0:00:03 > 0:00:07If you're critically ill or seriously injured, seconds count,
0:00:07 > 0:00:11and in Britain's biggest county you can be a long way from help.
0:00:11 > 0:00:13- Your location? - I'm 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 > 0:00:28- Stand clear, everybody. - We've got you, mate.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31It covers some of the UK's most rugged landscapes,
0:00:31 > 0:00:34turning roadsides into operating theatres...
0:00:34 > 0:00:37We're going to put him off to sleep with an emergency anaesthetic, OK?
0:00:37 > 0:00:39..And town centres into helipads.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41- Still clear on the left. - Just behind you, Tim.
0:00:41 > 0:00:47And every day the helimeds use skill, speed and courage in saving lives.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58Today on Helicopter Heroes...
0:00:58 > 0:01:04a veteran driver's 80th birthday celebrations end in a major collision.
0:01:04 > 0:01:08We've got three helicopters that are just going to airlift all of them to the HRI.
0:01:08 > 0:01:13The New Year hunt claims a casualty hours into 2013.
0:01:13 > 0:01:18The horse just tripped and fell and she clung on for a little while, but fell off here.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21Surgeons fight to save a factory worker's hand.
0:01:21 > 0:01:23The only thing I need you to do is just keep calm.
0:01:23 > 0:01:28And flying doctor Jez anaesthetises his patient in a country lane.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30The helmet took the full force.
0:01:36 > 0:01:41It's a sad fact that if you suffer a serious traumatic injury,
0:01:41 > 0:01:43age does matter. Once you reach 60,
0:01:43 > 0:01:47your body is simply not as good at healing itself.
0:01:47 > 0:01:53It's especially true of older motorists who take longer to recover after a major road accident.
0:01:55 > 0:01:58It's August on the Yorkshire wilds.
0:01:58 > 0:02:03The combines are hard at work and it's the last bank holiday of the summer.
0:02:04 > 0:02:08But on one country road the emergency services are dealing with a head-on crash.
0:02:08 > 0:02:12There's been a collision near the market town of Beverley.
0:02:12 > 0:02:14Multiple casualties.
0:02:14 > 0:02:16Various degree of injuries.
0:02:16 > 0:02:21We've got three helicopters that are just going to airlift all of them to the HRI.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25We're just treating and triaging as we're going along really.
0:02:27 > 0:02:32Good afternoon. Helimed 99 Alpha basic service.
0:02:32 > 0:02:36Helimed 99 Alpha, you've got the police Explorer on the ground
0:02:36 > 0:02:39and the Leconfield Sea King just landing.
0:02:39 > 0:02:44Helimed pilot Steve Waudby is joining a big emergency operation
0:02:44 > 0:02:46launched to save the victims of the crash.
0:02:46 > 0:02:50He's heading to the same landing site as a military rescue chopper.
0:02:52 > 0:02:57The elderly couple who were travelling in this people carrier are fighting for life
0:02:57 > 0:02:59after the collision with this hatchback.
0:02:59 > 0:03:05One of the victims is alive only because an off-duty firefighter was passing the scene.
0:03:05 > 0:03:10It worked out that the gentleman who'd been driving the van had no airway,
0:03:10 > 0:03:12so I jumped straight into the back and just created an airway for him
0:03:12 > 0:03:17while my wife saw to his wife who was talking to her at the time.
0:03:18 > 0:03:20I got someone to phone the fire service
0:03:20 > 0:03:22and then it was just a waiting game,
0:03:22 > 0:03:26making sure that the airway was maintained on the gentleman driving this car,
0:03:26 > 0:03:30and that we could just keep talking and reassuring that the lady was...
0:03:30 > 0:03:34The driver of this car was unconscious as well, so it was difficult.
0:03:34 > 0:03:36We've got a gate to get past in either field.
0:03:36 > 0:03:42Helimed 99 touching alongside two other emergency helicopters,
0:03:42 > 0:03:50Oscar 99, the Humberside police chopper and Rescue 128 from the nearby RAF search-and-rescue base.
0:03:50 > 0:03:55Paramedics John Baxter and Sammy Wills have to get up to speed quickly.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58We've got one in the back with a B6. He's got a head restraint.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01They're both elderly, both critical.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03We've got another one in the rear ambulance,
0:04:03 > 0:04:10- another doctor in the back... possibly flail chest, possibly needing attention before...- Right.
0:04:10 > 0:04:16- We've got one in the car. 20, 25-year-old, don't know the extent of his injuries.- Right.
0:04:16 > 0:04:20Right, we'll take one and let them take the other.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23Yeah, this is the critical one.
0:04:23 > 0:04:27- Right, we'll take this one, then. We'll get on with this. All right? - Definitely, 100%.- OK.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33- Hello.- Hiya.
0:04:33 > 0:04:35I'm John, paramedic off the helicopter.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39Apparently this is time critical, so we'll take this one.
0:04:39 > 0:04:45- We're...- Yeah?- We've got him on board if you'd like to help me. - Yeah, that's fine.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48I need the access around him, so I've put that in there.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51- So you don't want him to go on the helicopter?- I'm going to take him on the Sea King if that's OK with you.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54- On the Sea King, that's fine. - So we've got elbow room to work round him.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57The other one might be like that as well, though.
0:04:57 > 0:04:59- He wants to go on the Sea King. - Yeah, we'll move on.
0:04:59 > 0:05:04The young driver in the hatchback has now been freed by firefighters.
0:05:04 > 0:05:10Pensioner Denis Cudworth was driving his wife Ann home from his 80th birthday lunch
0:05:10 > 0:05:11when the accident happened.
0:05:11 > 0:05:13Now both are critically injured.
0:05:17 > 0:05:22Local flying doctor Mike Hardman has been forced to operate on Denis,
0:05:22 > 0:05:26using a scalpel to drain fluid building up around his lungs.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29It's rare to have three choppers at one accident.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35The Sea King being based just two minutes away,
0:05:35 > 0:05:37they managed to get here first,
0:05:37 > 0:05:40closely followed by the police helicopter as well,
0:05:40 > 0:05:44who can carry passengers as well as patients.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46There's a local doctor on the scene.
0:05:46 > 0:05:50He's just taken one of the patients to the Sea King,
0:05:50 > 0:05:54and they're just getting airborne now to take him to Hull Royal Infirmary.
0:05:57 > 0:06:01The focus of the helimed team is now Denis's wife.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06We're just putting the line in now and as soon as your ready to go, we're ready to go.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08- All right. I'll head back to the heli now.- Yeah.
0:06:08 > 0:06:12Ann Cudworth has a bad chest injury but she's in good hands.
0:06:12 > 0:06:17A hospital consultant who lives locally has taken charge of her care.
0:06:17 > 0:06:21So this lady, I think she's got a flail chest on the right-hand side.
0:06:21 > 0:06:25Certainly can't take it. Her SATS were about 88%.
0:06:25 > 0:06:29Now her SATS are 90, she has got flesh wounds on both sides,
0:06:29 > 0:06:32but certainly has chest injuries, but not to critical level,
0:06:32 > 0:06:35so I had to put drainage in, so I think while she's stable, let's just get going.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37Right, OK.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41In a major accident, your age is critical.
0:06:41 > 0:06:46The youngest casualty of the crash is the least seriously injured.
0:06:46 > 0:06:47Stable. Move your pelvis.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50Are you all right there, love? Just going to give you some oxygen.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52That's a nice smile.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55The teenaged driver was returning home from his job at a local restaurant
0:06:55 > 0:06:57when the accident happened.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00Paramedics fear he may have sustained a spinal injury.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03He's strapped to a rigid stretcher.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10The patient's boss, one of Yorkshire's top chefs,
0:07:10 > 0:07:13was alerted by a colleague who came across the accident.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16This road has a reputation locally.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20Another one of our employees about a couple of years ago
0:07:20 > 0:07:25on this same corner, it was slippy, and he came round the corner
0:07:25 > 0:07:28and rolled his car, but luckily nothing else involved, you know.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31Had a busy day at work. We've had a hell of a day really.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36Sammy and John will take over the care of Ann.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38She's very badly hurt.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43Half an hour ago, Ann and her husband were heading home to North Yorkshire
0:07:43 > 0:07:46after his birthday celebration.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49Now she's on her way to Hull Royal Infirmary.
0:07:49 > 0:07:51She was having some difficulty breathing in the ambulance,
0:07:51 > 0:07:58so the doctor's put his little finger in her chest to create some space and help her breathe.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02The team fear Ann may also have a serious pelvic injury,
0:08:02 > 0:08:05often the cause of internal bleeding.
0:08:05 > 0:08:07We're just wheeling you down the road now.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10We'll go into the field and then we'll get you into our helicopter.
0:08:10 > 0:08:14The pilots have been coordinating their arrivals at hospital
0:08:14 > 0:08:18so the two most serious casualties will arrive in A&E first.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21The police helicopter has the young lad from the other vehicle.
0:08:21 > 0:08:25they're waiting until we've lifted just so that we can get in first.
0:08:25 > 0:08:31The Sea King is already at Hull Royal. He's dropping his patient off and then coming straight back,
0:08:31 > 0:08:33so that, hopefully, they won't be on the ground,
0:08:33 > 0:08:36otherwise it'll be a little bit tight at the landing sight there.
0:08:37 > 0:08:39We're just disconnecting her
0:08:39 > 0:08:41from all the ambulance crew's cabling.
0:08:41 > 0:08:45It's easier to do it outside before she's inside.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48Unfortunately we've been on the scene quite a while so we need to...move.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51Helimed 99 lifting.
0:08:52 > 0:08:56There's no Sea King, is there? No? Good. Let's go for this, then.
0:08:56 > 0:08:57Roger.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03The RAF crew hasn't wasted any time.
0:09:03 > 0:09:07Ann's husband Denis is already on his way to A&E,
0:09:07 > 0:09:10and the Sea King has vacated the hospital landing site,
0:09:10 > 0:09:12so Helimed 99 can land.
0:09:16 > 0:09:21For the next few weeks, the bank holiday accident on the outskirts of historic Beverley
0:09:21 > 0:09:23dominates the local headlines.
0:09:23 > 0:09:25The couple's outlook isn't good.
0:09:27 > 0:09:31But slowly, against the odds, they both start to improve,
0:09:31 > 0:09:36and, a few months later, Ann and Denis are in the same rehab unit,
0:09:36 > 0:09:39enjoying visits from their many friends and family.
0:09:39 > 0:09:41We were having a very pleasant journey,
0:09:41 > 0:09:45nothing untoward anywhere about anything...
0:09:47 > 0:09:49And then suddenly it came to a stop.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55I think between us we counted 27 broken bones.
0:09:56 > 0:09:58We both had been critically ill.
0:09:58 > 0:09:59I mean, Ann had a broken neck,
0:09:59 > 0:10:02broken ribs,
0:10:02 > 0:10:04broken shoulders...
0:10:04 > 0:10:07you know, you name it, we seem to have had it.
0:10:07 > 0:10:09I believe I've had punctured lungs
0:10:09 > 0:10:14and the top two here which is why I had to have the neck brace.
0:10:14 > 0:10:18Due to their age, the broken bones will take a little longer to heal,
0:10:18 > 0:10:20and that means longer in hospital.
0:10:20 > 0:10:26This was certainly not how Denis and Ann had imagined they'd be spending his 80th year.
0:10:26 > 0:10:30We've been in the same hospital and we've been allowed to visit each other.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34I certainly didn't plan to be here or indeed in hospital anywhere.
0:10:34 > 0:10:39We had plans to do other things, of course, in the course of the year,
0:10:39 > 0:10:43nothing very firm, but not this, that's for sure!
0:10:43 > 0:10:45Everybody's been wonderful.
0:10:45 > 0:10:50Family, friends, marvellous, absolutely marvellous!
0:11:00 > 0:11:05The Yorkshire air ambulance operates 365 days a year,
0:11:05 > 0:11:08even on days when most of us are enjoying a bank holiday.
0:11:08 > 0:11:13But it's then that the helicopter can be at its most valuable.
0:11:16 > 0:11:22It's New Year's Day and as the rest of the country sleeps off the celebrations of the night before,
0:11:22 > 0:11:27paramedics Dave Appleby and Matt Syrat are preparing for another busy day
0:11:27 > 0:11:30at the air ambulance base in North Yorkshire.
0:11:31 > 0:11:37And as a new year begins, so too do the traditional New Year's hunts.
0:11:37 > 0:11:43But the first day of 2013 has turned out to be unlucky for one rider.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45What's happened to Claudia is she's come along here,
0:11:45 > 0:11:49there's been a drain cut into the field there,
0:11:49 > 0:11:52and it's been covered in, but it's made it really, really soft,
0:11:52 > 0:11:53and the horse just tripped and fell,
0:11:53 > 0:11:57and she clung on for a little while, but fell off here.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01It's New Year's Day and we're off to East Hall
0:12:01 > 0:12:05to a crew request for a lady who's fallen off a horse.
0:12:05 > 0:12:09Well, at least it makes going to work on New Year's Day all the more worth it.
0:12:10 > 0:12:16Since the ban on fox hunting, the foxes are safe but it's the riders who are still in danger.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19- I think I've found the hedge right here.- Yeah.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21- All right?- That's fine.
0:12:24 > 0:12:26Are we going to get over here, do you think?
0:12:26 > 0:12:3029-year-old Claudia Foye was thrown by her horse.
0:12:30 > 0:12:35Paramedics have been able to reach her on the back of a farmer's quad bike,
0:12:35 > 0:12:38but they now need Helimed 98 to get her to hospital.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41- How did she land? - I just can't feel a thing.
0:12:41 > 0:12:43On the back, on her head, on her front?
0:12:43 > 0:12:47She did a roll where you do exactly that sort of position.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50Claudia actually fell off the horse, foot still in the stirrup,
0:12:50 > 0:12:53and dragged for a while.
0:12:53 > 0:12:58Given the location and injury, we wouldn't like to put the patient through any more discomfort
0:12:58 > 0:13:00trying to take them out on the back of a quad.
0:13:00 > 0:13:02- That's it, now it's working.- Claudia?
0:13:02 > 0:13:07Claudia, what I'm going to do is just feel a little bit further up your leg, OK? Yeah?
0:13:08 > 0:13:10Just tell me if it hurts.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12Just say "Ow" if it hurts.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15Claudia was out riding with the local hunt.
0:13:15 > 0:13:17We were out just trail hunting,
0:13:17 > 0:13:21just basically laying trails and the hounds following them,
0:13:21 > 0:13:25the field following behind, it's just basically like drag hunting and cross-country for us,
0:13:25 > 0:13:26so it's a good day out.
0:13:26 > 0:13:30Despite the fact it's now illegal to kill foxes,
0:13:30 > 0:13:33riding to hound is still very popular in North Yorkshire.
0:13:33 > 0:13:38Many riders owe their lives to the air ambulance and raise money for the charity.
0:13:38 > 0:13:44Claudia's hunt gives a special award each year to the person who falls off his or her horse the most.
0:13:44 > 0:13:46We call it the Tumblers' Cup and every time anybody falls off
0:13:46 > 0:13:48you pay £5 and it all goes to the air ambulance.
0:13:48 > 0:13:52And last year we raised £1,000 which was fantastic.
0:13:52 > 0:13:56So it's all good fun, good humour, but the most important thing, we do know how serious it is.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00We know it's a dangerous hobby that we all have,
0:14:00 > 0:14:03but at least £5 every time anybody falls off, it's a worthwhile cause.
0:14:03 > 0:14:09Only 12 hours into the New Year and it's too soon to tell if Claudia will win this year's Tumblers' Cup,
0:14:09 > 0:14:14but this fall will certainly cost her a £5 donation to charity.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16Ready, steady, roll!
0:14:17 > 0:14:19OK. Ready, steady, roll!
0:14:19 > 0:14:21- OK?- Right...
0:14:21 > 0:14:23- MOANING - It's going to be uncomfortable.
0:14:23 > 0:14:25It's just because you're in the middle of the board.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28I'm going to get you. Ready, steady, slide.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35Claudia has broken her thigh bone and she is in a lot of pain.
0:14:36 > 0:14:38She may also have neck and back injuries,
0:14:38 > 0:14:42so paramedics will work to protect her neck and spine too.
0:14:43 > 0:14:47- Right, Claudia...- Yeah? - These obviously go over your ears.
0:14:47 > 0:14:49- Yeah.- So we can't put any headsets on in the aircraft.
0:14:49 > 0:14:50All right, lover.
0:14:51 > 0:14:53Bye, lover, see you later.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58This is not a good start to the year for Claudia.
0:14:58 > 0:15:03An energetic ride in the country has ended up in a trip to hospital by air ambulance.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06I'll route it my left, yeah?
0:15:06 > 0:15:11If the air ambulance wasn't here, Claudia would have to be transported by quad bike
0:15:11 > 0:15:13and ambulanced to hospital,
0:15:13 > 0:15:17and that, with a broken femur, could have been very painful.
0:15:25 > 0:15:26The ambulance
0:15:26 > 0:15:29is probably about three-quarters of a mile away.
0:15:29 > 0:15:31It would probably have got stuck,
0:15:31 > 0:15:33to be honest, with the terrain.
0:15:33 > 0:15:37We're sort of erring on the side of caution. It might be a fracture dislocation,
0:15:37 > 0:15:41so we've treated for that with pain relief and we've boxed her in to keep her comfortable.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46A broken thigh bone can take weeks to heal,
0:15:46 > 0:15:52but Claudia's sent home after treatment and she hopes to be back in the saddle soon.
0:16:06 > 0:16:12Many of the helimed team began their careers in traditional industries before retraining as paramedics.
0:16:12 > 0:16:19Darren Axe was a miner, and the skills he learned as an underground first-aider still come in useful
0:16:19 > 0:16:21when there's an industrial accident.
0:16:22 > 0:16:28Helimed 99 is on a call to Keighley where a factory worker has crushed one of his hands
0:16:28 > 0:16:30in an industrial baling machine.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33We've been called to an industrial worker.
0:16:33 > 0:16:37He's got his hand trapped in some heavy industrial equipment.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40Apparently his hand's been quite badly crushed.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42He's got a number of open injuries.
0:16:42 > 0:16:47It doesn't sound like any of them are life-threatening, but they will need to be operated on fairly quickly.
0:16:47 > 0:16:52The quickest way to get him to LGI, which is the plastic centre for the region, is to fly him there,
0:16:52 > 0:16:54so we've been called in to give him a lift out.
0:16:54 > 0:17:00But to get to their patient, pilot Steve Cobb is going to have to land in a tricky area
0:17:00 > 0:17:01and in high winds.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04The accident has happened in an industrial park.
0:17:04 > 0:17:08Buildings, phone cables and loose objects are real hazards.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12- Still clear left.- You're clear on the right, mate.- Still clear left.
0:17:12 > 0:17:14There's lots of rubbish flying about.
0:17:14 > 0:17:16Still clear left.
0:17:16 > 0:17:20- 10 metres left. - Still clear right and to the rear.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24I think that's it. Just bring her down.
0:17:25 > 0:17:30- That's all good.- Thank you, boys, thanks for all your help.
0:17:33 > 0:17:37Massive crushing injury on his hand. It's fractured his hand, it's splayed it open.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40All his digits are in different places and stuff.
0:17:40 > 0:17:44he's in agony with it, bless him, so that's why we've got you to shift him off,
0:17:44 > 0:17:46and we can hopefully get him straight down to theatre.
0:17:46 > 0:17:53The patient is 26-year-old Gary Teasdale. His hand is badly injured. He's in considerable pain.
0:17:53 > 0:17:59Paramedics Sam Burgess and Darren Axe need to get him to surgery as quickly as possible.
0:17:59 > 0:18:03Try and keep that arm straight if you can, mate, all right? You're doing really well.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06- That's going to stop you falling. - Can I have some more pain relief?
0:18:07 > 0:18:11He's doing all right at the moment. he has got some quite nasty injuries to his left hand.
0:18:11 > 0:18:15Sounds like it's been almost totally crushed and he's got several open fractures,
0:18:15 > 0:18:17so he's going to need to have surgery on it.
0:18:17 > 0:18:21We're going to take him to the LGI where they can do that,
0:18:21 > 0:18:24but he's still got some sensation in his fingers and a good radial pulse,
0:18:24 > 0:18:26so hopefully they'll be able to salvage something.
0:18:26 > 0:18:30Before they take off, the paramedics need to reduce Gary's pain.
0:18:30 > 0:18:32He's in distress and struggling.
0:18:32 > 0:18:36- Gaz, what you're doing now with this Entonox, that's what we want you to keep doing.- Keep it in your mouth,
0:18:36 > 0:18:39- and keep doing that.- Breathe through it. Don't open your mouth.
0:18:39 > 0:18:45- I can't...- If you keep taking it, mate, ten good deep breaths. - I can't.- You can't?
0:18:45 > 0:18:50- No.- It'll come back a lot worse if you don't use it. Trust me.
0:18:51 > 0:18:52Good lad!
0:18:53 > 0:18:55I don't like it in my mouth.
0:18:55 > 0:19:00Sam tries a different technique to ensure he takes the gas and air.
0:19:00 > 0:19:01Gaz, this is going to feel a bit strange.
0:19:01 > 0:19:03I'm just going to hold this over your mouth. Keep breathing.
0:19:03 > 0:19:05It's just something you don't have to bite on, all right?
0:19:07 > 0:19:10There's a limit to how much pain relief paramedics are allowed to give him
0:19:10 > 0:19:12and Gary is still in agony.
0:19:14 > 0:19:20Specialist teams here at Leeds General Infirmary are on standby to give him the best possible care.
0:19:21 > 0:19:28He's had his hand trapped inside the machine that actually crushes up the packing for furniture.
0:19:28 > 0:19:30Anyway, the stop switch was on the left side
0:19:30 > 0:19:33and it was his left hand that was in and he couldn't get it out.
0:19:33 > 0:19:37We've not seen the wound but it's quite significant.
0:19:37 > 0:19:39Number of fractures, number of lacerations across that.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42- As far as I'm aware he's normally fit and well.- Yeah.- He's not under the doctor for anything.
0:19:42 > 0:19:47- He's been conscious throughout all this and the only injury we've got is this isolated hand.- Yeah.
0:19:48 > 0:19:50MOANING I've got him.
0:19:50 > 0:19:52The only thing I need you to do is keep calm, OK?
0:19:52 > 0:19:54Let me... That's where it is, OK?
0:19:55 > 0:19:59Gary is very worried he's going to lose his hand.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02- Have I lost my hand? - No, you have not lost your hand.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04Just keep breathing.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09- Can you feel that? - Just keep doing that.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12- You can feel that, can you?- Yeah. - Does it feel normal?
0:20:12 > 0:20:16Paramedic Darren's taking photographs to help the surgeons.
0:20:16 > 0:20:18What about my left hand?
0:20:18 > 0:20:22The left hand is going to need an operation, it's going to need a splinting,
0:20:22 > 0:20:25and it's going to need a hell of a lot of physiotherapy, OK?
0:20:25 > 0:20:30- I'm not going to lose my hand...? - You can never foresee the future,
0:20:30 > 0:20:34but looking at it now, I'm hopeful...
0:20:34 > 0:20:37First priority will be to try and get him comfortable,
0:20:37 > 0:20:42try and stabilise the fractures and get his hand in a more comfortable position,
0:20:42 > 0:20:45and then he'll need some surgical treatment of the wound,
0:20:45 > 0:20:49an assessment of what structures underneath have been damaged and what we can repair.
0:20:49 > 0:20:54As well as medical care, many patients need reassurance in A&E,
0:20:54 > 0:20:56and Gary is one of them.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58I'm not going to die or anything like that, am I?
0:20:58 > 0:21:02If we think you're going to die we do an awful lot more than just holding on to your hand!
0:21:02 > 0:21:06- We would look worried. - We'd do a lot more for you as well if we think you're very bad.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10The surgeon who is going to fix Gary's hand has arrived.
0:21:10 > 0:21:15- Did it close on all of the hand or just one side? - All of it...all of it.
0:21:16 > 0:21:18Take some deep breaths for me.
0:21:19 > 0:21:25When Gary arrives in the operating theatre, surgeons find that he has broken every finger in his hand
0:21:25 > 0:21:27and many other bones.
0:21:27 > 0:21:33He will have to undergo many more weeks of reconstructive surgery and months of physio
0:21:33 > 0:21:35before he can use his hand properly again.
0:21:35 > 0:21:39I broke all my hand, broke all my fingers...
0:21:39 > 0:21:42I can't describe the words for the pain.
0:21:42 > 0:21:47I've never felt pain like it in my lifetime, absolutely agonising.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51I looked at my hand and I was just running around...
0:21:51 > 0:21:53really panicked.
0:21:53 > 0:21:55I didn't look at my hand again
0:21:55 > 0:21:58because I knew what sort of mess it were in.
0:21:58 > 0:22:05So...my supervisor come running out, shouting, "We need an ambulance! We need an ambulance!"
0:22:05 > 0:22:07and he grabbed hold of me and put me on the floor,
0:22:07 > 0:22:09which...he did a fantastic job.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14All my work colleagues helping me, whoever did,
0:22:14 > 0:22:16absolutely brilliant, kept me calm.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19I'm not one of these lads what'll sit down and feel sorry for myself.
0:22:19 > 0:22:21I'll get up and get going, you know.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24I'm hoping to be back at work, hopefully very soon.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27My little girl just keeps on about my helicopter,
0:22:27 > 0:22:31that I've been in a helicopter, and she's telling me what colour it is and everything.
0:22:31 > 0:22:36Gary is a father of three and his wife is expecting another soon.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42I'm trying to get out of nappies, you know, putting nappies on if I can...
0:22:42 > 0:22:46a bit of bottle feeding, try and get away with that if I can!
0:22:47 > 0:22:51They just want me home, to be honest, they want their daddy home.
0:23:02 > 0:23:07Getting back on your bike in middle age is a growing trend among 40 and 50-somethings
0:23:07 > 0:23:09chasing fitness and some fresh air.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12But cycling has its dangers too.
0:23:15 > 0:23:21Last years, Brit Bradley Wiggins won it and next year the Tour De France will start in Yorkshire.
0:23:22 > 0:23:25Bike sales are going through the roof,
0:23:25 > 0:23:30and paramedics Darrel Cullen and John Baxter aren't just armchair enthusiasts.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33That looks great. Couldn't imagine riding it.
0:23:33 > 0:23:39They are both dedicated riders, but fellow cyclists will be keeping them busy at work today.
0:23:40 > 0:23:47On a country road in Ryedale, a local ambulance crew treating two cyclists has called in Helimed 99.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50Sue was at that bend and I shouted, but obviously...
0:23:50 > 0:23:51I'd never have heard you anyway.
0:23:51 > 0:23:56Fortuitously I heard the crash, so I just turned round.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58We're right over Sherborne. Is that the route?
0:23:58 > 0:24:01- Yeah, this is the route. - Yeah, we've gone over Lipton.
0:24:01 > 0:24:0299, roger.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05We're on the scene.
0:24:05 > 0:24:09They've advised for us to continue to the scene, over.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11Thanks for that.
0:24:12 > 0:24:19Four friends were on a 30-mile ride through the winding country lanes when the accident happened.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22Two are seriously injured.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25Flying doctor Jez Pinnell is a member of the crew today.
0:24:25 > 0:24:27Can he move this strap for a minute?
0:24:27 > 0:24:30Lynn? Hello, Lynn.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32It's Jez, I'm one of the doctors from the helicopter.
0:24:32 > 0:24:34I just want to have a listen to your chest.
0:24:34 > 0:24:39Lynn Cook has a major head injury, despite wearing all the right protective gear.
0:24:40 > 0:24:43The damage is here actually, so whether...
0:24:43 > 0:24:49the helmet took the full force, it looks like it was kind of on the side of that helmet
0:24:49 > 0:24:51where Lynn got hit.
0:24:51 > 0:24:57Lynn's cycling companion is also badly hurt, but her condition is not life-threatening.
0:24:57 > 0:24:59Lynn, let's have a look in your eyes for me.
0:24:59 > 0:25:01Lynn is in a bad way.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04When Doctor Jez is not working for the air ambulance,
0:25:04 > 0:25:09he's a consultant anaesthetist. His skills are going to be crucial today.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11We could do with getting her on to the trolley.
0:25:11 > 0:25:15Do you want to set up a kit for me, please?
0:25:16 > 0:25:20Dr Jez is setting up a makeshift operating theatre,
0:25:20 > 0:25:24and Lynn's life depends on this running like clockwork.
0:25:24 > 0:25:26Run through the checklist.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30So, pre-oxygenation in progress and we've got a spare cylinder there.
0:25:31 > 0:25:33IV access established. Have we got an IV?
0:25:33 > 0:25:36Lifepak 12 from the aircraft.
0:25:36 > 0:25:41We've got a continuous ECG, SATS... non-invasives on... Suction unit switched on.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43RSI drugs drawn up.
0:25:43 > 0:25:48If the team doesn't anaesthetise Lynn, her head injury could lead to swelling in the brain,
0:25:48 > 0:25:51and her already serious condition could become critical.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54- She's normally fit and well, I'm assuming, she's a cyclist.- Yeah.
0:25:54 > 0:25:59We're going to give her an anaesthetic in a minute because she's a bit agitated at the moment.
0:25:59 > 0:26:01And then we're going to fly her up to James Cook.
0:26:02 > 0:26:04Jez is going to put Lynn to sleep.
0:26:04 > 0:26:09It's a routine procedure in hospital. In a country lane, it's far from simple.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12All right, Lynn, it's OK, love.
0:26:13 > 0:26:19One set of drugs to sedate the patient, and more drugs to induce paralysis.
0:26:20 > 0:26:24Then a tube is inserted between her vocal cords.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28- The tube through?- Yeah.
0:26:32 > 0:26:37The team has now taken over Lynn's breathing. A bag is doing the work of her lungs.
0:26:37 > 0:26:41Only now is it safe to move her to the helicopter.
0:26:46 > 0:26:48But now there's another problem.
0:26:48 > 0:26:53The chopper has some valuable visitors sharing their rural landing pad
0:26:53 > 0:26:55and they can delay takeoff.
0:26:55 > 0:26:59There's racehorses, actually, they've just turned up for a look.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02They must have been on the far side when we landed, it's quite a large field.
0:27:02 > 0:27:04But they've obviously become quite curious.
0:27:04 > 0:27:08But the handlers are here as well, so maybe they think it's time for their dinner.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12With the horses under control,
0:27:12 > 0:27:17pilot Andy can start the short flight to the James Cook Hospital in Middlesbrough.
0:27:18 > 0:27:24Dr Jez has already rung ahead to the neurosurgery unit with information about Lynn.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27She'll be undergoing an immediate CT scan.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29Just slide about 6 inches first.
0:27:29 > 0:27:32She's had quite a significant head injury really.
0:27:32 > 0:27:37She wasn't improving on scene, she was stable but wasn't getting better.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40That's why the doctor knocked her out basically,
0:27:40 > 0:27:42and made sure the head injury didn't get any worse.
0:27:42 > 0:27:44I'll get the paperwork.
0:27:45 > 0:27:50Doing all these procedures stopped any further damage, and it can be sorted out.
0:27:58 > 0:28:00While Lynn was flown north to Teesside,
0:28:00 > 0:28:05her cycling companion Heatha was taken south to York District Hospital.
0:28:07 > 0:28:12As we came over the brow of the hill, I was looking at the view of Morthen below,
0:28:12 > 0:28:16and I must have drifted to the side of the road and went off the road,
0:28:16 > 0:28:17and I tried to correct myself,
0:28:17 > 0:28:19and unfortunately
0:28:19 > 0:28:24hit the side of the tarmac and the bike went out of control
0:28:24 > 0:28:25and I went down with it.
0:28:25 > 0:28:28I went along the road on my right side,
0:28:28 > 0:28:32which grazed the right-hand side of my face and broke my right elbow,
0:28:32 > 0:28:36then the handlebars flipped round and presumably broke my left wrist.
0:28:36 > 0:28:41While all this was happening, at some point, Lynn seemed to go over the top of me,
0:28:41 > 0:28:43and land in the road in front of me.
0:28:44 > 0:28:47What's worrying Heatha was, although this was an accident,
0:28:47 > 0:28:49she feels responsible.
0:28:49 > 0:28:52At that point I was exceedingly worried about Lynn.
0:28:52 > 0:28:56I felt if I hasn't drifted off the road, she would never have gone over the top of me.
0:28:56 > 0:29:02Heatha needn't worry. Despite a very serious head injury that keeps her in hospital for weeks,
0:29:02 > 0:29:05Lynn eventually returns home.
0:29:05 > 0:29:11She has no memories of that day, and one of the first things she wants to do is find out what happened to her.
0:29:11 > 0:29:14- Hello.- I'm Jez.- Hello. Lynn.
0:29:14 > 0:29:16I do get more tired,
0:29:16 > 0:29:19and there's bits of my brain not working properly.
0:29:19 > 0:29:21I don't remember things...
0:29:21 > 0:29:23everything, I forget words.
0:29:23 > 0:29:26And I think they're coming back.
0:29:26 > 0:29:31People have been extraordinarily good. I've got a speech therapist from Harrogate who's coming out,
0:29:31 > 0:29:34from Harrogate Hospital, coming out and helping me.
0:29:35 > 0:29:40Since the accident, Lynn and her cycling friends have decided that they want to raise money
0:29:40 > 0:29:46for the Yorkshire air ambulance as a thank-you for their part in getting her to hospital so fast.
0:29:46 > 0:29:50Back in the helicopter means nothing to me because I didn't know I was ever here.
0:29:50 > 0:29:53I think even if we hadn't have been there and given you anaesthetic drugs,
0:29:53 > 0:29:56- you probably wouldn't have remembered much about it.- Yeah.
0:29:56 > 0:29:58But we gave you an anaesthetic,
0:29:58 > 0:30:04and some of the drugs we gave you as part of that anaesthetic would make you not remember it.
0:30:08 > 0:30:13Every day of the year, cyclists of all ages and fitness levels are out on the roads,
0:30:13 > 0:30:17pushing themselves to the limit. But some push themselves too far.
0:30:21 > 0:30:26It's early on a Saturday morning and Helimed 99 is on its way to one emergency
0:30:26 > 0:30:29when it's diverted to another.
0:30:29 > 0:30:3499, turn around. We've got a new grid reference for a cardiac arrest up at Malham for you. Over.
0:30:36 > 0:30:39- Have we got another job? - Yeah, cardiac arrest.
0:30:39 > 0:30:42- Where's this?- Malham.- Malham? I'm going to turn right now, then.
0:30:42 > 0:30:44Yeah, I'm just trimming the grid now.
0:30:50 > 0:30:55A cyclist has collapsed. He's covered in blood and his heart has stopped.
0:30:58 > 0:31:01Whereabouts is it at Malham?
0:31:01 > 0:31:05- Just to the south of the actual town.- Oh, yeah.
0:31:05 > 0:31:09- New Lane.- It's the other side of the village.- Yeah.- Right.
0:31:09 > 0:31:12We just went over to him and tried to get him breathing again,
0:31:12 > 0:31:17and then the paramedic who was just down the bottom of the road, fantastic, was here within 5 minutes
0:31:17 > 0:31:19and we started CPR.
0:31:19 > 0:31:23The ambulance crew was able to shock the man's heart back into rhythm.
0:31:23 > 0:31:28What's causing the fits isn't clear, but they could be connected to his head injury.
0:31:28 > 0:31:32He seemed to collapse. He keeled over on his bike.
0:31:32 > 0:31:35So we think it was a heart attack, because he was just lying...
0:31:35 > 0:31:37It appeared as if he wasn't breathing,
0:31:37 > 0:31:42and after sort of about 60 seconds...
0:31:42 > 0:31:46We'll get him scooped. Load it down, guys, a bit.
0:31:46 > 0:31:52The cyclist is Michael McConville. He's fitting and he's having difficulty breathing.
0:31:52 > 0:31:53He's in a bad state.
0:31:55 > 0:31:57OK, keep him up, keep him up, keep him up!
0:31:57 > 0:31:59There we go!
0:32:01 > 0:32:03He's got this head injury.
0:32:04 > 0:32:10Paramedic Darrel isn't sure whether this is a heart attack or the result of a head injury.
0:32:10 > 0:32:15Flying into Leeds will mean he can be seen by consultants in both specialties.
0:32:17 > 0:32:19Any idea of the time?
0:32:19 > 0:32:21- Give you that as soon as we get airborne.- OK, mate.
0:32:21 > 0:32:27Michael's condition is worsening. He's showing signs of a condition called hypoxia,
0:32:27 > 0:32:33a lack of oxygen to the brain. It's common in heart patients who've had to wait before CPR was started.
0:32:40 > 0:32:43Getting him down to emergency resus is vital.
0:33:00 > 0:33:01Hello.
0:33:02 > 0:33:06He's been in cardiac arrest since the arrival of the first medical person on the scene.
0:33:06 > 0:33:11- OK.- He's been shocked, times one, VF, into a normal sinus rhythm.
0:33:11 > 0:33:15OK, we're ready to go. Come on, let's get him sedated.
0:33:17 > 0:33:19Please give me the Propofol now.
0:33:19 > 0:33:23Propofol is a powerful drug used to quickly sedate a patient.
0:33:23 > 0:33:27It's not possible to treat Michael until his seizures are under control.
0:33:29 > 0:33:34Fortunately, they've managed to get a line into his bone,
0:33:34 > 0:33:37so they managed to sedate him and they're going to pop him off to sleep now.
0:33:41 > 0:33:46Michael is sent for brain scans and X-rays and spends a further week in intensive care.
0:33:46 > 0:33:51It's another ten days before he is up and about and out of bed.
0:33:51 > 0:33:55He is not able to recall much from the day of the accident.
0:33:55 > 0:33:59The cycling club had organised a weekend away in Malham.
0:33:59 > 0:34:04We did about 40 miles on Friday afternoon, got to the top of the hill in my own time,
0:34:04 > 0:34:07waited at the top of the hill, made sure everybody was there,
0:34:07 > 0:34:11set off again, and...that was that.
0:34:11 > 0:34:13Didn't go any further than the top of the hill.
0:34:13 > 0:34:17One of the main arteries supplying Michael's heart was blocked.
0:34:17 > 0:34:23Luckily for him, a fellow cyclist recognised what was happening and managed to resuscitate him
0:34:23 > 0:34:26with the help of an ambulance crew covering an event nearby.
0:34:28 > 0:34:29When it happened they must have been shocked,
0:34:29 > 0:34:32because they weren't expecting anything like that to happen to anybody.
0:34:32 > 0:34:38Cos everybody who goes out on these rides, we've all been out riding for years,
0:34:38 > 0:34:40and we're all very, very fit.
0:34:40 > 0:34:43OK, keep him up, keep him up, keep him up!
0:34:43 > 0:34:46You just wouldn't believe how grateful I was to everybody who was there.
0:34:46 > 0:34:52The full team, you know, the paramedics and the air ambulance people,
0:34:52 > 0:34:54absolutely superb job, the lot of them.
0:34:54 > 0:34:59And getting here was brilliant, they've done a superb job. Can't ask for more.
0:35:02 > 0:35:05And you don't even have to be riding your bike to be injured,
0:35:05 > 0:35:09as one off-road cyclist found out in the Yorkshire Dales.
0:35:13 > 0:35:1750-year-old Lisa Wake has injured her ankle while mountain-biking.
0:35:17 > 0:35:20- What's your name?- Lisa.- Lisa.
0:35:20 > 0:35:22- It's a spiral fracture.- Oh, right.
0:35:22 > 0:35:25- You've diagnosed yourself already? - Yeah.- Good stuff. Right.
0:35:25 > 0:35:30A spiral fracture occurs when a bone is twisted until it breaks.
0:35:30 > 0:35:32It can take a long time to heal.
0:35:32 > 0:35:35So you were just actually stepping back and you slipped...
0:35:35 > 0:35:37Yeah, my whole weight went on my left leg.
0:35:37 > 0:35:40- Have you hurt yourself anywhere else?- No.- OK.
0:35:41 > 0:35:47Having a patient who makes a self-diagnosis is not unusual, but Lisa is a former nurse,
0:35:47 > 0:35:49so she may just be correct.
0:35:49 > 0:35:52What's your pain scale like? It might be a stupid question.
0:35:52 > 0:35:54It's probably only about 3.
0:35:54 > 0:35:56- 3?- It's OK.- Right.
0:35:56 > 0:35:59Shall we give you a bit of this gas and air, though, just to take that 3 off?
0:35:59 > 0:36:03- Cos when we start to move you... - I know.
0:36:03 > 0:36:09When we were about 100 yards away and we could see somebody on the floor,
0:36:09 > 0:36:13we realised that it was not good, because she didn't seem to be moving.
0:36:13 > 0:36:16- What are you sticking in?- Morphine.
0:36:16 > 0:36:21- Cos I reckon when we start to move you...- I'm going to scream.
0:36:21 > 0:36:23You're going to start being a bit unhappy with me, aren't you?
0:36:27 > 0:36:30It soon emerges that this isn't Lisa's first injury.
0:36:30 > 0:36:33Just two weeks ago, she broke two ribs.
0:36:33 > 0:36:37- How did you do your ribs? - Mountain biking.
0:36:38 > 0:36:41Is somebody trying to tell you summat?
0:36:41 > 0:36:43This is her first day back out, 13 days after.
0:36:44 > 0:36:49An X-ray in hospital will confirm or contradict Lisa's diagnosis,
0:36:49 > 0:36:52but it's plain to see that she needs urgent treatment.
0:36:52 > 0:36:54It's still not circulating yet.
0:36:54 > 0:36:58We can't really assess it properly until we get her flipped over.
0:36:58 > 0:36:59Hello!
0:36:59 > 0:37:01You all right?
0:37:01 > 0:37:03Just getting back on the push cycle, she's not been riding it.
0:37:03 > 0:37:07She's slipped off the pedal and then obviously her foot's gone underneath.
0:37:07 > 0:37:10I think it might be a dislocation but we can't obviously know.
0:37:10 > 0:37:13We're just going to get her over basically.
0:37:13 > 0:37:18With an extra pair of hands, the team manage to get Lisa on to a spinal stretcher.
0:37:18 > 0:37:21Despite the morphine, she's still in a lot of pain.
0:37:24 > 0:37:29The flight to the Leeds General Infirmary will take just ten minutes,
0:37:29 > 0:37:32and it turns out Lisa is right.
0:37:32 > 0:37:33She does have a spiral fracture
0:37:33 > 0:37:37which will keep her out of the saddle for several months.
0:37:44 > 0:37:50Recovering at home, Lisa now knows that a little medical knowledge can be a worrying thing
0:37:50 > 0:37:51when you're the patient.
0:37:51 > 0:37:53I knew that I had to lay still,
0:37:53 > 0:37:56I knew I had to get warm and I knew that I needed an ambulance.
0:37:56 > 0:37:59And I also knew that there was a big risk
0:37:59 > 0:38:01because the way that my leg felt,
0:38:01 > 0:38:04like my knee seemed to be in one direction
0:38:04 > 0:38:06and the bottom half of my leg seemed to be in another direction,
0:38:06 > 0:38:10and I knew that I couldn't look at it because I would probably black out if I did,
0:38:10 > 0:38:15and I knew there was a risk that I might lose the blood supply to my foot,
0:38:15 > 0:38:19so getting an ambulance there sort of quickly was really important.
0:38:19 > 0:38:22It's not something I'm going to let stop me.
0:38:22 > 0:38:24I maybe just need to go a bit slower for a while.
0:38:33 > 0:38:38Yorkshire's dales and fells help attract the millions of tourists who come here,
0:38:38 > 0:38:43but steep hills and machinery do not mix.
0:38:44 > 0:38:49Helimed 99 is on an emergency call to a farm just outside Wakefield.
0:38:50 > 0:38:53A 72-year-old farmer is trapped under a digger.
0:38:57 > 0:39:02Pensioner Mel Jackson was helping out on the family farm when the mini digger turned over.
0:39:02 > 0:39:05Now paramedics are trying to free him from his cab.
0:39:05 > 0:39:07He's broken his leg.
0:39:08 > 0:39:10The digger was struggling a bit
0:39:10 > 0:39:13and he were pulling it as much as he could,
0:39:13 > 0:39:15and it just obviously tipped over.
0:39:15 > 0:39:18- He's stationary and he's just fell sidewards.- Right.
0:39:18 > 0:39:26- All right.- So we're looking... He's got pain left knee up to just below left femur.- Right.
0:39:26 > 0:39:29Mel has a nasty break to the femur,
0:39:29 > 0:39:32a life-threatening injury as the bone could sever an artery.
0:39:32 > 0:39:34His son tried to get him out.
0:39:34 > 0:39:37He'd landed on door, you know, door was shut.
0:39:37 > 0:39:40So I broke the glass, obviously, to pull him out,
0:39:40 > 0:39:44but he said he couldn't move because his leg was in that much pain.
0:39:44 > 0:39:46So that's when we phoned the ambulance.
0:39:48 > 0:39:50- Is that pain going down at all, Mel? - No.- No?
0:39:50 > 0:39:53- It just aches there.- There?
0:39:55 > 0:39:57It goes all the way up here.
0:39:57 > 0:39:59It's femur, that.
0:39:59 > 0:40:02- It's here.- I think it is going to be a femur, Dave.
0:40:02 > 0:40:05Fire crews have looked at ways of lifting the digger.
0:40:05 > 0:40:11But on a muddy hillside, the fastest way to get Mel out is to carefully drag him out of his cab.
0:40:11 > 0:40:14He's going to need more powerful painkillers.
0:40:14 > 0:40:19Flying doctor Andy Poutney will use a very strong nerve-blocking drug
0:40:19 > 0:40:22which will completely numb Mel's broken leg.
0:40:22 > 0:40:24- How are you doing? - Where's that hurting you?
0:40:24 > 0:40:27Just that...in-between my knee...
0:40:27 > 0:40:31- Where it was before? Between your and knee and your...- Yeah.
0:40:33 > 0:40:34We should be able to extricate him now.
0:40:34 > 0:40:36He seems quite stable.
0:40:36 > 0:40:39Hopefully,, this is his only injury
0:40:39 > 0:40:44but we're going to do the usual and make sure he's fully immobilised as we bring him out.
0:40:44 > 0:40:47In a minute or two that should start to get a bit better for you, all right?
0:40:47 > 0:40:49And that'll allow us to get you out.
0:40:49 > 0:40:53You've got as much pain relief as we can do now, so I'm only warning you, all right?
0:40:53 > 0:40:55Cross fingers and think of England.
0:40:55 > 0:40:57Ready, steady, move.
0:40:58 > 0:41:00MEL CRIES IN PAIN
0:41:00 > 0:41:03We're just going to pop him in this sleeping bag to keep him warm.
0:41:03 > 0:41:08- Can you get that level?- We'll get you up here, we'll get you a bit warmer, then we'll sort it out.
0:41:08 > 0:41:14Mel has been farming all his life. This is his first serious accident.
0:41:15 > 0:41:17Paramedics can't give nerve-blockers.
0:41:17 > 0:41:20You need good knowledge of the anatomy and where the nerves and things are,
0:41:20 > 0:41:25and there's also the potential risk of complications from some of the drugs we use,
0:41:25 > 0:41:26particularly if the patient's very sensitive to them
0:41:26 > 0:41:29or has a toxic reaction to them,
0:41:29 > 0:41:31or if, inadvertently, they get put into a blood vessel.
0:41:31 > 0:41:34That can cause, you know, very serious reactions,
0:41:34 > 0:41:39so, yeah, that's something which I could bring which the paramedics weren't able to do today.
0:41:39 > 0:41:42It's going to take a few months for his leg to mend,
0:41:42 > 0:41:45and it'll be a long time before he's allowed back on to the farm.
0:41:46 > 0:41:51Mel spent several days in Leeds General Infirmary before being allowed home.
0:41:53 > 0:41:58And I'm pleased to tell you, doctors say Mel will be fit enough to help out on the farm again soon.
0:42:02 > 0:42:06Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd