0:00:02 > 0:00:06If you're critically ill or seriously injured, seconds count.
0:00:06 > 0:00:08And in Britain's biggest county,
0:00:08 > 0:00:11you can be a long way from help.
0:00:11 > 0:00:14- 'Where's the patient?' - 'She's stuck under the car.'
0:00:14 > 0:00:17The Yorkshire Air Ambulance flies at 150 miles per hour,
0:00:17 > 0:00:21and thanks to its speed, hundreds of patients are alive today,
0:00:21 > 0:00:25saved by a highly skilled team of doctors and paramedics.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27- Stand clear, everybody.- Keep going.
0:00:27 > 0:00:31It covers some of the UK's most rugged landscapes,
0:00:31 > 0:00:34turning roadsides into operating theatres...
0:00:34 > 0:00:37We're going to pop him off to sleep on an emergency anaesthetic, OK?
0:00:37 > 0:00:39..and town centres into helipads.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42- Good on the left. - Just behind you, Tim.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45And everyday, the Helimed team's skill, speed and courage
0:00:45 > 0:00:47is saving lives.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58Today on Helicopter Heroes...
0:00:58 > 0:01:00a cyclist has a bizarre accident
0:01:00 > 0:01:03and a passing van driver turns lifesaver.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05He hit the wall and disappeared.
0:01:05 > 0:01:08He was about there, facing down in the water.
0:01:08 > 0:01:13Ex-miner Darren returns to the pit to save the driver of a giant truck.
0:01:13 > 0:01:14Watch your step coming backwards.
0:01:14 > 0:01:18Yorkshire's biggest waterfalls claim another casualty.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21Jim had just shouted, "Mind the ice".
0:01:26 > 0:01:29Travelling around the North is full of ups and downs,
0:01:29 > 0:01:32in fact, one road in Yorkshire is officially England's steepest,
0:01:32 > 0:01:34with a gradient of one in three.
0:01:34 > 0:01:38For cyclists, a ride in the country can be an uphill struggle,
0:01:38 > 0:01:42but it's going downhill that's most dangerous.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45EMERGENCY CALL:
0:02:03 > 0:02:05It's clear this is an emergency
0:02:05 > 0:02:07that's going to test all of the Helimed team's skills.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10Not sure whether it's a pedal cyclist or motorcyclist
0:02:10 > 0:02:14who's fallen approximately 20 feet in quite a remote area,
0:02:14 > 0:02:17from what we can gather. So it's the usual, really,
0:02:17 > 0:02:18we'll just keep an open mind,
0:02:18 > 0:02:22it could be anything from a simple fractured ankle or something,
0:02:22 > 0:02:23to something more life-threatening.
0:02:23 > 0:02:27A ground ambulance has just arrived at the scene of the accident.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30The paramedics found 40-year-old Richard Clough
0:02:30 > 0:02:33stranded 20 feet below
0:02:33 > 0:02:35and they soon discover the incredible story
0:02:35 > 0:02:37behind what's just happened.
0:02:37 > 0:02:41He's come the hill, not been able to negotiate the bend,
0:02:41 > 0:02:45and hit the wall and gone headfirst right into the river.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48Fortunately there was a guy in a red van who saw the incident
0:02:48 > 0:02:50and he rescued him from the water.
0:02:50 > 0:02:52When I stopped my van and looked over the edge,
0:02:52 > 0:02:55he was bang-smack in the middle of the river.
0:02:55 > 0:02:56As I managed to get down to him
0:02:56 > 0:02:59he was starting to move further and further under the bridge.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02He was still in the centre of the river, still had his face fully down,
0:03:02 > 0:03:05submerged, with just the back of his helmet out of the river.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08I literally managed to get...
0:03:08 > 0:03:10I put my legs either side of him,
0:03:10 > 0:03:12picked him up underneath and dragged him to the bank.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15Southwest of this wind farm
0:03:15 > 0:03:18and at one o'clock we should have Penistone.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21As we go over the hill we'll come across Stocksbridge.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24The crew of Helimed 98 has been called
0:03:24 > 0:03:26because this bizarre accident
0:03:26 > 0:03:29has happened in a remote part of the Peak District.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32- We should be over it now. - We should be more or less there.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34But this team also has extra skills
0:03:34 > 0:03:37to help treat patients in hard-to-reach places.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40Yeah, so basically,
0:03:40 > 0:03:43the ambulance is at the bottom of this bendy road in the valley.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46We're not sure whether the patient's with the ambulance
0:03:46 > 0:03:47or somewhere else.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49I've got a feeling they may be elsewhere,
0:03:49 > 0:03:53because the local mountain rescue team have been dispatched.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56But even with Tony's six years' experience on the helicopter,
0:03:56 > 0:03:59he wasn't expecting to find his patient
0:03:59 > 0:04:01in quite such a dangerous position.
0:04:01 > 0:04:06He's a cyclist that's come straight down here, hit here,
0:04:06 > 0:04:07gone straight over here.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10He were in the water, face-down, unconscious.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12He does suffer with epilepsy.
0:04:12 > 0:04:16I think he might have had a blackout on the way down.
0:04:17 > 0:04:18Couldn't see him.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21Looked over the wall, and he's there,
0:04:21 > 0:04:23right at the bottom, in the river.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26Luckily there was a guy with him who was in front of us in a van
0:04:26 > 0:04:29and he'd managed to get to him and lift him out of the water.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32Luckily the man in the red van had just caught him
0:04:32 > 0:04:35as he was washing downstream.
0:04:35 > 0:04:36He managed to pull him out.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39But he was totally unconscious when we first got down.
0:04:39 > 0:04:43Richard's life has been saved by Marcus Headland's quick thinking.
0:04:45 > 0:04:50But although he's now conscious again, he's far from safe.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52The paramedics fear Richard may have inhaled water.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54This can lead to secondary drowning,
0:04:54 > 0:04:57a rare but lethal complication
0:04:57 > 0:04:59in which patients' lungs fill with fluid
0:04:59 > 0:05:03and they drown, long after they've been pulled from the water.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07By the time he's got out of the van, realised he's not coming back up...
0:05:07 > 0:05:08A minute?
0:05:08 > 0:05:11But when I got down he was already out of the water, in this corner.
0:05:11 > 0:05:13His eyes were open but absolutely nobody was at home
0:05:13 > 0:05:17and that would have been five minutes after when he first came out.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21Falling this far at high speed
0:05:21 > 0:05:24could have left him with very serious injuries,
0:05:24 > 0:05:26but Richard and his rescuers
0:05:26 > 0:05:28are now facing a more imminent danger.
0:05:28 > 0:05:32The tributaries are all flooding in at the water, down by the river,
0:05:32 > 0:05:35so while we were down there it had raised by three inches.
0:05:35 > 0:05:36So they need to get him out quickly,
0:05:36 > 0:05:39because I think the water's going to rise quite sharply.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41It's raining here now,
0:05:41 > 0:05:43and if it's raining here, plus up in the mountains,
0:05:43 > 0:05:46that will raise very quickly - and does rise very quickly.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51- Do you feel cold, or are you all right?- Pretty cold.- Pretty cold.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53Not only are the paramedics worried
0:05:53 > 0:05:55about Richard's injuries from the fall,
0:05:55 > 0:05:58they're also concerned about his body temperature.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01Get something on him. He is cold, so we might as well.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03With soaking clothes on a winter day,
0:06:03 > 0:06:06hypothermia is a real threat.
0:06:06 > 0:06:10So getting warm sleeping bags to him is one of the top priorities.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14Shall we just cover him up initially, the best we can,
0:06:14 > 0:06:17and then shall we just put it on?
0:06:17 > 0:06:19Yeah.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22I think we're going to be here a while, aren't we,
0:06:22 > 0:06:23by the sounds of it.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26He's obviously cold, he's got a dislocated shoulder,
0:06:26 > 0:06:27he's been knocked out.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30Fire rescue is going to be about a half-hour,
0:06:30 > 0:06:33the river has risen by a couple inches in the last 15 minutes
0:06:33 > 0:06:35and it's raining further up north.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37So obviously there's a bit of a time limit,
0:06:37 > 0:06:40we don't want to spend too long here.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43Getting down this steep bank is tricky enough,
0:06:43 > 0:06:47so hauling a badly-injured patient up here without specialist help
0:06:47 > 0:06:48will be impossible.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50But with every minute that passes,
0:06:50 > 0:06:52Richard's body temperature is dropping,
0:06:52 > 0:06:55while the river level is continuing to rise.
0:07:02 > 0:07:04You only have to look at the landscape
0:07:04 > 0:07:08to see the difference man has made to Yorkshire's countryside.
0:07:08 > 0:07:09For 200 years,
0:07:09 > 0:07:13this county has been one of the UK's industrial powerhouses.
0:07:16 > 0:07:201,000 feet below the Yorkshire countryside is an ancient resource
0:07:20 > 0:07:23that's still big business.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26It may be unfashionable in the age of renewable energy,
0:07:26 > 0:07:29but coal still turns on the lights in much of Britain,
0:07:29 > 0:07:33and these days this is how it's transported.
0:07:34 > 0:07:40At Maltby Colliery near Rotherham, trucks lug coal in 60-tonne loads.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42But today, there's been a serious accident.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45There's a very large colliery in Maltby, in South Yorkshire,
0:07:45 > 0:07:50and from what we've been told, the driver is currently trapped.
0:07:50 > 0:07:55Apparently we have crews on the scene and fire is also attending.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57So it sounds quite serious.
0:07:57 > 0:08:01One of Maltby's giant tipper trucks has left the roadway
0:08:01 > 0:08:03and plunged into a gully.
0:08:03 > 0:08:05Its driver is badly hurt.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08Paramedic Darren Axe used to work down the pit.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11He's well aware it's a risky industry.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14Got to be on the seam somewhere, this end of it.
0:08:14 > 0:08:18Just be aware that it's not all likely to be solid ground.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20That's what I'm thinking about.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22Yeah, that's it.
0:08:22 > 0:08:26He's, er, he's not gone over. It looks like it's on its...
0:08:26 > 0:08:28- It's gone in on its nose.- Yeah.
0:08:30 > 0:08:35Paramedic Dave Appleby knows an accident involving a truck with a 60-tonne load
0:08:35 > 0:08:37is likely to be much more serious
0:08:37 > 0:08:38than a crash in a road vehicle.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42He was wedged between t'seats and t'side of thing.
0:08:42 > 0:08:46So I can't take t'roof off. He's still wedged.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48Driver Len Hammond was thrown forward
0:08:48 > 0:08:51and hit his head on a metal bulkhead in the impact.
0:08:51 > 0:08:52Eh up, mate.
0:08:52 > 0:08:53Hiya.
0:08:53 > 0:08:55There's no way we can get him out.
0:08:55 > 0:08:56Even if we take t'window out,
0:08:56 > 0:08:59we can't get him out cos of where he is.
0:08:59 > 0:09:03- What we're going to have to do is top and tail him from there to there.- Yeah.
0:09:03 > 0:09:04We've got KED here.
0:09:04 > 0:09:08- We'll put it round him there and get him down on KED.- OK.
0:09:08 > 0:09:09That's the only thing we can do.
0:09:09 > 0:09:11Solid, mate, yeah, no probs.
0:09:11 > 0:09:13Len's arm's broken,
0:09:13 > 0:09:16but it's his head injury that's most worrying his rescuers.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19Does it look like he's got any other major injuries?
0:09:19 > 0:09:21Can't tell. Hold his feet for me.
0:09:21 > 0:09:25- Everywhere you ask him about pain, he's got it. It's one of them.- OK.
0:09:25 > 0:09:27Darren was a miner for ten years
0:09:27 > 0:09:30and that's where he first learned first aid.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33The pit nurse is an old colleague.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36- He's bleeding quite badly from his head.- Right.- He's stuck
0:09:36 > 0:09:39between the seat and the front.
0:09:39 > 0:09:43- The windscreen's smashed, so I think his head's gone into the windscreen. - Right.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46- His blood pressure weren't too bad. - Is he trapped or is he pinned in?
0:09:46 > 0:09:47He's pinned.
0:09:48 > 0:09:54Three paramedics are trying to manhandle Len from a cab designed to accommodate just one driver.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57Freeing him is proving almost impossible
0:09:57 > 0:10:01and his condition's showing worrying signs of deterioration.
0:10:01 > 0:10:05Is there any...? What about if we try and get him back onto the seat?
0:10:08 > 0:10:10On three. One, two, three.
0:10:14 > 0:10:19Len's a big guy and, despite all the strength of his rescuers,
0:10:19 > 0:10:22moving him is proving very difficult.
0:10:22 > 0:10:24It's all right, I don't mind.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27Let me just shift that thing again.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30We'll just shuffle him a little bit if we can.
0:10:30 > 0:10:31One, two, three.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36If this was an ordinary lorry,
0:10:36 > 0:10:39firefighters would be cutting apart the cab to free Len.
0:10:39 > 0:10:43But this truck is far too strongly-built to remove the roof
0:10:43 > 0:10:46and the paramedics know if they can't free their patient soon,
0:10:46 > 0:10:49his life could be in real danger.
0:10:55 > 0:10:57The Yorkshire Dales are a National Park,
0:10:57 > 0:11:03protected by the full force of the law from development that could threaten their character.
0:11:03 > 0:11:08But some places are so rugged, nature doesn't need our help.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14The sound of Aysgarth Falls can drown out a jet plane
0:11:14 > 0:11:17and this mile-long series of waterfalls
0:11:17 > 0:11:20has an irresistible attraction.
0:11:20 > 0:11:25Wordsworth wrote poems about it, Turner painted it
0:11:25 > 0:11:29and it's even appeared in Hollywood movies, like Kevin Costner's epic
0:11:29 > 0:11:31Robin Hood Prince Of Thieves.
0:11:31 > 0:11:35Today, it's Helimed 99's destination.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37We're off to Aysgarth Falls,
0:11:37 > 0:11:41which is remarkably famous for
0:11:41 > 0:11:45Kevin Costner playing Robin Hood and Little John,
0:11:45 > 0:11:48but today somebody's fallen.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51They're on a footpath and we're not entirely sure exactly where they are,
0:11:51 > 0:11:54but, hopefully, they're not in the water.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56Right, I've got somebody with a red jacket.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58That means he's below us...
0:11:58 > 0:12:01Finding a patient in a landscape like this is tricky.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03- Somebody...- Yeah, they're sat down.
0:12:03 > 0:12:07..coming down to the woods in a vehicle, just down there. Yep.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10And a jacket below us now.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12Are they still moving?
0:12:12 > 0:12:17- Still moving.- Oh, right, I think we'll go back to that point then.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23- My name's Sammy, what's yours?- Norma.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26Hello, Norma. So, what have you been up to today then?
0:12:26 > 0:12:29Er... I'm positive I've snapped my leg.
0:12:29 > 0:12:31OK, well, you stay in that position.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33I know it doesn't look very comfortable.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35Are you normally fit and well, Norma?
0:12:35 > 0:12:38Er, generally I'm OK.
0:12:38 > 0:12:39Yep.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42And I just slipped on some ice there and this leg went underneath me
0:12:42 > 0:12:44and there was a crack.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47And a crack as well. OK, then.
0:12:47 > 0:12:49- Did you bang your head at all?- No.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52- Have you got any pain in your neck or your back at all?- No. No.
0:12:52 > 0:12:58We were coming down the hill and she slipped and there was a loud crack in her leg as she went down.
0:12:58 > 0:13:02So I think probably... probably broken a bone.
0:13:02 > 0:13:04Norma seems unfazed by her accident.
0:13:04 > 0:13:08This isn't the first time she's needed help like this.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12- Have you ever broken a bone before? - Yes, I broke this leg just under the kneecap.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15Three years ago, she was airlifted from the Lake District
0:13:15 > 0:13:18by a Navy helicopter after an identical slip.
0:13:18 > 0:13:19'99, go ahead.'
0:13:19 > 0:13:23Yeah, roger, Dave, just for your information,
0:13:23 > 0:13:26I would imagine we're going to be ending up taking her
0:13:26 > 0:13:29as you're not going to be able to get a vehicle too close to this.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32I'd think we're probably going to Harrogate.
0:13:32 > 0:13:37Norma's 77, but she's still a leading member of her local rambling club.
0:13:37 > 0:13:42Ironically, she was out checking the path was safe for other members when she fell.
0:13:42 > 0:13:44I just slipped on the ice.
0:13:44 > 0:13:48- There's some ice on the path there. - Just behind you, isn't it, Norma?
0:13:48 > 0:13:51Yes. And Jim had just shouted, "Mind the ice!"
0:13:51 > 0:13:54- And over you went.- And over I went.
0:13:54 > 0:13:58Local paramedic Pete Shaw and his colleagues from Fell Rescue
0:13:58 > 0:14:01are used to accidents by the falls.
0:14:01 > 0:14:06Norma's probably my seventh or eighth patient down here.
0:14:06 > 0:14:07But it's like any walk.
0:14:07 > 0:14:12You know, you just take a wrong turn and a slip can do a bit of damage.
0:14:12 > 0:14:13I rescued my other half
0:14:13 > 0:14:17from a hill similar to this in February this year with a broken leg.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20So, yeah, I had to call the mountain rescue team out for her.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23Have you seen the falls whilst you've been here?
0:14:23 > 0:14:25- No.- You haven't quite got that far?
0:14:25 > 0:14:29- Well, hopefully...- You'll come back another time.- Yeah.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32But, just to confirm, you don't feel any pins and needles or anything?
0:14:32 > 0:14:36You can wiggle your toes fine. OK.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39- How's that helping with the pain? - Good.
0:14:39 > 0:14:41Yeah? Can you score it for me again out of ten?
0:14:41 > 0:14:42It's gone down a lot now.
0:14:42 > 0:14:46Paramedic Al Day is a mountain rescue volunteer
0:14:46 > 0:14:50and his bedside manner's not for the easily offended.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53Have you ever entered or won any knobbly knees competitions?
0:14:53 > 0:14:55No!
0:14:55 > 0:14:59Eh? When you're down, when you're down!
0:14:59 > 0:15:02Sadly, Norma's previous fall and her rheumatism
0:15:02 > 0:15:05have taken their toll on her leg.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08The only way out for their patient is by air.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11The riverside footpath back to the nearest road
0:15:11 > 0:15:15is treacherous, as flying paramedic Lee Davison has just found out.
0:15:15 > 0:15:17He's working on a ground ambulance today.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20Obviously very difficult access.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23There's no way we'd have got the vehicle down here,
0:15:23 > 0:15:24so ideal job for the air ambulance.
0:15:24 > 0:15:28It's time to fly Norma to hospital.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30She's on her way out of the Dales to Harrogate,
0:15:30 > 0:15:32with a friend for moral support.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35Judith is coming with us.
0:15:35 > 0:15:36Oh, that's lovely.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38- Hey, that's even better. - That's even better.
0:15:38 > 0:15:40And Jim knows all about it.
0:15:40 > 0:15:42The police are going to tell him where it is.
0:15:42 > 0:15:43There you go.
0:15:43 > 0:15:47She certainly won't be the last victim of a fall at Aysgarth.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49They attract thousands of people every year.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52It's, um...
0:15:52 > 0:15:55It's just obviously when everything's icy and slippery like this,
0:15:55 > 0:15:57people come a cropper.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00Sorry, Norma, you didn't get to see the water.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03Norma's fitter than many people 20 years younger,
0:16:03 > 0:16:06but having recovered from a bad break once before,
0:16:06 > 0:16:11she knows accidents like today's can have serious consequences.
0:16:11 > 0:16:13Subject to the damage that she's done,
0:16:13 > 0:16:16it's possibly to be six weeks, twelve weeks,
0:16:16 > 0:16:18maybe even longer.
0:16:18 > 0:16:22She has a bone challenge anyway, so we'll take care of her.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25And with physio and rest, hopefully she'll be back up and walking,
0:16:25 > 0:16:28ready for the hike that she was planning.
0:16:28 > 0:16:34Norma's taken for X-rays and, after treatment for a broken bone just below her knee,
0:16:34 > 0:16:35she's sent home.
0:16:35 > 0:16:39But she's determined to be back out with the rambling club soon.
0:16:52 > 0:16:57In the Peak District, rain is threatening the safety of one of the Helimed's team's patients.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00He plunged off a moorland bridge into a river
0:17:00 > 0:17:04and rescuing him is not going to be easy.
0:17:05 > 0:17:10With the waters rising, cyclist Richard Clough's predicament
0:17:10 > 0:17:12is becoming more risky by the minute.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15But he would never have survived his freak accident in the first place
0:17:15 > 0:17:20if it hadn't been for the heroism of Marcus, the van driver who saw him fall.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23Just gathering more and more speed down the hill.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26I was following him, thinking if he doesn't slow down, he'll crash,
0:17:26 > 0:17:27at which point he hit the wall
0:17:27 > 0:17:30and went straight over the wall and disappeared.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33I've managed to get down that side and down there
0:17:33 > 0:17:35and, when I found him,
0:17:35 > 0:17:38he was about there, facing down in the water.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41I've run into the water, managed to turn him round,
0:17:41 > 0:17:44so his head isn't under the water.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46And then I managed to get my arms underneath him
0:17:46 > 0:17:48and I hauled him to where he is now.
0:17:49 > 0:17:53The paramedics know their patient needs to get to hospital quickly.
0:17:53 > 0:17:58Richard's temperature is dropping and his pain is spreading to other parts of his body.
0:17:58 > 0:18:02That's only come on... You've only noticed that recently, haven't you?
0:18:02 > 0:18:04Yeah.
0:18:04 > 0:18:05Can you rest back?
0:18:05 > 0:18:07The worst pain's in your shoulder?
0:18:07 > 0:18:10But, before they can treat him properly,
0:18:10 > 0:18:13the paramedics need to wait for the local mountain rescue team.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16Getting him out will be far from straightforward.
0:18:16 > 0:18:20I think it's going to be a bit of a job for whoever's getting him out.
0:18:20 > 0:18:22It's that slippy, it's not going to be easy.
0:18:22 > 0:18:26I'd say probably along to there and then up the nearside of this tree.
0:18:26 > 0:18:28Yeah.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30Eventually, the rescue team arrives.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33This case is exactly what these volunteers train for.
0:18:33 > 0:18:37Their skills will be critical for Richard's safety.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40He's in a very difficult position, in the bottom of the stream.
0:18:40 > 0:18:44It's quite slippy and it's far too dangerous for us to lift him.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47These guys have got ropes and various pieces of equipment.
0:18:47 > 0:18:50They're a lot better at extricating this gentleman than what we'd be.
0:18:50 > 0:18:52So it'll be a lot safer for him.
0:18:52 > 0:18:54That's why they're here at the moment.
0:18:54 > 0:18:59The concern at the moment is potential hypothermia because he's been in the stream for a time.
0:18:59 > 0:19:00So he's very wet.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03Tony's down there at the moment, given him some pain relief,
0:19:03 > 0:19:05wrapped him up nice and warm.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08Now we're just liaising with mountain rescue to get him out.
0:19:08 > 0:19:10Anchor on there, strong point on there.
0:19:10 > 0:19:12And then...
0:19:12 > 0:19:15I know that as soon as it moves, it's going to kill me.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18You're not actually holding him there, are you?
0:19:18 > 0:19:20I'm sort of propping him with my knee.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22I think he would be... My left knee, I'm sort of...
0:19:22 > 0:19:25Yeah, he is sliding slowly down the...
0:19:25 > 0:19:27He's actually slipping down.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30He's on a little grass verge that goes directly into the stream, so...
0:19:30 > 0:19:35we need to get hold of him quite quickly, cos it's tiring, holding someone for that length of time.
0:19:35 > 0:19:39I've just had a word with team leader, if there's anything quick we can put in place.
0:19:39 > 0:19:44They're quite happy they're going to rig this up fairly quickly, so we'll get down to him soon as.
0:19:44 > 0:19:46We're querying, because he's been found face down in t'river.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49He's come down here. So we're querying, but no obvious...
0:19:49 > 0:19:52indications that he's hurt his neck.
0:19:52 > 0:19:56Obviously we're maintaining C-spine. He's got pain in his left shoulder,
0:19:56 > 0:19:58query dislocated,
0:19:58 > 0:20:00and pain down his left thigh.
0:20:00 > 0:20:02He's been KO'd, he's come all the way down there,
0:20:02 > 0:20:05so obviously we've got to suspect some neck damage.
0:20:05 > 0:20:10- So we need to get him in the vac, nice and secure, strapped on that, and hope.- Yeah, basically.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13Treating a patient in this position is tricky enough,
0:20:13 > 0:20:16but getting him from here onto the specialist rescue stretcher
0:20:16 > 0:20:18will take some lateral thinking.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21If you can try and support his head.
0:20:21 > 0:20:25Could we not move him out a little way, maybe into t'river?
0:20:25 > 0:20:27So all these could pull him away
0:20:27 > 0:20:30and then either get those underneath or get other guys to help us?
0:20:30 > 0:20:33It's a really radical idea, but it might just work.
0:20:33 > 0:20:38- If we put t'stretcher out here and he goes up and straight on and straight up.- Yeah.
0:20:38 > 0:20:43It's just a simply rope belay with a friction device on it,
0:20:43 > 0:20:45so that when we haul him up, when we do a stop,
0:20:45 > 0:20:47he doesn't slide back down again, so it's nice and safe
0:20:47 > 0:20:51for the casualty, the medics and the mountain rescuers.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54Get it as close as we can, shortest distance to lift,
0:20:54 > 0:20:57less chance of dropping him or falling over.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59We'll put a man behind you and a man above you.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02Tony's got the head. Then we go for the move.
0:21:02 > 0:21:06Man on the bottom of the stretcher, man on the top of the stretcher, so it can't go anywhere.
0:21:06 > 0:21:11This part of the rescue is now totally in the hands of the mountain rescue volunteers.
0:21:11 > 0:21:13But they need to work fast.
0:21:13 > 0:21:15Ready, steady, move!
0:21:17 > 0:21:20Keep going, keep going. And down.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23This is now the most critical part of the rescue.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26Richard's injuries can only be properly checked on the roadside,
0:21:26 > 0:21:29but, first, it's down to this single rope
0:21:29 > 0:21:31and a lot of manpower to get him there.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36Ready, steady, lift.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40Whoa!
0:21:40 > 0:21:44It's been a long rescue, but cyclist Richard Clough
0:21:44 > 0:21:47is finally on his way out of the steep ravine he fell into.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51We've just literally lifted this gentleman out.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54We're going to pop him on t'stretcher, back of t'vehicle. Should be up shortly.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56- Stepping...- Step down.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59We've lifted this chap out the bottom of this stream
0:21:59 > 0:22:02and popped him on a vacuum mattress,
0:22:02 > 0:22:04to keep him immobilised.
0:22:04 > 0:22:06We've lifted him up with a lot of manpower,
0:22:06 > 0:22:08cos it's a steep hill to lift up.
0:22:08 > 0:22:11We'll pop him on the stretcher, back of the ambulance, to the aircraft.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14His neck's not going anywhere. Keep your head nice and still again.
0:22:14 > 0:22:18'They needed as much muscle power, so to speak, as possible.'
0:22:18 > 0:22:21As you can tell, I'm a bit out of breath from pulling him up there.
0:22:21 > 0:22:25So, yes, it was quite a difficult rescue, but we got there eventually.
0:22:26 > 0:22:30Richard will now be taken on a short trip in the ambulance,
0:22:30 > 0:22:32out of the ravine to the waiting helicopter.
0:22:32 > 0:22:34Ready, steady, lift.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38It's nearly two hours since the accident
0:22:38 > 0:22:41and the 20 foot plunge which left him unconscious.
0:22:41 > 0:22:46Despite the thick sleeping bags, his body temperature is still very low.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49So, a speedy flight to hospital is now crucial.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51He's a known epileptic,
0:22:51 > 0:22:53the patient, he felt that he was going to have a fit,
0:22:53 > 0:22:56and probably because of that, he's left the road
0:22:56 > 0:23:00and fallen down a bank into a river, about 20',
0:23:00 > 0:23:02and had to be pulled out of the river.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04Unconscious for a period of one minute.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07He's quite cold. He was in the river for a period of time
0:23:07 > 0:23:10and it has been quite a long extrication to get him out.
0:23:10 > 0:23:14So, we've got him wrapped up, but he's still quite cold.
0:23:15 > 0:23:16And lifting.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21He's been really lucky, probably cos of people with him,
0:23:21 > 0:23:23and the van driver that's seen what's happened.
0:23:23 > 0:23:27They've rendered assistance, really quickly.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30Otherwise, it could've been a different outcome, I expect.
0:23:30 > 0:23:34Lying ahead of Richard is a series of specialist checks,
0:23:34 > 0:23:35connected to his epilepsy,
0:23:35 > 0:23:38as well as surgery for his broken arm and shoulder.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44For the next 24 hours, he's kept in hospital,
0:23:44 > 0:23:49but, incredibly, doctors can find nothing more wrong with him than that broken arm.
0:23:49 > 0:23:53It means the only way to enjoy the Peak District
0:23:53 > 0:23:58is at a more leisurely pace with Jo, his very relieved wife.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00I was very unlucky to get a seizure when I did,
0:24:00 > 0:24:03cos I've not had one for several months.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06And, of all the places to have a seizure that could've been anywhere,
0:24:06 > 0:24:09I get one on a one-in-six descent on a bike!
0:24:09 > 0:24:12So, that's very unlucky, but, at the same time,
0:24:12 > 0:24:16it's incredibly lucky that I was able to fall where I did.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19And what was even more lucky was that Marcus saw him
0:24:19 > 0:24:20and went to help,
0:24:20 > 0:24:24risking his own safety with a split-second decision
0:24:24 > 0:24:25to save him from the water.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28I owe him a lot, don't I?
0:24:28 > 0:24:30He saw me go over the bridge,
0:24:30 > 0:24:32thought I was going to pop up from a field,
0:24:32 > 0:24:35and he looks himself and I'm 30 foot down in the water.
0:24:35 > 0:24:37And, very fortunately...
0:24:37 > 0:24:41It shows there's a lot of humanity in the world,
0:24:41 > 0:24:43that he came down and dragged me out.
0:24:43 > 0:24:49But, since then, Richard's known nothing of the man who undoubtedly saved his life.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52So, today, in a pub close to where his accident happened,
0:24:52 > 0:24:54they're meeting for the first time.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57- I'm hoping you could tell me something about it.- Yeah.
0:24:57 > 0:24:59- I've not got a great memory of it. - Right.
0:24:59 > 0:25:03You just kept going and I was following you, thinking you're not going to stop.
0:25:03 > 0:25:07You got faster and faster, hit the wall, and just disappeared.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10So I pulled you out, put you face first into the bank
0:25:10 > 0:25:13and that's when...I left you and ran up to climb up
0:25:13 > 0:25:16and that's when the biker stopped.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19- I'm surprised you're all right. You were really cold.- Right, yes.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22I think that's probably the main problem after you dragged me out.
0:25:22 > 0:25:23Incredible.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26The number of people who are so keen
0:25:26 > 0:25:28and willing to help people like myself
0:25:28 > 0:25:30who got into such a mess.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35'The Woodhead Mountain Rescue man called me a miracle man,
0:25:35 > 0:25:39'because I'm not sure he's ever seen anything quite like it,
0:25:39 > 0:25:41'that somebody has fallen from such a height at such a speed
0:25:41 > 0:25:43'and been so lucky to fall where I did
0:25:43 > 0:25:47'and only come out with a broken humerus.
0:25:47 > 0:25:50'It just doesn't happen!'
0:25:50 > 0:25:54But this miraculous escape has certainly left its mark on Richard.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57He's decided cycling's no longer for him.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00'I'm not going to be cycling again.'
0:26:00 > 0:26:03This tells me now it's time to stop. I've got a wife, a lovely wife,
0:26:03 > 0:26:06and two lovely children.
0:26:06 > 0:26:11It's just not sensible at all to do that any more.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13I think next time I come round here, I'll be wearing boots,
0:26:13 > 0:26:16rather than on a bike.
0:26:16 > 0:26:21And you won't be surprised to hear that Marcus has been recommended for a bravery award
0:26:21 > 0:26:23for that remarkable rescue.
0:26:36 > 0:26:40Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd