0:00:03 > 0:00:07If you're critically ill or seriously injured, seconds count.
0:00:07 > 0:00:12And in Britain's biggest county, you can be a long way from help.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14- 'Where's the patient? - She's stuck under the car.'
0:00:14 > 0:00:19The Yorkshire Air Ambulance flies at 150 miles an hour and,
0:00:19 > 0:00:22thanks to its speed, hundreds of patients are alive today,
0:00:22 > 0:00:27saved by a highly skilled team of doctors and paramedics.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29Stand clear, everybody! Keep going, mate.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32It covers some of the UK's most rugged landscapes,
0:00:32 > 0:00:34turning roadsides into operating theatres...
0:00:34 > 0:00:37We're going to prop him up and give him an emergency anaesthetic, OK?
0:00:37 > 0:00:40..and town centres into helipads.
0:00:40 > 0:00:42- Still good on my left? - Just behind you, Tim.
0:00:42 > 0:00:43And, every day,
0:00:43 > 0:00:48the Helimed's team's skill, speed and courage is saving lives.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59Today on Helicopter Heroes,
0:00:59 > 0:01:03a veteran pilot is trapped in his wrecked glider and paramedic John must save him...
0:01:03 > 0:01:08He's not looking very well. Obviously, it's going to need some specialist gear to get him out.
0:01:10 > 0:01:14..James and Darren realise the slightest movement will paralyse their patient...
0:01:14 > 0:01:16Is it painful through here?
0:01:17 > 0:01:21..miner's son Tony is called to a serious underground accident...
0:01:21 > 0:01:25We've got to try and get to the coalface where these two casualties are.
0:01:32 > 0:01:36You can legally learn to fly in a few weeks, but ask any airman
0:01:36 > 0:01:39and he'll tell you it takes years to become good at it.
0:01:39 > 0:01:44Most of the Helimed pilots have thousands of hours in the cockpit behind them.
0:01:44 > 0:01:48But experience can't always save you from an accident.
0:01:50 > 0:01:54There can be few better ways to enjoy a landscape like this
0:01:54 > 0:01:56than from a glider.
0:01:56 > 0:02:02This pure form of flying uses rising thermals to keep the aircraft in the sky.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05But with no engine, and few inbuilt safety systems,
0:02:05 > 0:02:09if things go wrong, there's little room for mistakes.
0:02:09 > 0:02:14Today, in the Peak District, a major search is underway,
0:02:14 > 0:02:16in the air and on the ground.
0:02:16 > 0:02:21The grid I've given you is near the gliding site.
0:02:21 > 0:02:25He apparently has crashed near East Moor.
0:02:25 > 0:02:29We can't find East Moor on the map.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32A glider has crashed into a remote hillside,
0:02:32 > 0:02:34but no-one quite knows where.
0:02:34 > 0:02:39Every emergency service is heading to this remote part of the national park.
0:02:39 > 0:02:45At Helimed HQ, dispatcher Dave Gardner is coordinating the search.
0:02:45 > 0:02:47We know he's trapped by his legs.
0:02:47 > 0:02:52If he's had a hard landing, that could be nasty - legs, hip, pelvis.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55In the cockpit of Helimed 98, pilot Steve Cobb
0:02:55 > 0:02:57and paramedic Sammy Wells
0:02:57 > 0:03:00are desperately searching for the downed aircraft.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03Other gliders from the same club have also joined that search
0:03:03 > 0:03:07and, alongside them in the air, is the police helicopter.
0:03:07 > 0:03:11It's using thermal imaging to try to find the crash site.
0:03:11 > 0:03:15He's been speaking to the police on his mobile a few times.
0:03:15 > 0:03:17That's all I can give you,
0:03:17 > 0:03:20and I believe Mountain Rescue have just been mobilised. Over.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23The high-resolution cameras on police helicopters
0:03:23 > 0:03:26are designed specifically for jobs like this,
0:03:26 > 0:03:31and soon the crew spots what everyone's been desperately looking for.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34'Confirm Oscar Hotel 88 do have visual on this male.
0:03:34 > 0:03:36'I'm just trying to get a location for you.'
0:03:36 > 0:03:39Just to let you know, the police have got a visual
0:03:39 > 0:03:41and I'll get back to you as soon as we've got...
0:03:41 > 0:03:43INDISTINCT Over.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45Roger. Received. Thank you.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47The police helicopter's just spotted him,
0:03:47 > 0:03:50so they're going to talk us into where he is.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56All I can really see is the tail of the glider,
0:03:56 > 0:03:58and obviously the police that are on the scene.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01They've gone forward. I'm sure we'll welcome their assistance.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06It's hard to imagine a worse place to crash.
0:04:06 > 0:04:10The glider's come down nose-first into a steep, wooded ravine.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12It's highly unstable
0:04:12 > 0:04:16and it's clear this glider's pilot is in real danger.
0:04:16 > 0:04:20- Hello.- My feet are trapped. - Your feet are trapped.
0:04:20 > 0:04:26- Right. Do you think you've got any pain anywhere?- My feet.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29- Your feet are trapped? - My feet are trapped.- Right.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31OK.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33Tony Senior flew into low cloud.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36When he emerged, he found himself in a spin,
0:04:36 > 0:04:40heading straight for the ground and it was too late to do anything about it.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43He's been on his mobile phone, this guy, saying he's crashed.
0:04:43 > 0:04:48Said he was suspended in a tree and that's the best he could give us, just east of the glider site.
0:04:48 > 0:04:52As you've seen, it's been a struggle to find him, and he's in absolute agony.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54TONY GROANS
0:04:54 > 0:04:56- I can't walk. I've hurt my legs. - All right.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58He's OK but he's not looking very well.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02Obviously, it's going to need some specialist gear to get him out by the looks of it.
0:05:02 > 0:05:03Tony is badly injured.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07Both his legs are trapped inside the wrecked cockpit,
0:05:07 > 0:05:09while he's falling forwards out of it,
0:05:09 > 0:05:14but paramedics John and Sammy are about to discover an even bigger concern.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18- I'm on warfarin, by the way. - He's got a pacemaker fitted as well.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21And I've got a defibrillator fitted, yeah.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24- Is it a defibrillator or pacemaker? - Defibrillator.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26Tony had a heart attack ten years ago,
0:05:26 > 0:05:30and has an electronic implant attached to his heart.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33Knowing this past history is yet another reason
0:05:33 > 0:05:37they know they need to get Tony out quickly.
0:05:37 > 0:05:38My foot's going numb.
0:05:38 > 0:05:42Can we strap you back into your harness and take some of the weight off you?
0:05:42 > 0:05:46There's real danger here, not just for Tony, but for his rescuers, too.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49Supported by just a few small trees,
0:05:49 > 0:05:54the biggest risk is that the whole glider could plunge further down the ravine.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56We'll have to get the technical rescue team here.
0:05:56 > 0:06:00Obviously we're in the middle of nowhere, so the police just arrived,
0:06:00 > 0:06:03across the fields, in a vehicle, so presumably there's a road there.
0:06:03 > 0:06:05I'll get them to call Dave at the airbase,
0:06:05 > 0:06:08who can pass the information on to the mountain rescue team.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11They need to get more help to Tony, and quickly.
0:06:11 > 0:06:16If we pull you out like you are now, we'll all end up in the stream.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18His heart condition is a real worry,
0:06:18 > 0:06:20not to mention his two crushed ankles.
0:06:20 > 0:06:24I'm just going to get down on my knees and look down here, and see what I can see.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27But unless the aircraft is supported soon,
0:06:27 > 0:06:30the whole thing could end up crashing further into the ravine.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41The human body is incredibly tough,
0:06:41 > 0:06:43as the Helimed team finds out every day.
0:06:43 > 0:06:48It can survive massive impacts, often with very little injury.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51And every paramedic has a story of a patient
0:06:51 > 0:06:56who's cheated almost certain death or disability by a stroke of luck.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59We've been requested to attend to a road traffic collision,
0:06:59 > 0:07:02at Green Hammerton, which is to the north of York.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06We've got a motorcyclist there who's been knocked off his bike
0:07:06 > 0:07:08and ejected into a ditch.
0:07:09 > 0:07:13Paramedic Darren Axe is a keen biker himself.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17Can you see a building, that's on the nose,
0:07:17 > 0:07:19- a little white building?- Yeah.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22That's about where we need to be, so if you just head for that.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28How we doing? Good. Pleased to meet you.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31We've just got here ourselves but all we've heard is that,
0:07:31 > 0:07:34- somehow, he's clipped the back of that van.- Right.
0:07:34 > 0:07:38- And it sounds like he's tumbled quite a bit. So upper neck, back pain.- Yeah.
0:07:38 > 0:07:4229-year-old Tony Thompson was overtaking this van
0:07:42 > 0:07:44when the accident happened.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47He's lucky to be alive after being catapulted into a hedge.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50- Are you allergic to anything you're aware of?- Penicillin.
0:07:50 > 0:07:54He's in pain but his symptoms sound unremarkable.
0:07:54 > 0:07:55- What's sore?- Me back.- Your back.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58- Your lower back or...? - Higher.- Higher?
0:07:58 > 0:08:01- More in your chest?- Where my knee is.- Where your knee is?
0:08:01 > 0:08:04- Where MY knee is. - Where the knee is, OK.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07Every patient who's been in an accident like this
0:08:07 > 0:08:10is treated as if they've had an undiagnosed spinal injury.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13Remember what we said - no nodding or shaking your head,
0:08:13 > 0:08:14just yes or no.
0:08:14 > 0:08:18Most of the time, the precautions taken to protect their backs are unnecessary.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21Tony, just while we're attacking you from all angles,
0:08:21 > 0:08:24- I'll have a quick listen to your chest, pal, OK?- Yeah.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27But the paramedics are about to make a shocking discovery.
0:08:27 > 0:08:29Big deep breath in, pal.
0:08:29 > 0:08:33You're going to be a bit cold for a second while we just get you covered up.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38Tony's back is so badly broken,
0:08:38 > 0:08:42his shattered vertebrae can be seen protruding beneath his skin.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44Basil, Basil...
0:08:44 > 0:08:48- You haven't got any problems with that?- No.- All right.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51What's baffling James is that Tony still appears to have
0:08:51 > 0:08:53some feeling below the injury.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56- Any pain in your lower legs at all? - Yes.- Yeah?
0:08:56 > 0:08:58Your left leg.
0:08:58 > 0:09:03Unbelievably, his spinal cord appears undamaged.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06Does it all feel normal? Do you feel me touching? Yeah?
0:09:06 > 0:09:08It feels normal to touch? Is it painful through here?
0:09:08 > 0:09:11What we'll do is get ourselves set up for a roll.
0:09:11 > 0:09:13I'll just do this really steady, chaps.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16This is most visible spinal injury
0:09:16 > 0:09:19Darren Axe has seen in 20 years as a paramedic.
0:09:19 > 0:09:23What I want you to do is just pop your arms across your chest for me, just there.
0:09:23 > 0:09:25You just hold onto that one for me.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28Tony will have to be handled with extreme care.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31OK, ready, steady, roll.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34One wrong move now could sever his spinal cord,
0:09:34 > 0:09:39and that could kill him or leave him in a wheelchair for life.
0:09:48 > 0:09:50Every day, deep below the ground,
0:09:50 > 0:09:53thousands of men are hard at work,
0:09:53 > 0:09:56but Yorkshire's miners have a dangerous job.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01Even in the age of renewable energy,
0:10:01 > 0:10:05the UK is still largely powered by coal.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08And Drax Power Station, Europe's biggest generator,
0:10:08 > 0:10:11consumes it by the trainload.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14Most of it comes from Kellingley Colliery,
0:10:14 > 0:10:16but, today, Yorkshire's deepest mine
0:10:16 > 0:10:19is at the centre of a major emergency.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21A trench has collapsed underground.
0:10:21 > 0:10:25They're still trapped so I'm not sure how long it's going to take
0:10:25 > 0:10:26to get to them and get them out.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28One of them's totally buried.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34Paramedic Tony Wilkes is navigating today.
0:10:34 > 0:10:36His dad was a miner at the pit.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40The pit exit's covered up so it's just a big box, really
0:10:40 > 0:10:44More news is coming in from the pit and it's not encouraging.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47Helimed 99 receiving.
0:10:47 > 0:10:51Airbase, this is 99. Go ahead.
0:10:51 > 0:10:5399, roger. An update at the moment -
0:10:53 > 0:10:56there's a doctor and a CTR, I believe,
0:10:56 > 0:10:59going down into the mine, and they say it will take an hour and a half
0:10:59 > 0:11:01to get to the two patients,
0:11:01 > 0:11:05but just keep me updated once you're on scene. Over.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07Yeah, roger.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10It's less than two weeks since
0:11:10 > 0:11:13four miners died in a similar accident in Wales,
0:11:13 > 0:11:16and this incident is already making headlines.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19'It's six o'clock. Let's get your latest news with Clive Settle.'
0:11:19 > 0:11:22'Good evening. A full-scale rescue operation has got underway in the last hour
0:11:22 > 0:11:25'at West Yorkshire's last deep mine.
0:11:25 > 0:11:29'There are reports that two miners are trapped at Kellingley Colliery near Knottingley.'
0:11:29 > 0:11:32'We hear they're some distance from the entrance shaft
0:11:32 > 0:11:35'and the Yorkshire air ambulance has been scrambled.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38'The NUM says the two men are trapped by a roof fall
0:11:38 > 0:11:41'and up to their waists in debris.'
0:11:41 > 0:11:44- Is that a bit of road by your side? - Yeah.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47- So stick it in this corner here. - OK. Still clear to land.
0:11:47 > 0:11:51We might have a fatality down there. We've got one trapped by his legs and another totally buried.
0:11:51 > 0:11:53All they've seen is a helmet.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56They've had no communication with him whatsoever.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59But the other one's conscious throughout. He's been talking.
0:11:59 > 0:12:05Once you go down in the lift to the level where they are,
0:12:05 > 0:12:09you've then got to go out three miles from here to where these people are.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12So if I was to go down there now,
0:12:12 > 0:12:16it would take me an hour and a half to get from here to where the patients are.
0:12:17 > 0:12:21We've got our HART team - our hazardous area response team -
0:12:21 > 0:12:25who are trained in this kind of incident,
0:12:25 > 0:12:27confined space rescue and trapped patients, and so on.
0:12:27 > 0:12:31The rescuers are heading into a dangerous environment...
0:12:31 > 0:12:35The central communication point in the control room.
0:12:35 > 0:12:36We'll phone out to there.
0:12:37 > 0:12:41..and the conditions underground will be arduous.
0:12:41 > 0:12:46Kellingley is so deep, the heat of the earth's core means
0:12:46 > 0:12:49miners work in temperatures of almost 30 degrees Celsius.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52It's going to be a long day,
0:12:52 > 0:12:54a real job to get them out.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56It's quite sad, really,
0:12:56 > 0:12:58cos these are all quite close mining communities,
0:12:58 > 0:13:01and one of these miners actually worked with my dad,
0:13:01 > 0:13:02so we all know each other.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05So when these things happen, it's quite a sad occasion, really.
0:13:06 > 0:13:10All the Helimed team can do is wait for news from underground.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12It sounds like it's probably the back pain.
0:13:12 > 0:13:16The second one? The first one, you think, should be how long?
0:13:16 > 0:13:18Well, if he's on his way out, it should be an hour.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21- So it will take us an hour from here to get to him?- Yeah.- Right.
0:13:21 > 0:13:25Deep underground, the trapped men's colleagues are digging them free,
0:13:25 > 0:13:28as the ambulance service rescue team
0:13:28 > 0:13:30makes the long journey to the coalface.
0:13:30 > 0:13:35The rescue operation is being co-ordinated from the pit's communications centre.
0:13:35 > 0:13:39Do you have an approximate time that he's going to be back up here?
0:13:39 > 0:13:42They're going in, he's coming out. They'll meet wherever they meet.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46So will you know when they meet? You have communications at that point?
0:13:46 > 0:13:49- Yeah.- We'll pass that information on to yourself.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52They know that, after a long journey back to the surface,
0:13:52 > 0:13:58the victims of the accident could be in desperate need of a flight to a trauma unit.
0:13:58 > 0:14:03But there's a problem - Helimed 99 cannot fly at night,
0:14:03 > 0:14:06and its crew is running out of daylight.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09The second patient sounds really quite seriously injured.
0:14:09 > 0:14:11He's not responsive at the moment.
0:14:11 > 0:14:16Erm, you know, his prognosis is probably not going to be good,
0:14:16 > 0:14:18considering what's happened.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23Unfortunately, we've got to go home with our tail between our legs.
0:14:23 > 0:14:27There's not a right lot we can do to help.
0:14:27 > 0:14:31The paramedics are frustrated at having to leave a patient,
0:14:31 > 0:14:35no-one more so than Tony, who grew up in a mining community,
0:14:35 > 0:14:37the son of a pitman.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39Me dad went down the pit for 40 years,
0:14:39 > 0:14:43so, you know, we've lost friends, had plenty of accidents down there.
0:14:43 > 0:14:45We had to come away, unfortunately.
0:14:45 > 0:14:48As I say, it doesn't happen too often but,
0:14:48 > 0:14:50yeah, it's not nice when it does.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52And today's other news now, and a miner has died
0:14:52 > 0:14:56after being trapped down a colliery near Knottingley in North Yorkshire.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58The roof had collapsed.
0:14:58 > 0:15:00One other miner was brought safely to the surface.
0:15:00 > 0:15:0649-year-old Gerry Gibson had worked underground for 30 years.
0:15:06 > 0:15:10His funeral was attended by hundreds of miners.
0:15:10 > 0:15:15Another casualty of an industry where danger is all part of a day's work.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29Now, let's return to the Peak District
0:15:29 > 0:15:33where the battle to free an elderly pilot from his wrecked cockpit
0:15:33 > 0:15:35is about to reach a crucial stage.
0:15:35 > 0:15:39- Tony, how we doing there, fella? - Not well.- Not well, OK.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42We're going to get you sorted, my friend.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45Ten years after surviving a cardiac arrest,
0:15:45 > 0:15:4974-year-old Tony Senior is once again lucky to be alive.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52The whole thing's unsecured at present.
0:15:52 > 0:15:56Teams of rescuers from every emergency service
0:15:56 > 0:15:59are now arriving at this remote ravine in the Peak District
0:15:59 > 0:16:02to try and work out how to free the pilot.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05What we're looking at is a bit of space creation that side
0:16:05 > 0:16:08and coming forward over to you, Sammy.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11We need to use something to get him out if we can do.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14The fire service is just trying to secure the glider
0:16:14 > 0:16:17so they can rescue the person, because it's not safe, really,
0:16:17 > 0:16:19to try and get him out at the moment, I believe.
0:16:19 > 0:16:23So everybody's just trying to help out by securing it for the time being,
0:16:23 > 0:16:26so that they can then remove him from the aircraft.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28He's saying his feet are a bit numb.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31- So he's trapped by his feet. - The feet are trapped.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34Yeah. Yeah, that's it. But we're going to have a
0:16:34 > 0:16:37potential suspension trauma when he comes out.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40Both his ankles are trapped by the wreckage
0:16:40 > 0:16:42and blood is now struggling to reach his feet.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45Tony, which foot's going numb?
0:16:45 > 0:16:48- They're both going numb but this one on the right...- The right.
0:16:48 > 0:16:53- Can you feel me touching it now? - Yeah, but my foot is going numb.
0:16:56 > 0:16:58Can I cut through wires on here?
0:16:58 > 0:17:01Yes. We control them, so there should be no electrics.
0:17:01 > 0:17:03Nothing live at all?
0:17:06 > 0:17:10Working environments don't come much tougher than this.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13- One more time. Don't move, Tony. - Yeah, keep really, really still.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16All this cutting gear is usually used to free people from cars,
0:17:16 > 0:17:19but now it's being put to the test to tear through the airframe
0:17:19 > 0:17:24that's trapping Tony's feet inside this crushed cockpit.
0:17:24 > 0:17:29- Can somebody push me back? - Push me and I'll push you.
0:17:29 > 0:17:30GROANING
0:17:37 > 0:17:41Harmful dust and fragments from the fibreglass
0:17:41 > 0:17:45is yet another concern for the growing team of rescuers.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47Bolt cutters.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49The one at this side's harder to see.
0:17:51 > 0:17:55His feet will soon be freed, but it will take some creative thinking
0:17:55 > 0:17:58to work out how to get him up the steep, muddy slope.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01It is going to hurt when you come out
0:18:01 > 0:18:03but your feet are free now, so you'll come, right?
0:18:03 > 0:18:06And we're going to take all your weight, right?
0:18:06 > 0:18:09Put your arms on me, mate. You're all right. That's it.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12Right, this arm here's going to have to move, obviously.
0:18:12 > 0:18:14GROANING
0:18:17 > 0:18:20This certainly isn't normal.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23It's nearly always best to have the patient on his back,
0:18:23 > 0:18:25but in this treacherous terrain,
0:18:25 > 0:18:28it's the only way he can be safely brought out.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31- Everyone ready on the stretcher? - Yeah.
0:18:31 > 0:18:33Ready, steady, lift.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40It's a moment of relief for paramedic John.
0:18:40 > 0:18:44He's broken his ankle, we think, and hopefully nothing else.
0:18:44 > 0:18:46We've not been able to protect him like we would do normally
0:18:46 > 0:18:48because it's just been so difficult.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50Trapped by both feet and we've had to cut...
0:18:50 > 0:18:53Well, I've never dismantled a glider before, put it that way.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55First time I've done that!
0:18:55 > 0:18:57OK, walk back with him slowly, guys.
0:18:57 > 0:18:59Wait until we're upon the flat.
0:19:02 > 0:19:04Now free of the wreckage,
0:19:04 > 0:19:08it's the first time Dr Steve Rowe from the local mountain rescue team
0:19:08 > 0:19:11can get a good look at his injuries.
0:19:11 > 0:19:12Prepare to roll. On three.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15One, two, three.
0:19:17 > 0:19:18OK, Tony.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20GROANING
0:19:20 > 0:19:21Well done, mate.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23OK, Tony. Try and relax.
0:19:23 > 0:19:28- Right, Tony, your right ankle's dislocated as well.- It's what?
0:19:28 > 0:19:30- Dislocated as well as broken.- Oh.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33- So what I'm going to do is pop it back into line.- Oh.
0:19:33 > 0:19:37It'll take two seconds. It'll be a bit sore whilst I do it,
0:19:37 > 0:19:39but it'll be more comfortable afterwards, OK?
0:19:41 > 0:19:44So, here on a windswept, remote hillside,
0:19:44 > 0:19:49Steve is preparing for a procedure normally carried out in a hospital theatre.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06Remember injured biker Tony Thompson?
0:20:06 > 0:20:08His spinal cord is still intact,
0:20:08 > 0:20:11despite what appears to be a massive fracture to his back,
0:20:11 > 0:20:13but now the team must move him.
0:20:13 > 0:20:17Just going to feel a little bit of pressure on your pelvis, mate.
0:20:19 > 0:20:21The crew must take great care.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24The slightest movement could sever the biker's spinal chord,
0:20:24 > 0:20:29and he's about to take off for emergency surgery at Leeds General Infirmary.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31Can I have resus, please?
0:20:31 > 0:20:34Assessment of a 28-year-old male motorcyclist.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36Been ejected, high speed.
0:20:36 > 0:20:40He's got obvious deformity through his thoracic spine.
0:20:43 > 0:20:47We're going to go feet first, so wheel around me if you want to.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50Most patients with this injury would be suffering from numbness,
0:20:50 > 0:20:53and pins and needles in their arms and legs,
0:20:53 > 0:20:56the first symptoms of a lifetime's paralysis.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59Spinal cords cannot be repaired.
0:20:59 > 0:21:00Keep the weight off.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05Up. Right, you can move now.
0:21:05 > 0:21:06Good. Thank you.
0:21:08 > 0:21:13Paramedics James Vine and Darren Axe are shocked by the severity of Tony's injury,
0:21:13 > 0:21:18and amazed at his ability to feel pain below the damage to his spine.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22- Did someone just touch my right toe? - Your right toe?
0:21:22 > 0:21:24Is it itching?
0:21:24 > 0:21:26- I can't move it.- You can't move it? Don't move it, then.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28It'll be all right, pal. No worries.
0:21:28 > 0:21:30What about your left one?
0:21:30 > 0:21:31So, you can wiggle that one. Yeah?
0:21:33 > 0:21:35- OK, clear for take off?- We are clear.
0:21:37 > 0:21:38You're clear, right and above.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40At Leeds General Infirmary,
0:21:40 > 0:21:43consultants have already been alerted.
0:21:43 > 0:21:48The chances are, Tony's injuries will require very complex surgery.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51And even then, there are no guarantees
0:21:51 > 0:21:53of a successful outcome.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56He does appear to be comfortable, but the biggest concern is
0:21:56 > 0:21:59the deformity that's obvious, around his spine.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02It's always difficult to tell with these things,
0:22:02 > 0:22:04cos the spine tends to go into shock,
0:22:04 > 0:22:09in an attempt to protect itself, when it's been damaged.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12The long-term prognosis could be a full recovery,
0:22:12 > 0:22:16and him able to walk around and get about, as he should.
0:22:16 > 0:22:20The worst-case scenario is that he might not be able to walk again.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23The streets below are still jammed with the last traffic
0:22:23 > 0:22:25of the rush hour.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27There doesn't appear to be much wind, mate,
0:22:27 > 0:22:29but if there is any, it's behind us.
0:22:32 > 0:22:37- Right, you've got an aircraft just taking off.- Seen it.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40But pilot Steve has nothing to delay him today.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43He'll be making this landing as gentle as he can.
0:22:44 > 0:22:46Cheers.
0:22:46 > 0:22:4899 on the ground.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55Just 15 minutes after leaving the roadside, Tony's back
0:22:55 > 0:22:58is about to be examined properly, for the first time.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01Just take it really steady, chaps, with him.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04If we can just get as many people round as we can.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07OK, lads. Just take the strain, and then, just nice and steady.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09All the medical team know is that this patient
0:23:09 > 0:23:12needs especially gentle handling.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15OK, chaps. This is Tony, 28-year-old male. Motorcycle rider.
0:23:15 > 0:23:21He's got an obvious gross deformity to his back around T7, T5.
0:23:21 > 0:23:23Probably round that region.
0:23:23 > 0:23:26And altered sensation distal to his umbilicus.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29Good motor throughout, a little bit weaker in his feet,
0:23:29 > 0:23:31but good in his hands.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34- What was he wearing in terms of protection?- Jacket, helmet,
0:23:34 > 0:23:37he had a sort of a lower back protector, not upper back.
0:23:37 > 0:23:38This is the MRI scan.
0:23:38 > 0:23:42What you can now see is the spinal cord itself,
0:23:42 > 0:23:45stretching round this corner, here.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48When Tony's surgeon looks at his patient's scans,
0:23:48 > 0:23:50he can see that the damage is extensive,
0:23:50 > 0:23:54and recovering from an injury like his is probably unlikely.
0:23:55 > 0:24:00You can see on the images, that the top part of his spine
0:24:00 > 0:24:03has been completely detached from the bottom part of his spine.
0:24:03 > 0:24:04And, the worry is,
0:24:04 > 0:24:07that his spinal cord runs down in the space, there.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09And my immediate reaction, when my juniors told me that
0:24:09 > 0:24:13he was in the A&E department, was that this boy must be paralysed.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17Tony undergoes a major operation, and doctors find
0:24:17 > 0:24:19his spinal cord is protruding,
0:24:19 > 0:24:23from the shattered remains of three broken vertebrae.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25But crucially, it's intact.
0:24:27 > 0:24:32And, two weeks later, Tony is slowly getting back on his feet.
0:24:32 > 0:24:37I can walk up and down stairs, hundred yards down the road.
0:24:37 > 0:24:42I can walk, now. Get up out of bed by myself.
0:24:42 > 0:24:46It's an absolutely amazing feeling, after two weeks ago.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49I thought I'd never be able to walk again, like.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52So, a great, great feeling.
0:24:52 > 0:24:56This is one biker who's very grateful to the surgical team
0:24:56 > 0:25:00for the extraordinary work it did, rebuilding his spine.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04I owe my life to them. I truly do.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11Back to Helimed 98 now
0:25:11 > 0:25:14and the paramedics have a difficult case on their hands.
0:25:14 > 0:25:19It's hard to imagine anyone surviving this,
0:25:19 > 0:25:21but 74-year-old Tony Senior
0:25:21 > 0:25:23has just been cut out of the wreckage,
0:25:23 > 0:25:26with two badly broken and dislocated ankles.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29Now we've got him in a secure area, we can assess his injuries.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32It appears two badly broken ankles, which we're about to reduce.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35I've given him some analgesic, and we'll pop them back into line,
0:25:35 > 0:25:38before flying off to the Northern General.
0:25:38 > 0:25:42Ready, steady, here we go.
0:25:42 > 0:25:44- Well done, mate.- Well done, Tony.
0:25:44 > 0:25:46Sorry, Tony. OK.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49Good. That's it.
0:25:51 > 0:25:55Tony's friends from the gliding club have come to help
0:25:55 > 0:25:58with the rescue, and are impressed at what they've seen.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00They are remarkably robust, gliders.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04So, you can often escape from fairly horrific-looking accidents,
0:26:04 > 0:26:06with relatively minor injuries.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09Two-minute walk, Tony, and then we'll be in the helicopter.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12Our patient was trapped by his lower legs,
0:26:12 > 0:26:13in a great deal of discomfort.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16But, because of the precarious position,
0:26:16 > 0:26:18we had to get all the support and help to get him out.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21He's conscious, he's happy, he's not pain-free yet,
0:26:21 > 0:26:23but we're working on that.
0:26:23 > 0:26:24And, we're going to go to the helicopter,
0:26:24 > 0:26:26and take him to hospital.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28OK, prepare to lower, and lower.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31'It's pretty badly smashed up, that glider.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34'He's lucky to have come away with the injuries he has,
0:26:34 > 0:26:35'and not something more severe.
0:26:35 > 0:26:37'It turns out that he just has ankle injuries.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40Because of the position we're in, it's very difficult to assess that.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43With the combination of teamwork from the fire service,
0:26:43 > 0:26:45the mountain rescue teams, and the paramedics,
0:26:45 > 0:26:47we were able to get him out, and to a place of safety.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50Now we're taking him over to the Northern General,
0:26:50 > 0:26:51to get his injuries treated there.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56So, more than an hour after his crash,
0:26:56 > 0:26:58Tony is taking to the air once again.
0:26:58 > 0:27:00This time on the short, powered flight
0:27:00 > 0:27:03to Sheffield's Northern General Hospital.
0:27:07 > 0:27:11Back at Tony's gliding club, there's a long wait for news.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14This morning he left this grass runway as he had done
0:27:14 > 0:27:16on hundreds of flights, but this time
0:27:16 > 0:27:19he didn't make it back.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22Now his friends are doing all they can to help him recover.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25"Happy flying." Oh, that's a nice card.
0:27:29 > 0:27:31Very good.
0:27:31 > 0:27:33Tony's legs were each broken in two places,
0:27:33 > 0:27:35as well as having broken ankles.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38It'll be a long time until he's able to walk again,
0:27:38 > 0:27:42but he's just grateful to have survived such a serious crash.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45It was a very nice flight up to that point, above the clouds.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48But it started filling in below me.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52And, when I came down, I wanted to get down below them.
0:27:53 > 0:27:57And, I guess I lost my position, coming through the clouds.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00And when I did get through them, I was pretty low.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03And I knew, immediately, I wouldn't get back to the airfield.
0:28:03 > 0:28:05But things are about to change.
0:28:05 > 0:28:09After a bit of influence from his wife, Jo,
0:28:09 > 0:28:11that flight will be his last.
0:28:11 > 0:28:12I don't see a future in gliding.
0:28:12 > 0:28:16I think I've told my good lady, I'm 75 this year,
0:28:16 > 0:28:19and I think that maybe I've had a good crack of the whip.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23I was very lucky to get away with it, this time.
0:28:23 > 0:28:25And I don't want to push my luck again.
0:28:26 > 0:28:29But, I'm pleased to say, Tony doesn't intend to leave
0:28:29 > 0:28:31the world of gliding behind, altogether.
0:28:31 > 0:28:33He says he'll help out on the ground,
0:28:33 > 0:28:36passing on his experience to student pilots.
0:28:41 > 0:28:46Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd