0:00:03 > 0:00:06If you're critically ill or seriously injured, seconds count.
0:00:06 > 0:00:11And in Britain's biggest county you can be a long way from help.
0:00:11 > 0:00:13- Where's the patient? - Stuck under the car!
0:00:13 > 0:00:16The Yorkshire Air Ambulance flies at 150mph,
0:00:16 > 0:00:21and thanks to its speed hundreds of patients are alive today,
0:00:21 > 0:00:24saved 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 with an emergency anaesthetic, OK?
0:00:37 > 0:00:39And town centres into helipads.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42- Fell good on the land? - Just behind you, Tim.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45And every day 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 > 0:01:01Paramedic Glen must save a labourer
0:01:01 > 0:01:04badly burned in an underground explosion.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07They've been trying to get this tank out and it's just gone bang.
0:01:07 > 0:01:13A teenage driver is thrown from her cartwheeling car... And lives.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16- Complaining of central spinal tenderness.- Oh, my leg!
0:01:16 > 0:01:21Pilot Andy battles the blizzards to reach a walker injured in the Peaks.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24I see a little bit of hill fog starting to settle.
0:01:24 > 0:01:28And the team races to rescue a biker injured on the Yorkshire Wolds.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31Ankle's completely gone.
0:01:36 > 0:01:41Being a paramedic is a difficult, sometimes distressing job.
0:01:41 > 0:01:46And among the worst injuries you can be called on to treat are burns.
0:01:48 > 0:01:52In South Yorkshire a major emergency operation is underway
0:01:52 > 0:01:56after reports of an explosion in a back street in Barnsley.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00It's an operation the Helimed team is about to join.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03It says there's one person trapped with facial burns.
0:02:03 > 0:02:06Not sure how bad the entrapment is and how bad the burns are,
0:02:06 > 0:02:08I'm just waiting for an update from the RRV that's on the scene.
0:02:08 > 0:02:12Roger, we're just approaching Yankee and set course to head out.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15The Helimed 99, we're visual upon the battery.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20You've just got to wait till you get there to weigh it up.
0:02:20 > 0:02:24Obviously with reports like there's a potential for serious injury.
0:02:25 > 0:02:29If this patient has got severe, extensive burns to the body
0:02:29 > 0:02:33then the best place to be treated would be at Pinderfield Burns Unit
0:02:33 > 0:02:36which, by land, is quite some distance and time away.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39Whereas by air we could be there in 10 minutes.
0:02:41 > 0:02:45It's opposite this intersection, it should be down here somewhere.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48Pilot Steve Waudby knows the location of the incident
0:02:48 > 0:02:49will make his life difficult.
0:02:49 > 0:02:51Barnsley's a former mining town
0:02:51 > 0:02:54full of tightly packed terrace houses.
0:02:54 > 0:02:58- Residential housing now underneath. - Yeah, Roger.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01No one in that car park at the moment, that'll be perfect for us.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03Any lines anywhere? No.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09His landing site is locked up.
0:03:09 > 0:03:11The fire brigade have the answer.
0:03:11 > 0:03:15Have you got a crowbar?
0:03:15 > 0:03:17That's it, come on.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23Glen relies on his ground-based colleagues
0:03:23 > 0:03:26to bring him up to speed on the case... And it's serious.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28Hello. How you doing?
0:03:28 > 0:03:31I've got two patients. The ambulance crew will be about six minutes,
0:03:31 > 0:03:33it's back at Farringdon.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36This is the motorbiker who's been injured.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39Looks like he's had the full frontal of the explosion over his face.
0:03:39 > 0:03:4435-year-old Lee Savage was helping a friend with building work
0:03:44 > 0:03:47when a spark from a shovel ignited petrol fumes.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50All his back is burnt, arms.
0:03:50 > 0:03:54Have we got a spinal board we can put him on, no?
0:03:54 > 0:03:59He has serious burns to his head, back, chest and arms.
0:03:59 > 0:04:01Been digging in a garage down there.
0:04:01 > 0:04:05Some sort of explosion, don't know if it's petrol, gas or what.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08Lee's lucky to be alive.
0:04:08 > 0:04:12He was pulled out of this building in flames by a friend who was himself burned.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15It's looks like they've cut an old petrol storage tank.
0:04:15 > 0:04:19It's been drained but there will be vapours in it.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22It will have built up and built up and they've cut it,
0:04:22 > 0:04:24and it's just exploded.
0:04:24 > 0:04:29Get him covered, get some fluids in. He's got 10mg of morphine.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33They'd been trying to remove this underground tank when it exploded.
0:04:33 > 0:04:38Firefighters had to put out the blaze as well as get Lee to safety.
0:04:38 > 0:04:44It was just a big old bonfire, roof on fire and three casualties,
0:04:44 > 0:04:48one badly burnt, one just mildly burnt and one basically in shock.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51Have you got any clingfilm on your motor?
0:04:51 > 0:04:54Lee's in agony, but with burns patients that can be a good thing.
0:04:54 > 0:04:58It means the flames haven't destroyed the nerves in his skin.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01- Another 10 of morphine going in. - Lovely.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04Clingfilm is the unlikely treatment for burns.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07It seals the skin and prevents infection but allows heat to escape.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09Ready, steady, lower.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12Just support him wherever you can, that's it.
0:05:12 > 0:05:16Keep going back. The clingfilm were all on that back, weren't it?
0:05:16 > 0:05:19Lee has survived the explosion against the odds.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21Can you remember what's happened?
0:05:21 > 0:05:22HE MOANS
0:05:22 > 0:05:26But his rescuers are concerned about his breathing.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28All right, Lee, keep talking to me.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30Hot gases from the fire have burned his windpipe.
0:05:32 > 0:05:36We've got to lift him high. So we get a position first, get lined up.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39Untreated, it could kill him.
0:05:39 > 0:05:44He desperately needs the skills only a specialist burns unit can provide.
0:05:54 > 0:05:58Young drivers have a hard time these days.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01Insurance premiums of more than £1,000 a year
0:06:01 > 0:06:04and much harder tests than their parents faced.
0:06:04 > 0:06:08But the fact remains, teenage drivers do have more accidents,
0:06:08 > 0:06:12as the Helimed team regularly discovers.
0:06:13 > 0:06:18The M62 in East Yorkshire is officially Britain's fastest motorway.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21It's thanks to a combination of relatively light traffic
0:06:21 > 0:06:24and a carriageway that heads due west
0:06:24 > 0:06:27from the busy port of Hull with scarcely a bend.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29It's quite early morning, a lot of commuter traffic.
0:06:29 > 0:06:34We're going to the M62 where we believe a lady's overturned her car
0:06:34 > 0:06:37and has actually been ejected.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39That brings on all sorts of thoughts,
0:06:39 > 0:06:42ejection, high speed, mechanism of injury.
0:06:42 > 0:06:47But we don't know the nature of her injuries at the moment.
0:06:47 > 0:06:51Helimed 98's on final approach to the accident scene.
0:06:51 > 0:06:55- I think the car's in the hedge still.- Yeah, car's upside down.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59It's happened near the inland port of Goole.
0:06:59 > 0:07:04It's here the M62 climbs 200ft in the air to cross the River Ouse.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10- Jenny's been thrown clear of that car. Are we all ready?- Yeah.
0:07:10 > 0:07:14- Ready, steady, turn.- All right, Jenny, you're doing really well.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16Trainee teacher Jenny Waterhouse's hatchback
0:07:16 > 0:07:20has plunged down an embankment and rolled over.
0:07:20 > 0:07:24She was thrown from her seat and landed 10m away in a field.
0:07:24 > 0:07:28- She's complaining of central spinal tenderness.- Oh, my leg!
0:07:28 > 0:07:31She swerved to avoid me, hit the central reservation
0:07:31 > 0:07:35and then her car catapulted in the air, clipping mine over the top.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38So we all pulled over and tried to talk to her.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41She's been conscious all the time.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44A bit distraught obviously because she doesn't know what's happening.
0:07:44 > 0:07:48We rang her parents, so she's been talking to them as a diversion.
0:07:48 > 0:07:52She's damaged her teeth and she's in pain from her hips.
0:07:52 > 0:07:53I seen her in the field,
0:07:53 > 0:07:56so she's clearly been flung straight out to the field.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59It was so fast. One minute I'm driving along,
0:07:59 > 0:08:02the next minute I see a car doing flips, skidding and it's off.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04I was just, like.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06Jenny, open your eyes for me. Hello.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09What we're going to do is pop a tiny needle in your arm.
0:08:09 > 0:08:11So we can give you some decent painkillers.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13It's really important, all right.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15I know you don't want it but it's important that we do.
0:08:15 > 0:08:19Paramedic Al Day knows motorists thrown from vehicles often
0:08:19 > 0:08:23have internal injuries that are hard to detect without an X-ray.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25If you have a very high mechanism of injury
0:08:25 > 0:08:28you're likely to have some very serious injuries as a result.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32She's in a lot of pain so we're going to give her some morphine.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35Jenny, you've got loads of blokes hovering around you now.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37SHE CRIES OUT IN PAIN
0:08:37 > 0:08:39Take a deep breath for me, Jenny.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43Jenny is a student at university in Leeds,
0:08:43 > 0:08:46but she's been carrying out work experience at a primary school
0:08:46 > 0:08:49near her home in Howden, close to the scene of the accident.
0:08:49 > 0:08:53Just going to feel this. It's getting tight around your hips, Jenny.
0:08:53 > 0:08:55- I'm really cold.- I know.
0:08:55 > 0:08:59I'm going to put you in the biggest, warmest sleeping bag you've ever been in, OK?
0:08:59 > 0:09:02If she is bleeding internally,
0:09:02 > 0:09:06this flight could be critical to her survival.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08Keep pivoting.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11Welcome aboard. There you go, Jenny.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14She's maintaining her own airway.
0:09:14 > 0:09:16She's got good air in bilaterally.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18She appears to be hemodynamically stable for now.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22After getting a traumatic phone call from Jenny
0:09:22 > 0:09:24her mum arrives to comfort her.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27- Jenny, it's mum. - She's OK, don't worry.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30We're about to take off now.
0:09:30 > 0:09:31Do you want mummy to come with you?
0:09:31 > 0:09:35Haven't got enough room, I'm afraid, mummy - no seats.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41Few of her rescuers can believe Jenny can have been thrown 10m
0:09:41 > 0:09:45from a moving car without sustaining a life threatening injury.
0:09:45 > 0:09:49In the next half hour, hospital tests will reveal the truth.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00The weather is the Helimed team's biggest enemy.
0:10:00 > 0:10:04It's one of the few things that will stand between an injured patient
0:10:04 > 0:10:05and a speedy rescue.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10We're going to a 66-year-old gentleman
0:10:10 > 0:10:13who's been out walking in the Peak District.
0:10:13 > 0:10:15It's been a lovely day today.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18He's fallen, but where he's fallen must be really hilly
0:10:18 > 0:10:20and it's difficult to get anybody to him.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23So we've called the mountain rescue to give us a hand.
0:10:23 > 0:10:25The only reports we've got at the moment,
0:10:25 > 0:10:29there are four people with him and he's perhaps got an upper leg injury.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34The rambler has slipped on ice on Dovestone Tor,
0:10:34 > 0:10:38a rocky hilltop 1,600ft up in the Peaks.
0:10:38 > 0:10:42His injury isn't serious but his predicament is.
0:10:42 > 0:10:44Snow storms are sweeping the area,
0:10:44 > 0:10:47and pilot Andy Lister has his work cut out.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49The weather may prevent him from reaching his patient.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54You can see a little bit of hill fog starting to settle.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56As we progress towards nightfall
0:10:56 > 0:11:00we'll probably see those fog patches thickening and becoming more intensive.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03As at the moment we're going out into the hills,
0:11:03 > 0:11:06that's not good news for us.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09Low cloud is swathing the hills,
0:11:09 > 0:11:14but Andy has 20 years of experience in the cockpit and finally he picks
0:11:14 > 0:11:17his way through the weather to the area where rambler is lying.
0:11:17 > 0:11:19Looking out on this side,
0:11:19 > 0:11:22just try and find somewhere relatively flat to put it down.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25- This looks like it's got water underneath the snow.- OK.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28It just looks really uneven.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32This bit doesn't look too bad, there's a flat bit here.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39Right, what's happened then?
0:11:39 > 0:11:42You see those steps coming down from that tor.
0:11:42 > 0:11:43We were slipping.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46This foot slipped and in trying to save myself with this one,
0:11:46 > 0:11:50my leg bent underneath me and I thought my whole knee had gone.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53Christopher was out with friends and family.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56They're seasoned walkers and quickly recognised the danger
0:11:56 > 0:12:01posed by his injury. They dialled 999 immediately.
0:12:01 > 0:12:06What we're going to do, the weather is pretty rubbish and coming in.
0:12:06 > 0:12:08We're going to lift you fairly quickly in the helicopter
0:12:08 > 0:12:10and take you to an ambulance,
0:12:10 > 0:12:13and an ambulance will take you to hospital to get it looked at.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16It looked smooth and easy underfoot,
0:12:16 > 0:12:21and then just in the little pockets of rocks there's a lot of ice.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23- So there's no bad bang trauma going on?- No.
0:12:23 > 0:12:27There's a flexion rather than... It probably is muscular and ligament.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29I'd be surprised if you'd break anything.
0:12:29 > 0:12:33Obviously it's not as serious as a fracture in terms of bleeding
0:12:33 > 0:12:36or being any threat to his life,
0:12:36 > 0:12:39but it had made him just about immobile.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42He'd reached the point of exhaustion, he'd tried to make his own way down
0:12:42 > 0:12:44and he couldn't go any further.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47Some of the Helimed team's passengers are nervous fliers.
0:12:47 > 0:12:48Not this one!
0:12:48 > 0:12:51- Do you do a bit of flying yourself? - I do, yeah.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54- Right. In a Robinson?- In a Robinson. - You do like dangerous sports!
0:12:54 > 0:12:57They say if you can fly one of those you can fly anything!
0:12:57 > 0:13:01Helimed 98's much bigger than the two-seat choppers
0:13:01 > 0:13:03Christopher's used to flying in.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06If he wasn't taken off the hill quite quickly in this weather,
0:13:06 > 0:13:08as you can see the cloud's coming in,
0:13:08 > 0:13:11then suddenly it's not just a leg injury we're looking at,
0:13:11 > 0:13:14we're looking at a patient who's going to get hypothermia quickly.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16That can snowball into all sorts of things.
0:13:16 > 0:13:20If the party had left their call for help any longer,
0:13:20 > 0:13:23this incident could have led to a far bigger operation
0:13:23 > 0:13:25involving mountain rescue,
0:13:25 > 0:13:28risking the safety of many more people on the icy peak.
0:13:28 > 0:13:32But the weather could still leave Christopher
0:13:32 > 0:13:33and his rescuers in trouble.
0:13:33 > 0:13:37I'm going to go forward out of here and then look back at the ridge
0:13:37 > 0:13:41- and see which is the optimum way over.- OK.
0:13:41 > 0:13:42Snow storms are gathering
0:13:42 > 0:13:45and Andy knows this will be a difficult flight.
0:13:45 > 0:13:47It looks a bit lower down here, doesn't it?
0:13:48 > 0:13:51Give me a heading, please.
0:13:51 > 0:13:55You've got a heading of 094 degrees, we're tracking at 168 at the moment.
0:13:55 > 0:13:59Between him and Sheffield's Northern General Hospital
0:13:59 > 0:14:03is a deadly combination of high ground and low cloud.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06I'm going to follow these reservoirs round, I know the reservoirs...
0:14:06 > 0:14:10If you go left here you'll go in through the low land of the reservoirs.
0:14:10 > 0:14:11That's what I'm going to do.
0:14:11 > 0:14:13Because I've followed these in before.
0:14:13 > 0:14:15- It just takes you round there.- Yeah.
0:14:20 > 0:14:24Right, so we should start hitting built-up areas in a mile or so.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28Paramedic Glenn's an experienced navigator
0:14:28 > 0:14:31but this flight is hard work.
0:14:31 > 0:14:36But at last they drop below the snow line and into Sheffield.
0:14:36 > 0:14:40Rambler Chris didn't expect his walk to end this way.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42Each step is painful.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46But as a pilot himself he realises the feat of flying
0:14:46 > 0:14:48that was needed to perform his rescue.
0:14:48 > 0:14:52And a few days later, recovering at home from ligament damage,
0:14:52 > 0:14:55he knows how lucky he's been.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58The weather was just terrible, sleet and snow.
0:14:58 > 0:15:00You wouldn't have been up in it.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03Literally, we escaped in the nick of time, I'd say.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06And I'm just so grateful.
0:15:06 > 0:15:07There was no other way
0:15:07 > 0:15:10that I could have just been plucked off that mountain.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25Now let's return to the rescue of a worker badly burned
0:15:25 > 0:15:27after a freak blast in Barnsley,
0:15:27 > 0:15:32thought to have been caused by a spark from a shovel.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38Fire Officers are already investigating
0:15:38 > 0:15:40the case of the explosion, which rocked this quiet street.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43But all paramedic Glen Powell's attention
0:15:43 > 0:15:46is focused on ensuring the survival of his patient
0:15:46 > 0:15:49by briefing doctors at the regional burns unit.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51Hello, it's the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.
0:15:51 > 0:15:53I've got a 36-year-old male
0:15:53 > 0:15:56with extensive second and third degree burns
0:15:56 > 0:16:00to face, to back, both arms, and legs.
0:16:00 > 0:16:07He's a little bit hypertensive. Tachycardic at about 125.
0:16:07 > 0:16:11Lee Savage was helping a friend with building work
0:16:11 > 0:16:13when he caught the full force of the blast.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17Petrol fumes from an old underground tank are suspected.
0:16:17 > 0:16:21Edison 99, you receiving? Over.
0:16:21 > 0:16:22'Go ahead.'
0:16:22 > 0:16:25Yeah, 99, just lifted at Barnsley,
0:16:25 > 0:16:27en route to Pinderfield, ETA, nine minutes.
0:16:27 > 0:16:31Knowing exactly how Lee was injured will help surgeons.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34While his paramedics were treating their patient,
0:16:34 > 0:16:36pilot Steve did some detective work.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39Did you say you saw what had exploded, Steve?
0:16:39 > 0:16:42Yeah, looked like an old... Like a big boiler.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44- A massive cylinder.- Right.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48And the front edge of it has literally been blown open.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51The welding seal around it has been blown right off.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54- He's been stood right next to it when it's gone.- OK.
0:16:54 > 0:16:58Lee's now minutes from the regional burns unit
0:16:58 > 0:17:00at Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield
0:17:00 > 0:17:05but his condition is showing worrying signs of deteriorating.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08OK, Lee, we're nearly there now.
0:17:08 > 0:17:13OK. Just squeeze my hand, squeeze my hand. Good lad.
0:17:13 > 0:17:18Ready, steady, slide. Yeah, we're free, keep going.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21And down. Lovely, thank you.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24This hospital cost more than £300 million.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27It's state of the art.
0:17:27 > 0:17:31But the helipad still requires a transfer by land ambulance -
0:17:31 > 0:17:36it's a planning oversight that's delaying Lee's treatment.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39All right, Lee, we're just going into hospital, buddy.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42Glen knows that Lee's injuries are so extensive
0:17:42 > 0:17:44his survival is in real doubt.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48Extensive burns to his face, both arms,
0:17:48 > 0:17:50and his back, mainly.
0:17:50 > 0:17:51And cutting up his trouser legs
0:17:51 > 0:17:54it looks like he's got some second degree down there, as well.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56Doctors use a simple formula
0:17:56 > 0:17:58to work out the likely outcome for burns patients.
0:17:58 > 0:18:02Their age, plus the percentage of burns.
0:18:02 > 0:18:06If that adds up to more than 100, they're unlikely to live.
0:18:06 > 0:18:10Lee's total is 96.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13Although this gentlemen had burns to 50% of his body,
0:18:13 > 0:18:16at that moment in time the wound that was going to kill him
0:18:16 > 0:18:18was one that was in his throat, if he had one.
0:18:18 > 0:18:22Swelling can occur very quickly and very easily
0:18:22 > 0:18:26so it was time critical and he needed to be in a hospital department
0:18:26 > 0:18:28where he could be anaesthetised,
0:18:28 > 0:18:30and then a tube could be passed down the throat.
0:18:30 > 0:18:32It's called securing the airway.
0:18:32 > 0:18:34And that's what they've done here.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36He's not out of the woods yet.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39The treatment he's receiving in the immediate A&E department
0:18:39 > 0:18:42is similar treatment to what he'd receive
0:18:42 > 0:18:44in any trauma receiving hospital.
0:18:44 > 0:18:48But the secondary care he'll receive here is specialised.
0:18:48 > 0:18:49For the next few days,
0:18:49 > 0:18:53Lee will remain in an artificially induced coma.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55Then he'll need extensive skin grafts.
0:18:55 > 0:19:00If he survives, his recovery will be long and painful.
0:19:10 > 0:19:14Motorways are statistically the UK's safest roads
0:19:14 > 0:19:18but when you do have an accident at 70 miles an hour, it's likely
0:19:18 > 0:19:23to be serious. Some drivers, though, are luckier than others.
0:19:25 > 0:19:27Doctors at Hull Royal Infirmary's trauma unit
0:19:27 > 0:19:31are preparing for the arrival of trainee teacher Jenny Waterhouse.
0:19:31 > 0:19:35She's lucky to be alive after she was hurled out of her
0:19:35 > 0:19:39cartwheeling hatchback when it left the M62 motorway.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42I just saw the car swerve across, hit the central reservation,
0:19:42 > 0:19:45swerve back across, and then it just tumbled
0:19:45 > 0:19:48down the embankment here, and landed there.
0:19:48 > 0:19:52Seatbelts save lives. But Jenny's is one of the very few cases
0:19:52 > 0:19:57where being thrown free of her car may have helped ensure her survival.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00Her overturned hatchback is badly damaged
0:20:00 > 0:20:05and the roof around the driver's seat has been flattened.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08Do you want a little bit more painkiller?
0:20:08 > 0:20:09Jenny landed 10 metres from her car.
0:20:09 > 0:20:13Flying doctor James Milligan knows that she is unlikely
0:20:13 > 0:20:17to have escaped unharmed from an accident like this.
0:20:17 > 0:20:21But his patient's not showing any obvious signs of internal injuries.
0:20:21 > 0:20:27He won't relax until she's been X-rayed and scanned in hospital.
0:20:28 > 0:20:30Tests at Hull Royal Infirmary
0:20:30 > 0:20:33confirm the helimed team's assessment.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36Jenny's been incredibly lucky.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38But not that lucky.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41Her pelvis is broken and her liver is torn.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45She's detained for a week before she's well enough to go home
0:20:45 > 0:20:47to the market town of Howden.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49And she'll be on crutches for a while.
0:20:49 > 0:20:53I was on my way to a placement but I don't really remember much.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56When I did the accident I just remember flying through the air
0:20:56 > 0:20:58and landing in the grass.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00But it all just happened so quickly.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03One minute I was just driving, the next I was in the field.
0:21:03 > 0:21:07So I can't really remember it, the actual accident.
0:21:07 > 0:21:11Apparently I've not hit anybody, I don't really know what's happened,
0:21:11 > 0:21:13but it's gone into the central reservation
0:21:13 > 0:21:16then it's just rolled, then landed in the ditch upside-down.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19Then I've flown out of the car and landed about ten metres away.
0:21:19 > 0:21:21So, yeah, it's pretty scary.
0:21:21 > 0:21:25But there is still one mystery that's yet to be solved.
0:21:25 > 0:21:27How was she thrown from her car?
0:21:27 > 0:21:31They said I'd have probably died, cos when I've landed, it was upside-down,
0:21:31 > 0:21:34and the actual roof had caved in.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37So it was flat, the roof, so there weren't much room for a person
0:21:37 > 0:21:39to be sat in it, basically.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42So I'm so lucky. Cos I was wearing my seatbelt,
0:21:42 > 0:21:44so I don't really know, whether I've leant on it as I was going,
0:21:44 > 0:21:48and then I've just been thrown out the car, but I'm quite glad to be honest.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53Not surprisingly, Jenny's car was a write-off
0:21:53 > 0:21:55and she's now shopping for a replacement.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58And if her mum has anything to do with it,
0:21:58 > 0:22:02her next runabout will be packed with safety features.
0:22:02 > 0:22:06It was awful to see the car and to think what she'd gone through
0:22:06 > 0:22:08and how frightened she must have been.
0:22:08 > 0:22:12As a mum, your instinct to protect comes in.
0:22:12 > 0:22:14You know, there wasn't a lot I could do at that stage.
0:22:14 > 0:22:18Three weeks ago I would never have thought you would be sat in a car.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20Would we?
0:22:20 > 0:22:24It was absolutely devastating to see that kind of scene.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27But very reassuring when I got to the air ambulance
0:22:27 > 0:22:29because they were all taking so much care of her.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39Everyone's heard of the Yorkshire Dales and Moors
0:22:39 > 0:22:42but there's another beautiful part of Britain's biggest county
0:22:42 > 0:22:44that's always been overlooked.
0:22:44 > 0:22:45Until now.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52The Yorkshire Wolds covers 300 square miles of rolling countryside,
0:22:52 > 0:22:58now put firmly one the map by the UK's greatest living artist.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00It's stunning. Yeah.
0:23:00 > 0:23:04I shall paint it. Very, very beautiful.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07David Hockney left LA and moved to Bridlington.
0:23:07 > 0:23:12Now he spends most of his time capturing the area's beauty.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16If it makes people go and look at the landscape more carefully,
0:23:16 > 0:23:17and enjoy it,
0:23:17 > 0:23:21then it'll have done something rather good, I think.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24Make you go and look at the actual place more.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28Hockney celebrated his 70th birthday here
0:23:28 > 0:23:31in the Wolds' most imposing home.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34Sledmere House is the stately seat
0:23:34 > 0:23:37of the sometimes eccentric Sykes family,
0:23:37 > 0:23:40whose love of horse racing dates back two centuries.
0:23:41 > 0:23:45But today a training gallop has led to a call for Helimed 99.
0:23:45 > 0:23:49A member of staff has been kicked in the head.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51At the moment that's the only details we've got.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54But significant injuries can occur because of a kick in the face.
0:23:54 > 0:23:58It would be nice to get there soon as. Then we can treat this patient.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00Sledmere House stands at the centre
0:24:00 > 0:24:03of an estate covering 9,000 acres.
0:24:03 > 0:24:07But from the air it's surprisingly tricky to find.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10It might be that we don't see the road.
0:24:10 > 0:24:12No, but there's a big house here.
0:24:12 > 0:24:17- I can't see a lot of other houses around.- That'll be it, that there.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19Why don't I stick it on the grass in front of the house,
0:24:19 > 0:24:20and you walk round?
0:24:20 > 0:24:23Cos that's safe, we're away from everything
0:24:23 > 0:24:25and we can reassess then.
0:24:25 > 0:24:26As helipads go,
0:24:26 > 0:24:30this has to be one of the most elegant places to land.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32Over trees, my side.
0:24:32 > 0:24:33Wish I had my camera.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36You don't often get to land somewhere like this.
0:24:36 > 0:24:40Just watch these ornamental trees, don't want to blow them over.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50- RADIO:- 'The ground crew say the patient's got a rather large
0:24:50 > 0:24:52'frontal scalp laceration.'
0:24:52 > 0:24:54Paramedic Paul Kilner finds himself
0:24:54 > 0:24:57in one of East Yorkshire's most popular tourist attractions.
0:24:57 > 0:25:02Only this is winter and the house is closed.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05- Hello?- Hiya. - Hiya, bud, you all right?
0:25:05 > 0:25:08We've come round this way but we're not sure we've come the right way.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11I'll just get... Is there a gate here, or latch on that side?
0:25:11 > 0:25:14Do you want us to come round?
0:25:14 > 0:25:17- Are you in the ambulance now, then? - Yeah, we've got her in.
0:25:17 > 0:25:19Yeah, do you want to bring it round?
0:25:19 > 0:25:21Everything here was built on a massive scale.
0:25:21 > 0:25:25And that's presenting Paul with an out-size problem -
0:25:25 > 0:25:26how to find his patient.
0:25:26 > 0:25:31- It's locked up. - I thought this was open!- No.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34We've just landed here at the front, or what we thought was the front.
0:25:34 > 0:25:35We spoke to a land ambulance
0:25:35 > 0:25:38who is trying to redirect us back around again
0:25:38 > 0:25:40because every gate seems to be locked and bolted.
0:25:40 > 0:25:43So we're having a problem finding it and just going to walk round here
0:25:43 > 0:25:45and see if we can get into an alternative site.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48The security's understandable -
0:25:48 > 0:25:51art thieves have struck at Sledmere in the past.
0:25:51 > 0:25:53It's not helping the helimed team though.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56And the patient's employer is worried.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01She's a nasty cut. But she didn't lose consciousness.
0:26:01 > 0:26:05She's been OK, talking all the way through it, so she's OK.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08VIPs including senior royals
0:26:08 > 0:26:13and Rolling Stone Mick Jagger have all driven up this drive.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15Claire Nellist would rather not be here.
0:26:15 > 0:26:17Claire is the stables secretary.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20She was only helping out her boss when the accident happened.
0:26:20 > 0:26:21Now she needs plastic surgery.
0:26:21 > 0:26:25I've had a chat with Scarborough, with the doctor in A&E,
0:26:25 > 0:26:27and she seems quite happy
0:26:27 > 0:26:29that there's something that she thinks
0:26:29 > 0:26:32she could be able to look after, the injuries that you've got,
0:26:32 > 0:26:35and they'd be quite happy to look after you there.
0:26:42 > 0:26:46Half an hour ago Claire was helping out in the racing yard.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49Now she's airborne over the Wolds, heading north
0:26:49 > 0:26:51to an appointment with A&E doctors in Scarborough.
0:26:53 > 0:26:57Claire's injury is just as serious as the team feared.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00She needs extensive stitching to a large wound
0:27:00 > 0:27:02that penetrates to her skull.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05Doctors tell her that if the horse had been shod,
0:27:05 > 0:27:07the blow could have killed her.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15Incredibly, she's soon back at work,
0:27:15 > 0:27:20but still bearing the scars of her accident, physical and mental.
0:27:20 > 0:27:22There's a hoof-print shape!
0:27:22 > 0:27:26And there's three layers of stitching under there.
0:27:26 > 0:27:31And then these ones, and then I had a CT scan, which was all right,
0:27:31 > 0:27:34then the following week, my stitches out.
0:27:34 > 0:27:38My skull was exposed but luckily the horse didn't have shoes on.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41If it did, it'd have been a different story.
0:27:41 > 0:27:46I'm nervy around them now, but it'll all come back.
0:27:46 > 0:27:50That's all I've ever known, is horses. So it'll be fine in the end.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53The Wolds can be a dangerous place,
0:27:53 > 0:27:56especially when the summer comes.
0:27:56 > 0:28:01This is biking country.
0:28:01 > 0:28:05The A166 attracts thousands of riders every day in summer,
0:28:05 > 0:28:08enjoying a blast to the coast.
0:28:08 > 0:28:10But for some, the ride ends in agony.
0:28:10 > 0:28:15In the last five years, 39 bikers have been killed
0:28:15 > 0:28:18and more than 300 seriously injured in East Yorkshire.
0:28:18 > 0:28:23The local police have an unusual method of slowing them down.
0:28:25 > 0:28:27This Suzuki Hyabusa
0:28:27 > 0:28:30is the fastest road bike on the market.
0:28:30 > 0:28:33And it's used to film speeders.
0:28:33 > 0:28:36Just ask you to take your helmet off and face the camera there, please.
0:28:36 > 0:28:38The reason I've cautioned you
0:28:38 > 0:28:41is because it's possible you've committed an offence.
0:28:41 > 0:28:47Unmarked camera bikes followed you from Bugthorpe.
0:28:48 > 0:28:50While many bikers ride safely,
0:28:50 > 0:28:55police say the evidence of today is that too many do not.
0:28:55 > 0:28:58One rider was recently clocked at 138mph.
0:28:58 > 0:29:01So fast he went to jail.
0:29:04 > 0:29:08Helimed 99 is once again on its way to the Wolds and another accident.
0:29:11 > 0:29:15We'll get a traction splint on that right leg.
0:29:15 > 0:29:19On a road near the oddly named village of Wetwang,
0:29:19 > 0:29:21a biker has lost it on a bend.
0:29:21 > 0:29:23His high-powered Yamaha R6 has left the road,
0:29:23 > 0:29:27catapulting him into a hedge.
0:29:27 > 0:29:29He overtook me, pretty fast.
0:29:29 > 0:29:34But there was another car on our side of the road and he just hit it.
0:29:34 > 0:29:36Gavin Rice is very badly hurt.
0:29:36 > 0:29:39Local emergency doctor Mike Hardman has been treating him.
0:29:39 > 0:29:42He's got a severe injury to his right leg.
0:29:42 > 0:29:45It's broken in at least two places.
0:29:45 > 0:29:48And to his right arm, which is also broken.
0:29:48 > 0:29:50Put that on, cos his ankle's completely gone.
0:29:50 > 0:29:52- Has it?- Yeah, we'll not be able to do that.
0:29:52 > 0:29:56- Pelvis?- It would be good if we could strap that as well.
0:29:56 > 0:29:59He's had a lot of pain relief,
0:29:59 > 0:30:02some fluid and some oxygen, and we need to get him to the hospital now
0:30:02 > 0:30:04to have those injuries stabilised.
0:30:04 > 0:30:06Airway good. Breathing, Glenn?
0:30:09 > 0:30:12- Yes.- Chest good, that's OK.
0:30:12 > 0:30:15Paramedic Lee knows his patient needs urgent surgery.
0:30:15 > 0:30:17Can we do a bit of a controlled move?
0:30:17 > 0:30:21Just be careful with him, OK, because it's heads in the blocks.
0:30:21 > 0:30:23We just need to come to his left, all right?
0:30:23 > 0:30:26One, two, three, slide.
0:30:26 > 0:30:28- That's it.- Well done, Gavin.
0:30:28 > 0:30:31That's it, buddy. We're just getting you strapped up on to here.
0:30:35 > 0:30:36Keep going.
0:30:36 > 0:30:40The ETA will be about 10 or 12 minutes down to Hull Royal.
0:30:40 > 0:30:43We need a resus team, trauma team, please, stood by at Hull Royal.
0:30:44 > 0:30:50Gavin is flying south to the waiting trauma team at 150 miles an hour -
0:30:50 > 0:30:54a speed some bikers have actually reached on the roads of the Wolds.
0:30:56 > 0:30:59If you could hurry him along, this patient is quite poorly.
0:30:59 > 0:31:01We will be arriving in about nine minutes, over.
0:31:03 > 0:31:06This rider's injuries will leave him permanently disabled.
0:31:06 > 0:31:13Doctors at Hull Royal Infirmary find his leg is broken in 23 places.
0:31:13 > 0:31:16At one point he's given a 6% chance of survival.
0:31:18 > 0:31:21But, against the odds, he lives.
0:31:24 > 0:31:28When winter comes, the Yorkshire Wolds are a harsh place to live.
0:31:28 > 0:31:32Almost a thousand feet up, the snow can lie for weeks.
0:31:32 > 0:31:35We've been requested to attend in Driffield
0:31:35 > 0:31:38to assist a rapid response vehicle that is on scene with a patient
0:31:38 > 0:31:42who's sustained a lower leg fracture,
0:31:42 > 0:31:45but obviously conditions are treacherous underfoot
0:31:45 > 0:31:48and we've got some road chaos going on at the same time.
0:31:48 > 0:31:51The ambulance crew is on scene and can't make it to the hospital
0:31:51 > 0:31:54because the roads are completely sort of sheet ice.
0:31:54 > 0:31:57Now, boys and girls,
0:31:57 > 0:31:59we are in the land of gossamer.
0:31:59 > 0:32:02The low-lying Vale of York is shrouded in fog.
0:32:02 > 0:32:05Starts to build a bit up...
0:32:05 > 0:32:07But there's good news on the horizon.
0:32:07 > 0:32:12The Wolds are emerging from the fog and visibility is almost perfect.
0:32:12 > 0:32:16The chopper is a welcome sight for their patient, who has been
0:32:16 > 0:32:19lying on the freezing ground below.
0:32:19 > 0:32:23- Nothing?- No.- Nothing to worry us.
0:32:23 > 0:32:27Gillian Kirby was out walking the dog when she slipped and fell.
0:32:27 > 0:32:29Her leg's badly broken.
0:32:29 > 0:32:32Pain score was excruciating when I arrived.
0:32:35 > 0:32:40So, Gillian, if it was 10 out of 10 before we gave you the pain relief?
0:32:40 > 0:32:42- Three or four now. - About three or four.
0:32:42 > 0:32:46- Are you happy to tolerate that, yes?- Yes.
0:32:46 > 0:32:47OK. Super.
0:32:47 > 0:32:52Another dog walker found Gillian and alerted her family.
0:32:52 > 0:32:55Now her husband, daughter and son-in-law are at her side.
0:32:55 > 0:32:59Walked from home, round the field, got to here and just slipped.
0:32:59 > 0:33:03We think she'd broken her tib and fib in her left leg.
0:33:03 > 0:33:06She's been here about three quarters of an hour now
0:33:06 > 0:33:09while the ambulance has been getting her strapped up and...you know...
0:33:09 > 0:33:12ready to go in the helicopter.
0:33:12 > 0:33:16Gillian's already receiving treatment as an outpatient
0:33:16 > 0:33:19at her nearest trauma unit, Hull Royal Infirmary.
0:33:19 > 0:33:22- Where would you like to go?- Hull.
0:33:22 > 0:33:26- Hull!- Well, we'll do our best.
0:33:26 > 0:33:29But this is lovely and clear where we are
0:33:29 > 0:33:33but in every direction it's foggy, so we're going to make a decision
0:33:33 > 0:33:36and get to the hospital that we can get to. OK?
0:33:36 > 0:33:41But there's bad news on the weather. Hull, too, is fogged in.
0:33:42 > 0:33:45'Helimed 98, are you receiving?
0:33:45 > 0:33:47'They're saying it's very foggy at Hull
0:33:47 > 0:33:50'but apparently Scarborough is clear, over.'
0:33:50 > 0:33:52That answers your question.
0:33:52 > 0:33:56So Gillian's taking off for Scarborough,
0:33:56 > 0:33:5920 miles and ten minutes to the north.
0:33:59 > 0:34:02Once again, the Wolds are defying the sub-zero temperatures that
0:34:02 > 0:34:06have brought a blanket of fog down across most of northern England.
0:34:06 > 0:34:09- Still got patches hanging around here.- Yep.
0:34:09 > 0:34:12- Plenty of fluff. - Nearly there now.
0:34:12 > 0:34:14We'll bring you straight into hospital
0:34:14 > 0:34:17and keep you inside that nice bag as well so you'll be warm.
0:34:19 > 0:34:22Gillian is now minutes away from A&E.
0:34:22 > 0:34:25Her leg is set and she's soon back home.
0:34:25 > 0:34:28But it'll be a while before she's fit enough to walk the dog again.
0:34:31 > 0:34:33One of David Hockney's most celebrated paintings
0:34:33 > 0:34:37of the Yorkshire Wolds is of an unspoilt and barren
0:34:37 > 0:34:41winter landscape - not a soul to be seen.
0:34:41 > 0:34:44Very similar to the view greeting helimed pilot Andy Lister today
0:34:44 > 0:34:46as he flies in East Yorkshire.
0:34:46 > 0:34:49A small group of habitation up on the nose,
0:34:49 > 0:34:52range about two miles. Anywhere near there, do you think?
0:34:54 > 0:34:56And it's a combination of remote landscape,
0:34:56 > 0:34:58freezing temperatures and steep Wold inclines
0:34:58 > 0:35:04that have tempted and caught out an over-enthusiastic teenage sledger.
0:35:04 > 0:35:07Obviously the people of East Yorkshire are enjoying
0:35:07 > 0:35:10this snow at the weekend and making the most of it,
0:35:10 > 0:35:13not very safely by the sound of things.
0:35:13 > 0:35:17When the view is nothing but white sky and white ground,
0:35:17 > 0:35:19you need sharp eyes.
0:35:19 > 0:35:23- Yes, that's the ambulance.- Yes, the ambulance is there on the corner.
0:35:23 > 0:35:25- I've got the ambulance.- Yes.
0:35:25 > 0:35:27- They're all heading in this direction.- They are.
0:35:27 > 0:35:30- Why don't I put it in that field there, then?- Yes.
0:35:30 > 0:35:34Much of the Wolds slope gently, but the young sledgers
0:35:34 > 0:35:39have chosen their hill for speed. It's a steep V-shaped valley and
0:35:39 > 0:35:42that's going to mean a challenging landing for pilot Andy Lister.
0:35:42 > 0:35:45I'm going to put it near this sheep path
0:35:45 > 0:35:48in presumption that sheep know what they're doing.
0:35:48 > 0:35:51Keep the dog with you.
0:35:53 > 0:35:56OK, we can compact this snow. There you go.
0:35:57 > 0:36:01What's happened? Apart from the obvious, I would imagine!
0:36:01 > 0:36:04We came down that hill in this, three of us,
0:36:04 > 0:36:06- and she was sitting at the back. - OK.
0:36:06 > 0:36:09Then we sort of wiped out around there
0:36:09 > 0:36:13- and then when I sat up she was just in shock on the floor.- OK.
0:36:13 > 0:36:18Bad sledging accidents involving dinghies are surprisingly common.
0:36:18 > 0:36:20They go downhill all right,
0:36:20 > 0:36:23but there's no steering and no brakes.
0:36:23 > 0:36:26Have you moved from where you fell out?
0:36:26 > 0:36:29Did you roll to this position? Have you tried getting up?
0:36:29 > 0:36:32I tried getting up but my back hurts.
0:36:32 > 0:36:35Paramedic Pete's patient, 19-year-old Olivia Frost,
0:36:35 > 0:36:38lives in the village at the top of the hill.
0:36:38 > 0:36:41- My head hurts.- OK, can you take a deep breath for me?- Yes.
0:36:41 > 0:36:45- Does it aggravate that pain a little bit?- A little bit.- OK.
0:36:45 > 0:36:47We'll keep you nice and warm.
0:36:47 > 0:36:50Olivia's brother Josh was also in the makeshift sledge.
0:36:50 > 0:36:54Fortunately he made it to the bottom of the hill and raised the alarm.
0:36:54 > 0:36:59We just wiped out towards the bottom of the hill.
0:36:59 > 0:37:02She was sitting at the back and just fell out.
0:37:02 > 0:37:05There's quite a lot of rocks sticking out,
0:37:05 > 0:37:07maybe that's what she hit her head on, but not sure.
0:37:07 > 0:37:10She's complaining of some back pain,
0:37:10 > 0:37:13so as a precaution we're going to collar and board her
0:37:13 > 0:37:17and get her to hospital where they can assess fully her spine.
0:37:17 > 0:37:23She's got no weakness, no problems that's immediately concerning us.
0:37:23 > 0:37:27She's bumped her head as well, so we'll treat her for the worst
0:37:27 > 0:37:33and hopefully she'll be checked over and not be too worse for wear.
0:37:34 > 0:37:36The crew is taking Olivia to hospital in York.
0:37:36 > 0:37:40Certainly I was surprised by the depth of the snow there
0:37:40 > 0:37:43but the severity of the banking there,
0:37:43 > 0:37:45if they were actually trying to carry Olivia out
0:37:45 > 0:37:48they would have had a great difficulty to get her out.
0:37:48 > 0:37:50I'm sure it would have taken a mountain rescue team to get her out
0:37:50 > 0:37:52if we'd not been available
0:37:52 > 0:37:57because there was no safe way, no safe access to that location.
0:37:59 > 0:38:04Olivia is flying in to York Hospital's accident and emergency department.
0:38:04 > 0:38:09She has as yet undiagnosed back, neck and head injuries.
0:38:09 > 0:38:12She spends a very uncomfortable night in hospital
0:38:12 > 0:38:15but is allowed home the next day -
0:38:15 > 0:38:17battered, bruised, and a little bit wiser.
0:38:18 > 0:38:21I think I remember the dinghy kind of swung around
0:38:21 > 0:38:24so I was then at the front but obviously coming down backwards
0:38:24 > 0:38:29and I remember thinking, "I'm going to fall out of this."
0:38:29 > 0:38:32And then after that I don't really remember anything else.
0:38:32 > 0:38:36Apparently I just kind of flew out of the dinghy and it pushed me
0:38:36 > 0:38:39down the rest of the hill and I just rolled to the bottom.
0:38:39 > 0:38:41I vaguely remember talking to my brother
0:38:41 > 0:38:44and asking if he'd call an ambulance.
0:38:44 > 0:38:47That was what I was concerned about but he was really good,
0:38:47 > 0:38:52he was really reassuring and just said, "Stay calm, it's OK,
0:38:52 > 0:38:53"the ambulance is coming,"
0:38:53 > 0:38:56and he covered me in a coat as well so I didn't get too cold.
0:38:56 > 0:38:58It seemed kind of like a good idea
0:38:58 > 0:39:00because my brother said it hadn't been too fast
0:39:00 > 0:39:03but I don't think I'll be getting on any dinghies in the future
0:39:03 > 0:39:07around snow and I think I'll be avoiding snow for quite a while!
0:39:09 > 0:39:13I'm pleased to say all our patients are now back home on the Wolds
0:39:13 > 0:39:14and on the road to recovery.
0:39:14 > 0:39:16But what about Lee Savage,
0:39:16 > 0:39:20the man badly injured when a petrol tank exploded in Barnsley?
0:39:20 > 0:39:22Let's catch up on his case.
0:39:24 > 0:39:27It's six weeks since Lee became one of the most
0:39:27 > 0:39:29severely injured patients ever admitted to
0:39:29 > 0:39:34the new Burns Unit of Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield.
0:39:34 > 0:39:35Extensive burns to his face,
0:39:35 > 0:39:38both arms and his back mainly.
0:39:41 > 0:39:43Weee!
0:39:43 > 0:39:45Yay!
0:39:45 > 0:39:48It's been a difficult time for his girlfriend Jade
0:39:48 > 0:39:50and their two-year-old daughter Abby,
0:39:50 > 0:39:53left at home in Barnsley and warned that he may never
0:39:53 > 0:39:57properly recover from the explosion that left him with 60% burns.
0:39:57 > 0:40:00I just couldn't wait to see him and then we got to hospital
0:40:00 > 0:40:04and we were waiting about five hours before we were allowed to see him.
0:40:04 > 0:40:07I think it were about half eight or summat that we got in to see him
0:40:07 > 0:40:09from half past two.
0:40:09 > 0:40:10Ready? Weee!
0:40:11 > 0:40:15'It were just a really big shock when we went in and seen him.
0:40:15 > 0:40:18'It were like a plastic doll laid there.'
0:40:19 > 0:40:22Jade is going to the hospital every day,
0:40:22 > 0:40:24spending hours at Lee's bedside.
0:40:24 > 0:40:27But at the moment she's going on her own.
0:40:27 > 0:40:31I can't take Abby yet, he doesn't want to see her.
0:40:31 > 0:40:33He is really, really missing her.
0:40:33 > 0:40:35He's missing her like mad.
0:40:35 > 0:40:38I think once he's talking,
0:40:38 > 0:40:42that's when he'll want to see her, when he's talking properly.
0:40:42 > 0:40:45Jade's worried that Lee's appearance may upset their daughter Abby
0:40:45 > 0:40:48and that she might not recognise her dad.
0:40:49 > 0:40:51I know when he sees her it's going to upset him
0:40:51 > 0:40:55and when our Abby sees somebody else cry she always starts crying
0:40:55 > 0:40:57and she'll say, "Aah, crying!"
0:40:57 > 0:40:59and stuff like that.
0:40:59 > 0:41:04It's going to be upsetting for us all when she does see him again.
0:41:06 > 0:41:09Since the accident Jade has only told Abby that
0:41:09 > 0:41:11her daddy is poorly. She doesn't know how she can explain
0:41:11 > 0:41:15what's happened to Lee and why he now looks so different.
0:41:16 > 0:41:21Lee has only hazy memories of the blast that was to change his life.
0:41:22 > 0:41:26INDISTINCT: Fire, on the roof. Fire, fire, everywhere.
0:41:26 > 0:41:28- There was fire everywhere.- Yes.
0:41:28 > 0:41:30- You've lost a bit of weight, haven't you?- Yes.
0:41:30 > 0:41:34You've lost about two or two-and-a-half stone, haven't you?
0:41:34 > 0:41:37He'll have all-new skin, won't you?
0:41:37 > 0:41:40Just be left with...scarring.
0:41:40 > 0:41:44Lee says he will be forever grateful to his rescuers.
0:41:44 > 0:41:46INDISTINCT: They saved my life.
0:41:47 > 0:41:51- The air ambulance saved your life, didn't they?- Yes.
0:41:51 > 0:41:55If it weren't for them, and if it weren't for your friend,
0:41:55 > 0:41:57- you wouldn't be here, would you? - No.
0:41:57 > 0:42:00It's been amazing the treatment he's had
0:42:00 > 0:42:03and how far he's come in five weeks.
0:42:03 > 0:42:07He's come a long way to what he were.
0:42:07 > 0:42:09I felt we were going to lose him.
0:42:09 > 0:42:12And I'm pleased to say Lee is now much better,
0:42:12 > 0:42:16but he's been warned many years of treatment still lie ahead.
0:42:30 > 0:42:33Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd