thrown to the ground and she can't move.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25Just received some information from control,
0:19:25 > 0:19:27about a female who's apparently had a fall.
0:19:28 > 0:19:32Shoulder injury. There's a responder on scene who has requested us
0:19:32 > 0:19:34because of the access problems.
0:19:34 > 0:19:38It's a typical summer's day, a mix of sunshine and heavy showers,
0:19:38 > 0:19:42and reports from the ground are that their patient is getting wet.
0:19:43 > 0:19:47One ambulance is there, isn't it? So it's a hop, skip and a jump.
0:19:47 > 0:19:51I'm going to put it in the crops, actually, guys.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53SPEECH DROWNED OUT
0:19:56 > 0:19:59Humerus is intact, it's just here, it's out of position here,
0:19:59 > 0:20:02so whether it's fractured and dislocated or it's just dislocated...
0:20:02 > 0:20:05- I don't know - it's clearly one or the other.- Yeah, absolutely.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08Riding down this track and a pheasant jumped out
0:20:08 > 0:20:12and spooked the horses. Horse bolted off and Lorna fell over
0:20:12 > 0:20:15and banged her head and then she just couldn't move.
0:20:15 > 0:20:19She twisted her shoulder and the horse has just shot off.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22- Hello, love.- Hello.- Nice to meet you. Sorry it's like this.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25Lorna Butterworth has a fractured, dislocated shoulder -
0:20:25 > 0:20:28- a very painful injury.- Do you think we can try and move this arm?
0:20:28 > 0:20:32I know if it starts hurting straight away, then obviously let us know.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35We're just going to see if we've got any kind of movement in it at all.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39Lorna's arm is out of joint and immovable.
0:20:39 > 0:20:41If it had been her right arm,
0:20:41 > 0:20:45it might have prevented her flying in the air ambulance -
0:20:45 > 0:20:48- so tight is the space for the stretcher.- Where's the pain?
0:20:48 > 0:20:52- If I have a feel around there, is that where it is?- No.- Up here?- Yeah.
0:20:52 > 0:20:54- In there.- Yeah.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57In this part of the farm there are swarms of flies,
0:20:57 > 0:21:00and Lorna has been lying here in the mud for over half an hour.
0:21:00 > 0:21:04She is in so much pain, she's scared to move.
0:21:04 > 0:21:11- One, two, three, roll. Well done, darling, well done.- Well done.
0:21:11 > 0:21:13Lorna is being given gas and air,
0:21:13 > 0:21:15but this may still be a painful journey.
0:21:15 > 0:21:18The team will handle her as gently as possible,
0:21:18 > 0:21:21but even the slightest movement is agonising.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24- Can we get the four corners? - Yeah, sounds like a plan.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27One, two, three, lift.
0:21:30 > 0:21:31- Ow.- Sorry, love.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34I'll just walk backwards because I can turn around that way.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37This is an awkward case for Lorna's rescuers.
0:21:37 > 0:21:41Her arm must be supported until she reaches A&E.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46Right, Lorna, you're going to go up in the air little bit now.
0:21:46 > 0:21:47Pass it through to Chris.
0:21:52 > 0:21:56Nice, take big deep breaths, darling. Well done. Big deep breaths.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00Lorna's being flown to hospital in Harrogate.
0:22:00 > 0:22:04The team knows her injury is not a simple one.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07Fractured dislocations often require
0:22:07 > 0:22:10extensive surgery and months of physio
0:22:10 > 0:22:14if the patient is to regain full movement of the arm.
0:22:14 > 0:22:16When she reaches surgery,
0:22:16 > 0:22:19Lorna's arm will be popped back into its joint.
0:22:19 > 0:22:24Surgeons then must reinforce her fractured shoulder with steel pins
0:22:24 > 0:22:26to stop it dislocating again.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29Right, so we'll just pop this off your arm
0:22:29 > 0:22:32and then you can have your limbs back.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35You can't move it at all, then, Lorna?
0:22:35 > 0:22:37We'll take this.
0:22:37 > 0:22:39SHE WHIMPERS
0:22:39 > 0:22:42Hold it there. Are you all right there, Paul?
0:22:42 > 0:22:45Cool, let's go the rest of the way.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54Right, sweetheart, do you want to take that?
0:22:54 > 0:22:57There's some gas and air for you. Just grab that sleeping bag, mate.
0:22:57 > 0:23:01- OK, Lorna.- Lorna will be in hospital for over a week,
0:23:01 > 0:23:05and it's four and a half months before she can return to work.
0:23:05 > 0:23:09She's told not to ride again for a further seven months.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21Many of the doctors who fly on the UK's air ambulances are volunteers,
0:23:21 > 0:23:24working extra hours to improve their skills,
0:23:24 > 0:23:27and their knowledge saves lives.
0:23:30 > 0:23:32Sheffield is still the UK's steel city,
0:23:32 > 0:23:36a place where engineering drives the economy
0:23:36 > 0:23:39and many people still work with heavy machinery.
0:23:39 > 0:23:41Charlie Orford is one of them.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44He was helping repair a drainage culvert,
0:23:44 > 0:23:45when he was hit by a steel pile.
0:23:45 > 0:23:49He has serious chest injuries, a broken leg,
0:23:49 > 0:23:51and his pelvis is fractured.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54But it's shock that could kill him.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57That's why ground paramedics have called in the Helimed team.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00He stood up and he's been cracked by this, it fell on him.
0:24:02 > 0:24:06The right shaft of femur - multiple fractures by the look of it.
0:24:06 > 0:24:11His left hip is splayed, so he is complaining of pain up at the top.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14It's a culvert that's collapsed underground
0:24:14 > 0:24:16that we've just been digging out and replacing.
0:24:16 > 0:24:18Been pulling piles out of the ground
0:24:18 > 0:24:20and it's come off the machine
0:24:20 > 0:24:23and come over and hit Charlie as it's landed.
0:24:23 > 0:24:27Flying doctor Jez Pinnell is the man who could save Charlie's life.
0:24:27 > 0:24:29He's bleeding internally
0:24:29 > 0:24:33and his heart is struggling to pump oxygen around his body.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36If the team can't increase his blood pressure
0:24:36 > 0:24:37and slow his heart, he may die.
0:24:37 > 0:24:39Let's have a look in your eyes.
0:24:39 > 0:24:43- Where's your main pain, mate? - Lower back.- Your lower back, is it?
0:24:43 > 0:24:46- Right leg, right leg.- And your right leg. How's your breathing feel?
0:24:46 > 0:24:48Seems easier to breathe with the mask off.
0:24:48 > 0:24:54Does your chest feel OK, mate? Have a little feel of your chest.
0:24:54 > 0:24:58Dr Jez is used to thinking fast and appearing relaxed.
0:24:58 > 0:25:02In hospital, that's what's expected of a senior anaesthetist.
0:25:02 > 0:25:04But here he must turn detective,
0:25:04 > 0:25:08working out how his patient's injury occurred.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11He was underneath that, was he?
0:25:11 > 0:25:14No, it's knocked him on the side and he's fell away from it.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17- So, he's not actually been trapped under it.- No.- Right.
0:25:17 > 0:25:19Dr Jez is giving his patient ketamine,
0:25:19 > 0:25:23a powerful anaesthetic that not only kills pain,
0:25:23 > 0:25:26but also gives patients temporary amnesia.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29Charlie will remember little of his treatment from now on.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32You may start to feel a bit strange.
0:25:32 > 0:25:36It sometimes makes you hallucinate a little, Charlie, all right?
0:25:36 > 0:25:40- So, we want some TXA as well, yeah? - I'd give him some TXA, mate, yeah.
0:25:40 > 0:25:43Charlie is also given TXA,
0:25:43 > 0:25:47a blood-thickening drug developed in war zones.
0:25:47 > 0:25:50In places where surgery is not possible,
0:25:50 > 0:25:53the drug helps clot the blood to stop internal bleeding.
0:25:53 > 0:25:57The blood pressure I'm looking at now on the monitor says 115/80.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00He's had some fluid, not sure how much fluid he has.
0:26:00 > 0:26:02He looks hypovolemic.
0:26:02 > 0:26:06But he's not kind of grossly unstable, as we speak.
0:26:06 > 0:26:07He's tacky, but not terrible.
0:26:07 > 0:26:11After consulting with colleagues in A&E,
0:26:11 > 0:26:13Jez decides it's safe to set off for hospital,
0:26:13 > 0:26:17even though he's concerned about Charlie's lowered blood pressure.
0:26:17 > 0:26:21I think this is safer than going across there, but that's moving.
0:26:21 > 0:26:25The site was too unsafe for the air ambulance to land close enough,
0:26:25 > 0:26:28so it's quicker and safer for the patient to be taken by road.
0:26:28 > 0:26:30He's conscious and talking to us at the moment,
0:26:30 > 0:26:32but he's got some injuries to his chest.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35He's a bit tender in his abdomen, he's got some leg injuries
0:26:35 > 0:26:38and we're obviously concerned he might have some pelvic injuries
0:26:38 > 0:26:41and some back injuries. So, he's had some analgesia,
0:26:41 > 0:26:44we'll put a splint onto his pelvis in case he's injured his pelvis,
0:26:44 > 0:26:46mobilise his leg.
0:26:46 > 0:26:47We've given him some tranexamic acid
0:26:47 > 0:26:50just to hopefully prevent him bleeding too much more.
0:26:50 > 0:26:55Charlie's undergoing treatment within 20 minutes,
0:26:55 > 0:26:58but his recovery is to take much longer.
0:26:58 > 0:27:00Six months later,
0:27:00 > 0:27:04he's still yet to return to work in the construction industry.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17The family car is part of life for many of us,
0:27:17 > 0:27:21but when there's an accident, the effects can be doubly difficult
0:27:21 > 0:27:23if relatives are injured together.
0:27:26 > 0:27:28On our way to Halifax,
0:27:28 > 0:27:34just north of Halifax. Another road-traffic.
0:27:34 > 0:27:36There's child involved, with a leg injury.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39The crew on scene has requested our attendance.
0:27:39 > 0:27:42Two cars have collided on a busy road.
0:27:42 > 0:27:44In one car, a man is trapped.
0:27:44 > 0:27:47His ten-year-old son has just been freed.
0:27:48 > 0:27:52Two people in the second car were not seriously injured.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55While firefighters try to free the father,
0:27:55 > 0:27:57paramedics are treating his son.
0:27:57 > 0:28:01Children with traumatic injuries pose special problems.
0:28:01 > 0:28:03They're not small adults,
0:28:03 > 0:28:06their physiology is completely different to that of adults,
0:28:06 > 0:28:08so we have to be much more suspicious
0:28:08 > 0:28:11because they tend to compensate for injuries much better than adults do
0:28:11 > 0:28:13and then suddenly deteriorate quite rapidly.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16So a child that looks OK may actually be quite severely injured
0:28:16 > 0:28:18and then suddenly will deteriorate
0:28:18 > 0:28:20and you have a very unwell child on your hands.
0:28:22 > 0:28:26The ambulance is on the right side of the accident, you see the red...
0:28:26 > 0:28:29It's going to be a tricky landing.
0:28:29 > 0:28:33The crash scene is in a built-up area on the side of a steep hill.
0:28:33 > 0:28:37Kamran Aurrani is trapped behind the wheel
0:28:37 > 0:28:39and will have to be cut out.
0:28:39 > 0:28:42Paramedics Andy and Graham land at the bottom of the hill
0:28:42 > 0:28:45and it's a long walk to the scene, but help is on its way.
0:28:45 > 0:28:47Yeah, go on.
0:28:47 > 0:28:50Passers-by have been caring for the victims of the crash,
0:28:50 > 0:28:53but they've discovered what most paramedics know -
0:28:53 > 0:28:57that people behave unpredictably after an accident.
0:28:57 > 0:28:59There was a young lad on the floor at the time
0:28:59 > 0:29:03with another lady, like myself, who is first-aid trained,
0:29:03 > 0:29:04who was stabilised by that lady.
0:29:04 > 0:29:06The other young man was hobbling around.
0:29:06 > 0:29:09I told him to stop doing so. He was wandering around the scene,
0:29:09 > 0:29:10he wouldn't stay still.
0:29:10 > 0:29:13Later on, he was going to get a cigarette
0:29:13 > 0:29:16and I said, "You must not smoke because you could kill us all."
0:29:16 > 0:29:20For one, there's going to be petrol on the road, so please do not smoke.
0:29:20 > 0:29:22Cheers, thanks.
0:29:22 > 0:29:24There's two in that car that are trapped,
0:29:24 > 0:29:26and these two were out of the vehicle.
0:29:26 > 0:29:27The crew's more worried about the child.
0:29:27 > 0:29:29They just managed to get him out.
0:29:29 > 0:29:32Sort of lower-leg injuries, and maybe abdominal.
0:29:32 > 0:29:37- What do you need, Ben? - Well, this is a young lad of ten.
0:29:37 > 0:29:40He was in the vehicle, I don't know if he was in the front or the back.
0:29:40 > 0:29:43It looks as if he's got broken...both sides, lower legs,
0:29:43 > 0:29:45so that's the urgency at the moment.
0:29:45 > 0:29:48I think he will be going in the aircraft.
0:29:48 > 0:29:51He's got feeling and sensation present in both legs.
0:29:51 > 0:29:54This is more serious than the Helimed team suspected.
0:29:54 > 0:29:58It looks likes Kamran and his son Siavash will need to be airlifted.
0:29:58 > 0:30:01Dave, can you activate 98 to this incident, as well, please?
0:30:01 > 0:30:02'Roger, will do.'
0:30:02 > 0:30:07His father's in the car, they're only just getting him out now,
0:30:07 > 0:30:10so we've called the other helicopter in, 98,
0:30:10 > 0:30:11to deal with the father.
0:30:11 > 0:30:14By the time they've got down here, they'll have extracted his father.
0:30:14 > 0:30:16Whilst we're doing that, we're going to take the child
0:30:16 > 0:30:19and go down to our aircraft and we'll head off to the LGI
0:30:19 > 0:30:21and they'll meet us down at the LGI as well.
0:30:21 > 0:30:24While paramedics prepare Siavash for flight,
0:30:24 > 0:30:25other local kids have turned up.
0:30:25 > 0:30:29It's unwanted attention in an emergency.
0:30:29 > 0:30:32Move away from me now. Mind, mind, mind.
0:30:32 > 0:30:35Yorkshire's second air ambulance is on its way.
0:30:35 > 0:30:39This is 98, can you give ETA, 1547.
0:30:39 > 0:30:41Hospital selection, please, over.
0:30:41 > 0:30:43Roger, 99, haven't left yet.
0:30:43 > 0:30:46They're going to go to LGI with the child.
0:30:48 > 0:30:52Open your eyes for me. What's your name, young man?
0:30:52 > 0:30:57- Siavash. How you doing?- OK. - OK? All right, then.
0:30:57 > 0:30:59Listen, we're going to get you off of here,
0:30:59 > 0:31:02we're going to take you down and get a flight in a helicopter.
0:31:02 > 0:31:05Unfortunately, you won't see much. OK.
0:31:05 > 0:31:08Siavash's mother turns up on the scene,
0:31:08 > 0:31:12just as they manage to free Kamran from the car.
0:31:12 > 0:31:15The boy and his mum will go to Leeds General Infirmary.
0:31:18 > 0:31:22Right, sweetheart. Do you want to go and get on that ambulance there?
0:31:22 > 0:31:25It will take a few minutes to get Dad ready for flight,
0:31:25 > 0:31:29so Siavash is the first to be transported to Helimed 99,
0:31:29 > 0:31:31on stand-by further down the hill.
0:31:36 > 0:31:38Reinforcements are now seconds away -
0:31:38 > 0:31:41Helimed 98 is on final approach.
0:31:42 > 0:31:47Siavash is the priority here. He has two very badly broken legs.
0:31:47 > 0:31:50These sorts of fractures can even be fatal
0:31:50 > 0:31:54if broken bones cut main arteries.
0:32:05 > 0:32:08That's the other helicopter, coming for your dad.
0:32:08 > 0:32:12Helimed 98 is now ready to airlift Kamran.
0:32:12 > 0:32:15It's another occupant, a male occupant from another vehicle.
0:32:15 > 0:32:17What we did is got another vehicle to bring ours down.
0:32:17 > 0:32:19- You're going to LGI?- Yep.
0:32:21 > 0:32:22But priorities are changing -
0:32:22 > 0:32:26the LGI helipad can only take one helicopter.
0:32:26 > 0:32:29Kamran will reach treatment faster
0:32:29 > 0:32:31if he goes by road to the local hospital.
0:32:31 > 0:32:33The father was driving.
0:32:33 > 0:32:35It looked as if he would be going by aircraft as well,
0:32:35 > 0:32:37but he's going by vehicle.
0:32:37 > 0:32:41Helimed 98 is stood down.
0:32:41 > 0:32:42On board Helimed 99,
0:32:42 > 0:32:48Siavash and his mother are on their way to Leeds General Infirmary.
0:32:48 > 0:32:51Siavash took the full force of the impact,
0:32:51 > 0:32:54but his dad, too, is badly hurt.
0:32:54 > 0:32:58It's more than a week before father and son are reunited.
0:33:02 > 0:33:04Back at home in Bradford,
0:33:04 > 0:33:08father and son are still recovering from their leg injuries.
0:33:08 > 0:33:10It will take them months to recover.
0:33:11 > 0:33:16We were driving back from Halifax, just driving back as normal,
0:33:16 > 0:33:18about 2:30-ish in the afternoon.
0:33:18 > 0:33:20Siavash got the worst of it.
0:33:20 > 0:33:23In a split second, I just didn't hear him.
0:33:23 > 0:33:25And that's the worst thing, I think.
0:33:25 > 0:33:28I remember thinking, "Oh, God, please no, not him,
0:33:28 > 0:33:30"let it be me than him."
0:33:30 > 0:33:35Then when he cried, at least I knew he was breathing.
0:33:35 > 0:33:38I think the thought of him still crying was enough to keep me going,
0:33:38 > 0:33:40and I thought "Well, he's OK."
0:33:40 > 0:33:43He's been brave, considering what he's been through,
0:33:43 > 0:33:45he's been really brave. Proud of him.
0:33:45 > 0:33:47I thought, maybe I'll be OK,
0:33:47 > 0:33:50then I couldn't feel the bottom of my back and I thought,
0:33:50 > 0:33:53"Please, God." That's your worst nightmare, isn't it?"
0:33:53 > 0:33:57Siavash is still off school and Kamran is still off work,
0:33:57 > 0:34:01their injuries a painful reminder of that terrible day.
0:34:01 > 0:34:06The initial impact were a few cuts and bruises on his left leg,
0:34:06 > 0:34:08but this was the worst.
0:34:08 > 0:34:11It got shattered in five places, the femur,
0:34:11 > 0:34:13from top to bottom.
0:34:13 > 0:34:14So that's in pieces,
0:34:14 > 0:34:18they put a nail through it, a rod, like scaffolding, like a shoestring.
0:34:18 > 0:34:21I remember them cutting the roof off
0:34:21 > 0:34:25and that it was a matter of how quickly they could get...
0:34:25 > 0:34:28I didn't have an idea about the helicopters.
0:34:28 > 0:34:29I think when you're in there,
0:34:29 > 0:34:32you don't appreciate what's going on around you,
0:34:32 > 0:34:35it's only afterwards when people tell you.
0:34:35 > 0:34:36There were so many people there
0:34:36 > 0:34:40and my son and I really appreciate that and thank God they were there.
0:34:42 > 0:34:43And I'm pleased to tell you
0:34:43 > 0:34:46that father and son are continuing their recovery.
0:34:46 > 0:34:48But the outlook for Scott Stobbs,
0:34:48 > 0:34:52critically injured when a stolen car crashed, is less positive.
0:34:55 > 0:34:59Flying doctor James Milligan knows his patient is critically ill.
0:34:59 > 0:35:04The trauma team at Leeds General Infirmary is his only hope.
0:35:04 > 0:35:05So, this is Scott,
0:35:05 > 0:35:07he's a 19-year-old gentleman
0:35:07 > 0:35:10who's been involved in an RTC in a stolen car.
0:35:10 > 0:35:11He was a front-seat passenger,
0:35:11 > 0:35:15they've clipped a tractor and then T-boned straight on into the tractor.
0:35:18 > 0:35:20They're preparing to take this gentleman round for a CT scan.
0:35:20 > 0:35:21They'll CT his head
0:35:21 > 0:35:23all the way down past his pelvis
0:35:23 > 0:35:26to check that there are no other significant injuries,
0:35:26 > 0:35:29and work the rest out from there.
0:35:29 > 0:35:32Police accident investigators are now on the case
0:35:32 > 0:35:35and the driver is under arrest.
0:35:35 > 0:35:39It's discovered that Scott was probably hiding in the foot well
0:35:39 > 0:35:42to avoid being recognised, when the impact occurred.
0:35:42 > 0:35:45With no seat belt or airbag to protect him,
0:35:45 > 0:35:48this probably worsened his injuries.
0:35:48 > 0:35:51Scott's family live close to the scene of the crash.
0:35:51 > 0:35:53A friend told his mother what had happened.
0:35:53 > 0:35:57There was a knock on the window and it was Scott's friend
0:35:57 > 0:36:01and he just said, "Gail, there's been an accident,
0:36:01 > 0:36:05"Scott's involved in it." Me first words were, "Is it bad?"
0:36:05 > 0:36:07But something told me it was anyway.
0:36:07 > 0:36:08When we got there it was a big shock,
0:36:08 > 0:36:11because it was all cordoned off and we weren't allowed to see him.
0:36:14 > 0:36:17And then somebody must have told the police officer
0:36:17 > 0:36:18that I was actually his mum.
0:36:18 > 0:36:22They came over and said they was trying to make him stable.
0:36:22 > 0:36:26I said, "Is he dead?" They said, "He's still breathing."
0:36:27 > 0:36:29As Helimed 99 left the scene,
0:36:29 > 0:36:33police took Gail to the hospital to be with her son.
0:36:35 > 0:36:38I think the operation took about five hours.
0:36:38 > 0:36:41We were taken to intensive care...
0:36:41 > 0:36:48where the surgeon had came and seen us and said that...
0:36:48 > 0:36:53Scott had actually... His brain had been bleeding.
0:36:53 > 0:36:58A break in the neck, two breaks in his spine, collapsed lung.
0:37:00 > 0:37:05On a scale of one to five - five being the worst - Scott was at five.
0:37:07 > 0:37:10There was a bit of his brainstem that was still responding,
0:37:10 > 0:37:12but it was only like a nerve ending.
0:37:12 > 0:37:15They wouldn't ever have been able to help him survive,
0:37:15 > 0:37:16there was nothing they could do.
0:37:20 > 0:37:23Then we turned the machines off and let him go.
0:37:36 > 0:37:41Living in the Yorkshire countryside is a dream for many new pensioners
0:37:41 > 0:37:43and house prices reflect this.
0:37:43 > 0:37:47But many find a happy retirement here indulging in their hobbies.
0:37:51 > 0:37:53In the country lanes of rural Ryedale,
0:37:53 > 0:37:56there is no shortage of local characters.
0:37:58 > 0:38:01There's something about this corner of North Yorkshire
0:38:01 > 0:38:04that attracts people in touch with the past.
0:38:04 > 0:38:06Robert Polley is one of them.
0:38:06 > 0:38:10His barn is packed with vintage cars, awaiting restoration,
0:38:10 > 0:38:15from superannuated sports cars to mature Morris Minors.
0:38:15 > 0:38:18But one day, time caught up with Robert.
0:38:18 > 0:38:23I'd had a slight pain in my back,
0:38:23 > 0:38:25the previous five or six days
0:38:25 > 0:38:28I had been to see my GP,
0:38:28 > 0:38:32but they said it's just one of those things,
0:38:32 > 0:38:34take paracetamol,
0:38:34 > 0:38:37couldn't find anything wrong with my chest, my heart,
0:38:37 > 0:38:38or anything like that.
0:38:38 > 0:38:43But, anyway, on the Thursday morning, obviously, there was something wrong.
0:38:45 > 0:38:47Helimed 98 is heading to Robert's home
0:38:47 > 0:38:50just outside the village of Whitwell,
0:38:50 > 0:38:52but the weather is not on pilot Ian's side.
0:38:57 > 0:39:02- We might be struggling. - We're having a problem here.
0:39:02 > 0:39:05- I'm going to go to the south, because that's clear.- It's brighter, yeah.
0:39:05 > 0:39:06Works for me.
0:39:06 > 0:39:08Yeah, just an update for you, Dave.
0:39:08 > 0:39:11We've got an ETA of about six minutes,
0:39:11 > 0:39:14however, we're just going to have to route around some low-lying cloud,
0:39:14 > 0:39:17so we might be delayed by a few minutes.
0:39:17 > 0:39:20Obviously if anything changes in the meantime, I'll keep you updated.
0:39:22 > 0:39:23'Roger, thank you.'
0:39:26 > 0:39:28Ten miles ahead on the other side of the low cloud,
0:39:28 > 0:39:3266-year-old Robert is suffering a heart attack.
0:39:32 > 0:39:35He desperately needs treatment 40 miles away
0:39:35 > 0:39:37at Leeds General Infirmary.
0:39:37 > 0:39:40Yeah, Roger, Dave, we're just about to land on scene,
0:39:40 > 0:39:42we've got the ambulance in sight,
0:39:42 > 0:39:45he's just a bit concerned about actually getting to Leeds.
0:39:45 > 0:39:46Could we get a weather update
0:39:46 > 0:39:49on what the weather is doing at Leeds? Over.
0:39:51 > 0:39:52Roger, will do.
0:39:55 > 0:39:57Robert has a history of heart problems.
0:39:57 > 0:40:01He needs a stent fitted to open up the arteries in the heart.
0:40:01 > 0:40:04If that's not done soon, he may not recover.
0:40:04 > 0:40:07We've given him all the medications that are required,
0:40:07 > 0:40:11spoken with Leeds, got him booked in to go and get a stent fitted.
0:40:11 > 0:40:15These lads have done everything, so basically we're just taxiing you,
0:40:15 > 0:40:18obviously, you're a fair distance from Leeds, aren't you?
0:40:18 > 0:40:19- So...- Yes.
0:40:21 > 0:40:23We've just had to check on the weather,
0:40:23 > 0:40:25it's obviously quite poor, this visibility at the moment.
0:40:25 > 0:40:28This patient's been booked in for a procedure
0:40:28 > 0:40:29at Leeds General Infirmary,
0:40:29 > 0:40:32so the pilot's just got a weather update from Leeds
0:40:32 > 0:40:34just to make sure we can actually get there.
0:40:34 > 0:40:36The last thing we want, really,
0:40:36 > 0:40:39is to get patients on board with time-critical conditions
0:40:39 > 0:40:41and then we can't reach the destination.
0:40:41 > 0:40:44They are finally given the go-ahead to fly.
0:40:44 > 0:40:47Robert's life could depend on getting to Leeds quickly.
0:40:47 > 0:40:51- Right, thanks very much. Cheers. - Thanks, lads. Thanks, lads.
0:40:53 > 0:40:57- On your right hand. - Got them, thank you.
0:40:59 > 0:41:03Once in the air, it's not clouds in their way, it's something else.
0:41:03 > 0:41:06Is that a hot-air balloon on the nose?
0:41:08 > 0:41:10Yeah!
0:41:11 > 0:41:15- You don't see one of them every day in passing, do you?- Not that close!
0:41:15 > 0:41:17- It just came out of the blue.- Yeah.
0:41:17 > 0:41:20What a strange day to be going up on.
0:41:20 > 0:41:24Robert is in a stable condition and he's doing well to remain calm.
0:41:24 > 0:41:28- You all right, sir?- Yeah, we're fine.- You all right, Robert?
0:41:28 > 0:41:32- Yes, thank you.- Are you enjoying the view? It's not the best.
0:41:32 > 0:41:33No, it's not so bad.
0:41:36 > 0:41:40The helipad on the Leeds General Infirmary is a welcome sight.
0:41:40 > 0:41:41In the next few hours,
0:41:41 > 0:41:45Robert will undergo potentially life-saving surgery.
0:41:47 > 0:41:52And within a few days, he's sent back home to plan his next project.
0:41:52 > 0:41:55I, to be perfectly honest, was wondering,
0:41:55 > 0:42:00what's all the fuss about? Why do we need a helicopter?
0:42:00 > 0:42:02But, obviously, it's the golden hour, isn't it?
0:42:02 > 0:42:05With that sort of problem,
0:42:05 > 0:42:09the faster you get to hospital,
0:42:09 > 0:42:10the better the outcome.
0:42:12 > 0:42:17But once the procedure was carried out, that was it.
0:42:17 > 0:42:19No problems after that.
0:42:19 > 0:42:24Robert now plans to get his narrow gauge railway back into action -
0:42:24 > 0:42:26then he might start on the cars.
0:42:33 > 0:42:36Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd