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 > 0:00:15- RADIO:- Where's the patient? - CRYING:- He's stuck under the car.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18The Yorkshire Air Ambulance flies at 150 miles an hour
0:00:18 > 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, mate.
0:00:27 > 0:00:31It covers some of the UK's most rugged landscapes.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34Turning roadsides into operating theatres.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37We're going to pop him off to sleep with an emergency anaesthetic, OK?
0:00:37 > 0:00:40And town centres into helipads.
0:00:40 > 0:00:42- RADIO: Look here on the left. - Just behind you, Tim.
0:00:42 > 0:00:47Every day the Helimed team's skill, speed and courage is saving lives.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58Today on Helicopter Heroes...
0:00:58 > 0:01:02A biker is fighting for his life and the team's in a hurry.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05I've a patient who has got serious facial injuries.
0:01:05 > 0:01:07We're just going to scoop-and-run him.
0:01:07 > 0:01:12A truck overturns and Sammy fears the driver may have a spinal injury.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14He is complaining of some back pain
0:01:14 > 0:01:16and he's also got some pains in his chest.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19There's a serious industrial accident.
0:01:19 > 0:01:21Good circulation in his fingers so far -
0:01:21 > 0:01:25- there wasn't when I first got here. - And Helimed 98 becomes a soapstar.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28- JEFF HORDLEY: - Saving lives, it's important.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30- There's a little tin in the Woolpack, isn't there?- There is.
0:01:36 > 0:01:40Countless lives have been saved by these.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43The Helimed team won't leave the ground without one
0:01:43 > 0:01:45and thousands of bikers owe their lives to them.
0:01:45 > 0:01:49But some crash helmets are safer than others.
0:01:50 > 0:01:52The market town of Helmsley,
0:01:52 > 0:01:57on the edge of the North York Moors is a mecca for bikers.
0:01:57 > 0:02:02And this is the reason - the B1257 heading north to Teeside
0:02:02 > 0:02:04appears again and again
0:02:04 > 0:02:08on lists of the UK's best roads for motorcyclists.
0:02:08 > 0:02:12But its place in the accident stats is just as prominent.
0:02:12 > 0:02:16And today an off-duty cop has dialled 999
0:02:16 > 0:02:18with news of another crash.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38RADIO: 'I believe it's a motorbike and an HGV.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40'RV on the scene
0:02:40 > 0:02:43'and said, "Patient is unconscious with severe injuries." '
0:02:44 > 0:02:47The accident's happened near the hamlet of Laskill,
0:02:47 > 0:02:49in remote Bilsdale.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53But the location's sounding familiar to pilot Andy Lister.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56I've a road drop over the top.
0:02:56 > 0:02:57Yeah, but your drop's down.
0:02:57 > 0:03:01I've a sneaking suspicion I've done a job, I inspected this bit before.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03There it is and I have done a job here before -
0:03:03 > 0:03:05exactly that bend.
0:03:05 > 0:03:07- How are we doing?- Hiya.
0:03:07 > 0:03:13- It's a 50-year-old gent.- Yep. - Andy. 15, no G-sector 15.- 15.
0:03:13 > 0:03:18- Biker Andy Broxham is critically injured.- He's not wonderful, is he?
0:03:18 > 0:03:23He has very serious facial injuries after a collision with a trailer.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25Without immediate first aid given to him
0:03:25 > 0:03:28by off-duty policeman Nick Walmsley,
0:03:28 > 0:03:30who insisted the Air Ambulance was scrambled
0:03:30 > 0:03:33he may already have died.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35He's having difficulty breathing.
0:03:35 > 0:03:37So what's the story, chaps, just from start to finish?
0:03:37 > 0:03:41Right, this gentleman, went round the corner...
0:03:41 > 0:03:43and he found them. This is Nick.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45Hi, Nick, how are you doing, mate?
0:03:46 > 0:03:49- He's a-a policeman from Northallerton.- OK.
0:03:49 > 0:03:51So he can tell you all about it.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53I came over, started talking, but just talking to him.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55I wasn't getting any response.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58- Tried to feel for a pulse but couldn't feel anything.- OK.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00- Can I have a bag of fluid, please?- Yep.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03- As he's come around the bend... - Do you want it now?- Yeah, please.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06One of them has been heading north-bound, he's been heading south-bound.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09- Putting my hand on your hip there. - He's hit the trailer of the wagon.
0:04:09 > 0:04:11Andy was wearing his helmet, but unlike many,
0:04:11 > 0:04:15it has no protection for the face.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19His jaw is shattered and he's lost much of the flesh
0:04:19 > 0:04:23around his nose and jaw - which is broken in seven places.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25- Has anyone got a sharp splint? - We got a line in?
0:04:25 > 0:04:29Yeah, airway is precarious, if nothing else.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33- Yeah.- GCS is 14/15.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36This is by far the most serious facial injury
0:04:36 > 0:04:39paramedic James Vine has ever seen.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42Just get him onto this trolley. If we just bring it nice and close.
0:04:42 > 0:04:43The brake's on the inside there.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46The patient has got serious facial injuries
0:04:46 > 0:04:48but his head injury is not so bad.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50We're just going to scoop-and-run him.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52He doesn't need any immediate intervention
0:04:52 > 0:04:54other than to get to hospital quickly.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56Are we still out of time for James Cook
0:04:56 > 0:04:58if we leave in the next two or three minutes?
0:04:58 > 0:05:01It's early evening and the team is running out of daylight
0:05:01 > 0:05:03to get the patient to hospital.
0:05:03 > 0:05:05Strict rules ground air ambulances at night
0:05:05 > 0:05:07and there's too little time
0:05:07 > 0:05:09to reach the James Cook Trauma Unit in Middlesbrough.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11If I was to go to James Cook,
0:05:11 > 0:05:13I wouldn't have sufficient hours of the day
0:05:13 > 0:05:15so I think we'll come up with an alternative plan
0:05:15 > 0:05:19whereby we transport the casualty and the doctor to York.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21There's no time to lose.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24James and flying doctor Simon Ward know Andy's injuries
0:05:24 > 0:05:28could cause him to lose the ability to breathe at any moment.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31But for the off-duty cop, who has already saved
0:05:31 > 0:05:34the biker's life today, it's a moment for relief.
0:05:34 > 0:05:36The first thing I was aware of
0:05:36 > 0:05:39was another car flashing its headlights as we passed.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42- BREATHLESS:- Lots of motorcycles.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45I work here, I know how bad this is for road accidents.
0:05:45 > 0:05:49- Just make sure of your footing. - Bit of a bump up here.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51- Just try and keep ahead... That's it. - Head up.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54'Come round the bend, saw him lying, saw the state of his face'
0:05:54 > 0:05:56and thought, "Ow."
0:05:56 > 0:05:58Nobody was applying first aid.
0:05:58 > 0:06:00They'd tried to get a pulse by then so the first idea
0:06:00 > 0:06:04was talk, pulse, but I couldn't apply any pressure.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06OK, chaps, it's going to be a bit of a lift.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08If we can lift him as high as we can,
0:06:08 > 0:06:11try and keep the weight off the stretcher.
0:06:11 > 0:06:12'So it was just talk, talk, talk.'
0:06:12 > 0:06:15Telephone going, give the ambulance services as much as I've got
0:06:15 > 0:06:18over the phone, can I have a helicopter please?
0:06:18 > 0:06:20You just start closing it all up behind us, John.
0:06:20 > 0:06:24Helimed 99 is almost ready for takeoff but James and Simon
0:06:24 > 0:06:29have real concerns - Andy's airway is getting worse.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32- You've come off the bike, Andy. - ANDY: I can't breathe.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35You're doing ever so well, I know it's difficult to breathe.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38It's because you've fractured some bones in your face.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41He'll be lucky to survive his flight to hospital.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54A single lorry can weigh as much as 44 cars
0:06:54 > 0:06:57and if that statistic isn't frightening enough,
0:06:57 > 0:07:00think about what happens when something that big turns over.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03That's when you need the skills of the Helimed team.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09We've just been called to an incident near Stamford Bridge,
0:07:09 > 0:07:12which is east of York in north Yorkshire.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16We've had reports of an HGV which has been blown over onto its side
0:07:16 > 0:07:18trapping the driver.
0:07:18 > 0:07:20We're not sure what his state is
0:07:20 > 0:07:22so we'll have to wait till we get to the scene for that.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27The tractor unit of this 40 ton lorry
0:07:27 > 0:07:30has ended up down a deep ditch.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34The driver is trapped inside and badly hurt.
0:07:34 > 0:07:39He's sat up, he's conscious. He looks a bit pale...
0:07:39 > 0:07:41Left-hand side.
0:07:47 > 0:07:51A road crew paramedic has already climbed into the upturned truck.
0:07:51 > 0:07:56Tony needs to join him but the route in is now blocked.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02We're just trying to see if this is viable for a route in.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04We're just trying to get a bit more space
0:08:04 > 0:08:06for some access to get in and help him.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12RADIO: 'Four EMA crews are going to this one.'
0:08:12 > 0:08:14- Hiya.- Hi there.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16This is John, 54 years of age.
0:08:17 > 0:08:21He clipped something and it caused him to flip over.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23He's not collapsed as such.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25The casualty's not trapped as such
0:08:25 > 0:08:27but obviously he's in a difficult position within the cab
0:08:27 > 0:08:29and the cab's obviously ended up in a difficult position
0:08:29 > 0:08:32in terms that it's down this embankment.
0:08:32 > 0:08:36Much of the rescue is about stabilising the casualty
0:08:36 > 0:08:39and we've got a bit of time there to make sure that we've got everything
0:08:39 > 0:08:41in place to get him out as conveniently and as safely
0:08:41 > 0:08:45as possible without causing any further injury.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48Are you all right, buddy?
0:08:48 > 0:08:51You all right? John, just look at me, mate.
0:08:51 > 0:08:55The driver, John Harvey from Hull, is fighting for breath
0:08:55 > 0:08:58and Tony fears he may have suffered a spinal injury
0:08:58 > 0:08:59when the truck overturned.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03- I want to get up.- I know, mate.
0:09:03 > 0:09:07We're just getting you sorted before we start moving you.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11Have you managed to have a listen to his chest yet?
0:09:11 > 0:09:16Yeah, but as I say, it's nice and clear on the right-hand side.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19I couldn't actually hear breath sounds on the left myself.
0:09:19 > 0:09:23We've closed the road both directions at the junctions,
0:09:23 > 0:09:28we've got patrols down there. Once we get the driver out of the cab
0:09:28 > 0:09:30and the paramedics have assessed his injuries
0:09:30 > 0:09:33then we will start our investigation.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36How's your breathing, mate? Do you feel like you're struggling at all?
0:09:36 > 0:09:41- Yeah.- Yeah, is it mainly taking a breath in?- Yeah.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43If John has fractured bones in his back,
0:09:43 > 0:09:46one wrong move could paralyse him.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48They must stop his injury being made worse
0:09:48 > 0:09:51and he could be trapped in his cab for some time.
0:09:51 > 0:09:56- The plan is we're going to put this big corset round you, right?- Yeah.
0:09:56 > 0:09:58So that'll just stabilise your back
0:09:58 > 0:10:01and it'll stabilise your chest a bit as well.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03They're just discussing whether they're going to put on
0:10:03 > 0:10:07like a half backboard, a KED, and bring him out through his windscreen
0:10:07 > 0:10:10and then onto a longboard, cos the space is so small.
0:10:10 > 0:10:12But it's not only the driver who's at risk,
0:10:12 > 0:10:17the lorry's tractor unit could slip further into the ditch.
0:10:17 > 0:10:19The emergency service crews need to get their patient
0:10:19 > 0:10:22and themselves out of danger.
0:10:24 > 0:10:26One of the things we look at in any road traffic collision
0:10:26 > 0:10:28is the stability of the vehicle. In this particular case
0:10:28 > 0:10:31that's very relevant given we've got a tractor unit
0:10:31 > 0:10:33hanging over the ditch.
0:10:42 > 0:10:43Wherever you look in Yorkshire
0:10:43 > 0:10:46there's scenery straight out of a film set.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49So it's not surprising so many movies and TV dramas are set here,
0:10:49 > 0:10:53which means the air ambulance often gets a starring role.
0:10:57 > 0:11:02It's Yorkshire's most famous village, but you won't find it on any map.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05No-one lives in its houses and the pub is dry.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08Everything about Emmerdale is make-believe,
0:11:08 > 0:11:11except for today's guest stars.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14Here we go, stand by. And...action!
0:11:14 > 0:11:17Helimed 98 has been called in to rescue two of the TV soap's
0:11:17 > 0:11:21biggest stars - Jeff Hordley and Steve Halliwell,
0:11:21 > 0:11:24members of the infamous Dingle family.
0:11:24 > 0:11:28We're near Bolton Abbey on the great Yorkshire Moors.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30We hope the weather will lift a bit.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33It's a typical Moors day though, isn't it?
0:11:33 > 0:11:35It seems right that the weather should be like this.
0:11:35 > 0:11:40The Yorkshire Air Ambulance are kindly doing some shots for us
0:11:40 > 0:11:43and are going to save us if we need saving.
0:11:43 > 0:11:47TV executives are picking up the bill for today's rescue mission
0:11:47 > 0:11:50and screen appearances like this help attract sponsors
0:11:50 > 0:11:53to keep the choppers in the air.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56My character's sort of cracking up and having a bit of a breakdown
0:11:56 > 0:11:58and he's ended up getting lost on the moors.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01He thinks his son's after him, out to kill him.
0:12:02 > 0:12:06- Yorkshire Air Ambulance help you out and rescue you in the end.- Yeah.
0:12:06 > 0:12:11Crew members John Baxter and Darrel Cullen are playing a familiar role.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14But John's not likely to win an Emmy this year.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16Most of the Emmerdale cast live locally
0:12:16 > 0:12:21and it turns out many members are real-life air ambulance supporters.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24- There's a little tin in the Woolpack, isn't there?- There is.
0:12:24 > 0:12:29That people from Emmerdale put money in. Saving lives, it's important.
0:12:29 > 0:12:33- Hmm, especially ours. - Yes. Yes, if we need it.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38And real life in Emmerdale country
0:12:38 > 0:12:42is sometimes every bit as dramatic as the soap.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52In the limestone scenery around Yorkshire's three peaks,
0:12:52 > 0:12:56Helimed 99 has just touched down 2,000 feet up
0:12:56 > 0:13:01to rescue a real-life walker whose situation is every bit as dangerous
0:13:01 > 0:13:04- as the Dingles'.- Just going to have to cut your trousers
0:13:04 > 0:13:06just ever so slightly, sweet.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09Elaine Collins was out for a solo walk when she slipped
0:13:09 > 0:13:11and broke her ankle.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14At home in Leeds it would be a minor injury. Up here,
0:13:14 > 0:13:16her life could be in danger.
0:13:16 > 0:13:20It will be dark in a few hours, and below freezing.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23She's come down this track and then just hit the ice
0:13:23 > 0:13:26and then taken her right leg over
0:13:26 > 0:13:29and I think strained quite a lot of the ligaments.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31- Foodology?- I've eaten snails.- Snails?
0:13:31 > 0:13:36No, we don't tend to use them for our ankles. Isolated ankle inversion.
0:13:36 > 0:13:41Paramedic Al Day is a mountain rescue volunteer when he's off duty,
0:13:41 > 0:13:46and he knows rescuing Elaine without injuring anyone else won't be easy.
0:13:46 > 0:13:51We've got a 200 metre carry, a wall to negotiate,
0:13:51 > 0:13:54so a stretcher party basically, with a stretcher.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57The Upper Wharfdale Mountain Rescue team
0:13:57 > 0:14:00has been scrambled from its base at Grassington.
0:14:01 > 0:14:05It covers the scenery that's the backdrop to the fictional residence
0:14:05 > 0:14:08of Emmerdale, but its dangers are real.
0:14:08 > 0:14:14If anyone falls here there's nothing to stop them for 500 feet or more.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18She's had some painkillers that she had in her first aid kit,
0:14:18 > 0:14:20so well prepared, you know,
0:14:20 > 0:14:24and it's just a matter of getting her all strapped up.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27Mountain rescue will be here in a few minutes with a stretcher,
0:14:27 > 0:14:30so we'll let them do the hard work and get her onto the helicopter
0:14:30 > 0:14:33and fly her down to the hospital.
0:14:33 > 0:14:34Elaine was alone when she fell.
0:14:34 > 0:14:38Luckily a family party came across her and raised the alarm
0:14:38 > 0:14:40and they've been keeping her warm.
0:14:40 > 0:14:44I think she'd been there for about half an hour and, yes, we...
0:14:44 > 0:14:47They went down to meet the ambulance so we stayed with her
0:14:47 > 0:14:50and kept her warm. So yeah, she was getting colder.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53All I want to do is make sure you've got some nice strong painkillers
0:14:53 > 0:14:56on board before we start messing you about. And just cos you're in a bit
0:14:56 > 0:14:59of an awkward position, if you'd have stayed on the other side of the wall
0:14:59 > 0:15:03- we'd have been grand.- Can you just drop back, please?- Yeah.- Thank you.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06Helimed 99 is just 200 yards from Elaine,
0:15:06 > 0:15:10but without the proper kit it might as well be 200 miles
0:15:10 > 0:15:14in a landscape like this. Mountain Rescue can solve that problem.
0:15:14 > 0:15:18- All right, lads? How we doing? - All right?
0:15:18 > 0:15:21- Yeah, we're doing all right. - Not too bad.
0:15:21 > 0:15:23- Are you OK? Is that comfy?- Yeah.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26Hello LGI, it's James one of the paramedics on the helicopter,
0:15:26 > 0:15:27how we doing?
0:15:29 > 0:15:31Not bad, mate. We've got a bit of a problem,
0:15:31 > 0:15:34we're stuck up on the top with a lady with an isolated ankle.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36Would you be happy to accept her to yourselves?
0:15:36 > 0:15:40She wouldn't need to go into resus or anything.
0:15:40 > 0:15:42We're just in Kettlewell at the moment.
0:15:42 > 0:15:43The closest hospital is Airedale
0:15:43 > 0:15:46but obviously we struggle to land at Airedale.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49Due to the current conditions we'd prefer to come back to yourselves
0:15:49 > 0:15:51if you're happy to accept.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55Thanks to her injury she'll be watching telly at home
0:15:55 > 0:15:58rather than hiking the hills for the next few weeks.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06Elaine's got a lot in common with one of the stars
0:16:06 > 0:16:08she's likely to be watching.
0:16:08 > 0:16:13- This is Doug Poulton, actor. - Oh, not him, he's a timewaster.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15And this is Doug Poulton, patient.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18We were just having lunch, making a cup of tea, having a sandwich
0:16:18 > 0:16:20and we just started moving around
0:16:20 > 0:16:23and he just twisted his ankle on a rock.
0:16:23 > 0:16:27Kind of quite dramatic and we were kind of debating
0:16:27 > 0:16:29whether to call these guys cos it's quite embarrassing.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32But there's no way that I could get him off this hill without them,
0:16:32 > 0:16:34so that's what we had to do, unfortunately.
0:16:34 > 0:16:38Doug was out walking in the Peak District with his girlfriend
0:16:38 > 0:16:41when he turned his ankle high on a Pennine hillside.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44Mountain Rescue has come to his aid
0:16:44 > 0:16:47and Helimed 99 has been called in too.
0:16:48 > 0:16:50Following the path at the moment, although it's telling me
0:16:50 > 0:16:52it should be down to the right.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55There's some walkers down on the wall.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58Before we had the helicopters it was park as near as you could
0:16:58 > 0:17:01and then walk up there with us carrying as much gear as we could
0:17:01 > 0:17:03and then carry the patient out.
0:17:03 > 0:17:07The helicopter's just helping getting these patients out.
0:17:07 > 0:17:09A little bumpy here, guys.
0:17:11 > 0:17:13I took my boot off and put it back on again,
0:17:13 > 0:17:16it started swelling all the way round the back and the ankle.
0:17:16 > 0:17:21- Did it look deformed when you took your boot off?- It did, yes.
0:17:21 > 0:17:22It was all massive on either side.
0:17:22 > 0:17:24Swelled ankle and then round the back.
0:17:24 > 0:17:26And you can't put any weight on it at all?
0:17:26 > 0:17:29- I can put weight as long as it's straight down.- Is it hurting now?
0:17:29 > 0:17:31It's throbbing, yeah.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34When he first hurt his foot I was quite worried,
0:17:34 > 0:17:36but now he's quite calm so it's OK.
0:17:36 > 0:17:38But there was a moment where we didn't know what
0:17:38 > 0:17:40- we were going to do. - SHE LAUGHS
0:17:41 > 0:17:44We just stopped for lunch by these rocks here
0:17:44 > 0:17:47and these are new boots and they're a bit uncomfortable,
0:17:47 > 0:17:50so I just unhooked them, the top three loops
0:17:50 > 0:17:53and I was just eating lunch, not looking where I was going
0:17:53 > 0:17:57and just stepped down awkwardly onto a rock, and that was it,
0:17:57 > 0:17:59I just heard it go pop.
0:17:59 > 0:18:03Then plan is we're going to pop him on the vacuum splint
0:18:03 > 0:18:06and then hop him up the hill to the awaiting aircraft, over.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09There's a gentleman just coming down from Mountain Rescue.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12He's got a vacuum splint and that provides a lot more stability
0:18:12 > 0:18:16for the ankle when it goes on than the splints we carry.
0:18:16 > 0:18:17They're much better, really.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20So we'll put that on and we'll see if Doug can manage between us
0:18:20 > 0:18:23to get back up to the helicopter and whisk him off to hospital.
0:18:23 > 0:18:27Doug's not used to playing the role of casualty,
0:18:27 > 0:18:30he's usually the hard man in series like Sherlock,
0:18:30 > 0:18:33and this couldn't have come at a worse time.
0:18:33 > 0:18:35He's filming a film called Closed
0:18:35 > 0:18:38and he's supposed to have a fight scene with Eric Banner next week.
0:18:38 > 0:18:42Not sure how they're going to do that if he's got a broken ankle.
0:18:42 > 0:18:43SHE LAUGHS
0:18:44 > 0:18:46OK now, nice and steady, chaps.
0:18:46 > 0:18:51He's done loads of TV work, so Sherlock, lots of gangster movies.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54That's why it's funny when they said he's an actor to these guys,
0:18:54 > 0:18:57they were like, "Are you sure it's really hurting or are you acting?"
0:18:57 > 0:18:58SHE LAUGHS
0:18:58 > 0:19:02Doug's flown to hospital in Sheffield for treatment,
0:19:02 > 0:19:05which is so successful that a few days later
0:19:05 > 0:19:07he films his fight with Eric Banner,
0:19:07 > 0:19:10with the help of a lot of painkillers.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18For thousands of people living in rural Yorkshire
0:19:18 > 0:19:22the Helimed team is a lifeline, and today Countryfile
0:19:22 > 0:19:24is featuring its work.
0:19:24 > 0:19:28Presenter Matt Baker, who grew up on a Pennine hill farm himself,
0:19:28 > 0:19:31knows how vital an air ambulance is.
0:19:31 > 0:19:33Here we are on the top of this crag here and you would think,
0:19:33 > 0:19:37"How inaccessible," and then all of a sudden you get these boys
0:19:37 > 0:19:40just dropping in behind you. You know, it just fills you
0:19:40 > 0:19:42with confidence, even just watching it go through, you know,
0:19:42 > 0:19:46the lads arrive, bosh bosh, straight into it, and then before you know it,
0:19:46 > 0:19:49you know, the perfect treatment, and then off to the necessary place.
0:19:50 > 0:19:52And many people living in the countryside
0:19:52 > 0:19:54share Matt's opinion of the service.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58Helimed 98's been called to a farm near York
0:19:58 > 0:20:01where there's been a serious accident.
0:20:01 > 0:20:06We've got a farm worker that's been trapped briefly underneath the wheels
0:20:06 > 0:20:07of his combine harvester.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10On this farm near the north Yorkshire village of Slingsby
0:20:10 > 0:20:14Steve Johnston was helping to unload this combine harvester
0:20:14 > 0:20:17when it rolled backwards, crushing his chest.
0:20:17 > 0:20:21It was jammed in gear and the patient got underneath
0:20:21 > 0:20:24to do something, and before we realised what had happened
0:20:24 > 0:20:28he released it and it rolled back onto him and trapped him.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31A local paramedic was quickly on scene.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34He has managed to piece together what happened.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37It's got caught in here. So he's gone behind here,
0:20:37 > 0:20:40- gone into the back to lean across. - OK.
0:20:40 > 0:20:44And the tyre's gone down onto his right side.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46So he's been in your position?
0:20:46 > 0:20:48Yeah, he's been like that and the tyre's got caught.
0:20:48 > 0:20:49Right, and trapped him.
0:20:49 > 0:20:54Dave was in the cab and he heard him shout same as I did,
0:20:54 > 0:20:57and I was round the other side. I just physically got a hold of the wheel
0:20:57 > 0:21:00and wheeled it forward and he was able to release himself.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03It'll weigh about six or seven tonnes.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05Not a very pleasant experience.
0:21:05 > 0:21:07Hi, Steve, where abouts is your pain, buddy?
0:21:09 > 0:21:13- Looks like it's slightly in there, doesn't it?- Yeah.- Right.
0:21:13 > 0:21:14Take a big deep breath in for me.
0:21:14 > 0:21:16Steve was helped into the farmhouse kitchen
0:21:16 > 0:21:19where he is now flat out on the floor.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22Usually when I go to farms and deal with people that work on farms
0:21:22 > 0:21:27they're hard as nails and when they say they've got very little pain
0:21:27 > 0:21:30to the likes of me and Daryl, it'd probably make us cry,
0:21:30 > 0:21:35you know what I mean? So, don't be brave, be honest, OK?
0:21:35 > 0:21:40We can give you things to take that pain away, right, we carry morphine.
0:21:40 > 0:21:44We've called for the helicopter cos we feel that he had reduced air entry right-sideed
0:21:44 > 0:21:48so we felt he needed a rapid transportation to the hospital.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51I'm going to ask you to take as deep a breath as you can
0:21:51 > 0:21:54without causing yourself too much pain, when I say. I'll just go,
0:21:54 > 0:21:56"in and out," through your mouth for me, OK.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59Just breathe in...and out.
0:21:59 > 0:22:03Glen's examination confirms the local paramedic's suspicions.
0:22:03 > 0:22:07One of their patient's lungs is not fully inflating.
0:22:07 > 0:22:09In...and out.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12Yeah, that's good. Yeah, you're right, it's reduced there.
0:22:12 > 0:22:16It's still getting air into it but it is reduced. Quite right.
0:22:16 > 0:22:17Steve has a punctured lung,
0:22:17 > 0:22:20apparently caused by several broken ribs.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25Right, you're in control of your pain, we can be here for support.
0:22:25 > 0:22:26If it's too painful, say.
0:22:26 > 0:22:30If I start pushing and pulling on you I'm going to cause more pain.
0:22:30 > 0:22:33- Bend your legs.- I'll be all right from here on my own.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36Yeah, that's fine. We're just here for support.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42With Steve's injuries isolated to his chest,
0:22:42 > 0:22:45there is no need to fully immobilise him.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49The paramedics have done all they can for now.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51Steve has been given some pain relief,
0:22:51 > 0:22:53but he desperately needs further treatment
0:22:53 > 0:22:55and examination in hospital.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58Did you hear anything go pop when it hit you?
0:22:58 > 0:23:02- I heard some crunching. - You heard some crunching? OK.
0:23:02 > 0:23:07He's scoring his pain at the moment. He's at seven out of ten.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10He's just had some morphine so we're going to see how that goes.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13Hopefully it'll settle his pain down a little bit.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15We're just going to pop him off to York District Hospital.
0:23:19 > 0:23:23Doctors later confirm that Steve has fractured several ribs,
0:23:23 > 0:23:24but is otherwise unharmed.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30And the air ambulance paramedics are soon able to return
0:23:30 > 0:23:34to their part time roles as TV extras.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38Helimed 99 starring there and I'm pleased to say
0:23:38 > 0:23:41all its real casualties are on the mend.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56Now, let's return to the North York Moors where Dr Simon is concerned
0:23:56 > 0:24:00about the condition of a biker with terrible facial injuries.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05In the market town of Helmsley, bikers are beginning to head home
0:24:05 > 0:24:08after yet another accident involving a rider
0:24:08 > 0:24:12on the notorious route north to Teesside.
0:24:13 > 0:24:17Helimed 99, we've just lifted and are headed towards York.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19ETA approximately ten minutes, over.
0:24:20 > 0:24:24Andy Broxham from Hull is on his way to hospital in York
0:24:24 > 0:24:27on board Helimed 99 and the team is concerned.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33He's a lucky fella, this one, isn't he?
0:24:33 > 0:24:36He rolled him on his back, he was just going to move straight away, I think.
0:24:36 > 0:24:41The only reason he's still alive is cos he was prone when we got there, I think.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43Andy's having difficulty breathing
0:24:43 > 0:24:47because of the severe facial injuries he suffered in a collision with a lorry.
0:24:47 > 0:24:52Surgeons at York District Hospital are preparing to operate.
0:24:52 > 0:24:56At the same time, police from Hull rush Andy's wife 40 miles to York
0:24:56 > 0:24:58to be at his side.
0:24:59 > 0:25:01She's told he's not expected to survive.
0:25:04 > 0:25:08OK, John, you all right there? OK, and the rest of the way.
0:25:08 > 0:25:10One, two, three, lift.
0:25:10 > 0:25:11Beautiful.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14Andy's skull is broken in so many places,
0:25:14 > 0:25:18facial surgeons have to rebuild his nose, jaw and airway.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23He has countless operations, but with the medical team's skill
0:25:23 > 0:25:27and his own will to survive, just two months later
0:25:27 > 0:25:31the team at air ambulance HQ are waiting for a special visitor.
0:25:32 > 0:25:34Obviously we're quite apprehensive.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37The last time we saw Andy he was in a very bad way.
0:25:37 > 0:25:39His face was horrendous, really.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43- Hello.- How you doing, you must be Andy.- I am. You must be James.
0:25:43 > 0:25:44It's a pleasure to meet you, how are you?
0:25:44 > 0:25:47It's a pleasure to meet you, I'll tell you that.
0:25:47 > 0:25:49Absolutely, how's the face? You're looking 100% better
0:25:49 > 0:25:52- than when I saw you last time.- Yeah. I've looked worse.
0:25:52 > 0:25:53You looked worse when I saw you.
0:25:53 > 0:25:57- I think I look better, actually. - Have they improved how it was before?
0:25:57 > 0:25:58Oh, yeah.
0:25:59 > 0:26:01Andy has little recollection of the accident
0:26:01 > 0:26:03that changed his life for ever.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06He and his wife Angela want to understand what happened.
0:26:06 > 0:26:11- I'm going to watch it, yes.- At any stage just say and we'll stop it.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13You'd come round that corner and been thrown.
0:26:13 > 0:26:18- There was a policeman who was driving behind, wasn't there?- Yeah.
0:26:18 > 0:26:20He put you into a position where,
0:26:20 > 0:26:24we think initially you were face down and he rolled you over.
0:26:24 > 0:26:28He shouldn't be here today, you know, the impact was severe enough
0:26:28 > 0:26:31to cause him a massive head injury and a cerebral bleed
0:26:31 > 0:26:35or snap his neck.
0:26:35 > 0:26:39- Did you hurt your wrist as well?- I hurt my thumb.- Your thumb, that was it. Cos every time you went quiet
0:26:39 > 0:26:42we tweaked your thumb. THEY LAUGH
0:26:42 > 0:26:44Cos it was the only thing that kept you awake.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47That's the tricks of the trade.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50It was easy cos I could just hold your hand while we were in the flight
0:26:50 > 0:26:53and every time you went a bit quiet we just gave your thumb a little tweak.
0:26:53 > 0:26:58'The only reason he's still alive is cos he was prone when we got there, I think.'
0:26:58 > 0:27:01When you look at the footage and you look at what happened
0:27:01 > 0:27:06and my injuries, it's quite amazing really.
0:27:06 > 0:27:11But for Andy and Angela another ordeal is just around the corner.
0:27:11 > 0:27:15The start of surgery to give him back his face.
0:27:15 > 0:27:17It will be long and painful.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29The emergency services are used to working together,
0:27:29 > 0:27:33but sometimes the priorities of one conflict with another.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36Paramedics want their patient in hospital as quickly as possible,
0:27:36 > 0:27:41but often the fire service has to balance speed with safety.
0:27:41 > 0:27:45On a major road in east Yorkshire, fire officers are carefully
0:27:45 > 0:27:48weighing their options as the Helimed team
0:27:48 > 0:27:52struggles to free the driver of this 14-wheeled lorry.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55It's feared trucker John Harvey from Hull has fractured his spine
0:27:55 > 0:27:58but his isn't the only life at stake here.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01Sorry, John, we're just gonna have to get this collar in place
0:28:01 > 0:28:03and then...there we go.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06The driver's in great pain.
0:28:06 > 0:28:08He could have a serious spinal injury,
0:28:08 > 0:28:14so before they move him they must put on a back brace called a KED.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17The corset's coming round you now, OK?
0:28:17 > 0:28:20What I need to do is just get access. That's grand, there we go.
0:28:21 > 0:28:24The KED is to keep his neck and back straight.
0:28:24 > 0:28:26He is complaining of some back pain
0:28:26 > 0:28:28and he's also got some pains in his chest.
0:28:30 > 0:28:33The lorry is fully loaded with bags of plaster.
0:28:33 > 0:28:35Fire officers believe the weight of its cargo
0:28:35 > 0:28:38is stopping the tractor unit from slipping further into the ditch.
0:28:40 > 0:28:43If it does move, the driver's rescuers will be crushed.
0:28:43 > 0:28:45We've made an assessment with the police
0:28:45 > 0:28:47and they're an expert in that area.
0:28:47 > 0:28:49They're happy that it's absolutely solid,
0:28:49 > 0:28:52so we've got a good stable working platform to perform the rescue.
0:28:53 > 0:28:55Firefighters have removed the windscreen
0:28:55 > 0:28:58so John can be slid straight from his cab.
0:28:58 > 0:29:01You'll probably feel a bit unsteady at first,
0:29:01 > 0:29:04but we've got you, we're going to support you, all right?
0:29:04 > 0:29:06- Nice and steady.- Nice and steady, good.
0:29:06 > 0:29:08Try and bring that right leg when you get a chance.
0:29:10 > 0:29:13Right, can you get that right leg and bring it towards your left leg.
0:29:13 > 0:29:17- That's smashing.- Put it straight down there, that's super.
0:29:17 > 0:29:20This is a delicate operation.
0:29:20 > 0:29:24In this confined space, the team needs the patient to help himself.
0:29:24 > 0:29:27- Put your feet out.- Let your weight go, mate. Just let your weight go.
0:29:27 > 0:29:31- Bring yourself down.- That's it. - Lower it down. Well done.- That's it.
0:29:31 > 0:29:33Put your foot out straight in front of you.
0:29:33 > 0:29:36- That's it, grand.- Bring this left hand forward, John.
0:29:36 > 0:29:38- Keep coming down.- That's it.
0:29:42 > 0:29:44John is out at last,
0:29:44 > 0:29:48strapped to a rigid spinal stretcher to protect his back.
0:29:48 > 0:29:51But carrying him out of the ditch won't be easy.
0:29:53 > 0:29:58- Right, John, how's your pain now, mate?- Eight out of ten.- Say again?
0:29:58 > 0:30:01- What are you scoring it, still eight, something like that?- Yeah.
0:30:01 > 0:30:04- OK.- I think it's in me back.- OK.
0:30:04 > 0:30:08I'll give you some more painkillers in a second, OK.
0:30:08 > 0:30:12He's still complaining about a lot of chest pain, pain in his back.
0:30:12 > 0:30:14So could be he's fractured some ribs,
0:30:14 > 0:30:18maybe his scapula, the shoulder blade.
0:30:18 > 0:30:21Obviously we're concerned he may be bleeding into his chest.
0:30:21 > 0:30:24If John does have a spinal injury,
0:30:24 > 0:30:28his rescuers can not afford the slightest jolt to the stretcher.
0:30:28 > 0:30:32Firefighters are clearing the way to Helimed 99.
0:30:32 > 0:30:35Keep coming, mate.
0:30:35 > 0:30:39The nearest hospital is in York, ten miles away.
0:30:39 > 0:30:41But whilst John's been trapped in his lorry
0:30:41 > 0:30:46there's been another multiple car crash nearby, and A&E is very busy.
0:30:46 > 0:30:49He's being flown to another trauma unit instead.
0:30:49 > 0:30:52Taking him to the Leeds General Infirmary,
0:30:52 > 0:30:56which is a major trauma centre for us round here.
0:30:58 > 0:31:00With the potential injuries he's got
0:31:00 > 0:31:02that's the most suitable hospital for him.
0:31:03 > 0:31:07After arriving at hospital, John is taken to intensive care.
0:31:07 > 0:31:11For the next three days he is kept in an induced coma.
0:31:11 > 0:31:15His body is allowed time to recover ahead of a series of scans
0:31:15 > 0:31:17that reveal the full extent of his injuries.
0:31:19 > 0:31:23Ten days later and his memory is beginning to return.
0:31:24 > 0:31:28I can remember coming into the hospital on the air ambulance
0:31:28 > 0:31:31but I can't remember actually going into any wards,
0:31:31 > 0:31:34and obviously they were filling me full of drugs, so...
0:31:34 > 0:31:38The next thing I knew I woke up about three days later.
0:31:38 > 0:31:42Two breaks in my spine, a punctured lung
0:31:42 > 0:31:46and I believe between 10 and 12 broken ribs.
0:31:46 > 0:31:49Andy thinks climbing into an upturned lorry cab,
0:31:49 > 0:31:53even for a paramedic, is above and beyond the call of duty.
0:31:53 > 0:31:57He jumped straight in the cab and he started treating me straight away,
0:31:57 > 0:32:00I couldn't fault him whatsoever.
0:32:00 > 0:32:03All right, John? Going to get you some feeling back in your legs now.
0:32:03 > 0:32:06He was just on the ball, he was doing the job.
0:32:06 > 0:32:09And I think they actually saved my life.
0:32:09 > 0:32:13John had been driving HGVs all his adult life,
0:32:13 > 0:32:18and despite his injuries, he says that's not going to stop.
0:32:18 > 0:32:20I will definitely drive again, yes, of course I will.
0:32:20 > 0:32:23It's just in your blood.
0:32:23 > 0:32:25You try to leave it but you can't, you get itchy feet,
0:32:25 > 0:32:28you want to get back on the road again.
0:32:28 > 0:32:30Any lorry driver will tell you that.
0:32:36 > 0:32:39Engineering workers have a dangerous occupation.
0:32:39 > 0:32:42They're up to ten times more likely to be killed at work
0:32:42 > 0:32:45than people with ordinary factory jobs.
0:32:45 > 0:32:48And accidents usually involve machinery.
0:32:51 > 0:32:55The team's heading back to the scene of Richard Hammond's rescue today.
0:32:55 > 0:32:59In 2006 the Top Gear star crashed his rocket car
0:32:59 > 0:33:03on this former air base at Elvington, near York.
0:33:03 > 0:33:07Paramedic Pete Vallance was one of the crew which saved his life.
0:33:07 > 0:33:10But today's emergency is rather more mundane.
0:33:11 > 0:33:15We've got reports that someone's got their hand trapped in some machinery.
0:33:15 > 0:33:19We believe it's a drill. At this stage their hand is still trapped.
0:33:19 > 0:33:23We don't know the size of the drill or the extent of the injuries.
0:33:23 > 0:33:26So we're heading over there now.
0:33:26 > 0:33:30Timeframe, we're looking at about ten minutes.
0:33:30 > 0:33:32In this steel fabrication workshop,
0:33:32 > 0:33:35machinist Kevin Fletcher has injured himself.
0:33:35 > 0:33:39Loose clothing became tangled in a large industrial drill,
0:33:39 > 0:33:40pulling in his hand.
0:33:45 > 0:33:48Helimed 98 overhead scene, landing now, over.
0:33:48 > 0:33:52A local paramedic has made quick work of freeing Kevin
0:33:52 > 0:33:54from the machinery.
0:33:54 > 0:33:58We've got both bones extended. Completely out, snapped.
0:33:58 > 0:34:00It's just there, they're still coming out there
0:34:00 > 0:34:03but I've wrapped it, the guy feels faint when he sees it.
0:34:03 > 0:34:05Good circulation in his fingers so far.
0:34:05 > 0:34:06There wasn't when I first got here.
0:34:06 > 0:34:08Moved it across and now there's good circulation.
0:34:08 > 0:34:11Kevin has come close to severing his own arm.
0:34:11 > 0:34:14The work the paramedic has done to restore circulation
0:34:14 > 0:34:18means that the chances of him retaining a working limb
0:34:18 > 0:34:19are much improved.
0:34:19 > 0:34:23Can you hold that in your teeth while you're doing that?
0:34:23 > 0:34:26Can I just have one of you guys round here to hold this?
0:34:26 > 0:34:28If you stand over that shoulder.
0:34:28 > 0:34:32Just hold the entonox for him while we get at this arm.
0:34:32 > 0:34:34You just put that one out for me.
0:34:34 > 0:34:38Our hands and arms are among the most complex parts of the body.
0:34:38 > 0:34:41Dozens of bones, tendons and joints
0:34:41 > 0:34:44that give humans incredible dexterity.
0:34:44 > 0:34:47Injuries like Kevin's can lead to severe disability.
0:34:48 > 0:34:51The good news is that now circulation has been restored
0:34:51 > 0:34:55he still has feeling in his hands and he can move his fingers.
0:34:56 > 0:34:59He can feel all his fingers.
0:34:59 > 0:35:02- His little one's starting to feel a little bit numb.- OK.
0:35:03 > 0:35:05How bad's that pain at the moment, then?
0:35:08 > 0:35:11What are we thinking at the moment with the pain?
0:35:11 > 0:35:13Getting a bit stiff, me arm is now.
0:35:13 > 0:35:16The lower portion of Kevin's arm is now only attached
0:35:16 > 0:35:18by a thin layer of flesh.
0:35:18 > 0:35:21Even for this tough Yorkshire man there is a point
0:35:21 > 0:35:24when it's time for something stronger.
0:35:24 > 0:35:27- Giving you some morphine, all right? Have you had that before?- No.
0:35:28 > 0:35:31Sometimes with people they might get a bit of itching up their arm,
0:35:31 > 0:35:32that's perfectly normal,
0:35:32 > 0:35:35and you might just get a rush where you think you're a little bit dizzy,
0:35:35 > 0:35:40but it'll wear off and become a nicer sort of relaxing feeling, yeah?
0:35:42 > 0:35:45Talk me through it. If you start to feel..
0:35:46 > 0:35:49..any worse that that, let me know, OK?
0:35:49 > 0:35:52Pete's just given him some pain relief.
0:35:52 > 0:35:54It looks like he's got an open fracture
0:35:54 > 0:35:57to his wrist from this machinery.
0:35:57 > 0:35:59The paramedic that was first on the scene
0:35:59 > 0:36:01has already dressed the wound
0:36:01 > 0:36:03and said he didn't actually
0:36:03 > 0:36:05have any circulation when he actually got here,
0:36:05 > 0:36:08but he's manipulated it slightly and now we've got a good pulse
0:36:08 > 0:36:12and a good circulation distally to the injury.
0:36:12 > 0:36:15- Take a deep breath. Feel me touching you there?- Yeah.- OK.
0:36:15 > 0:36:18With Kevin's pain in check, he can now be moved.
0:36:18 > 0:36:22Just ease yourself back. Ease yourself, that's great.
0:36:22 > 0:36:24Push your bum way back.
0:36:24 > 0:36:28Elvington to Leeds is 30 miles.
0:36:28 > 0:36:32In the chopper that will take just under 15 minutes.
0:36:32 > 0:36:35Here surgeons will attempt to reconstruct his shattered bones
0:36:35 > 0:36:37and torn skin.
0:36:38 > 0:36:43After only a few days in hospital Kevin is well on his way to recovery.
0:36:43 > 0:36:46He has undergone surgery to fix the broken bones
0:36:46 > 0:36:48and tomorrow he will have a skin graft.
0:36:48 > 0:36:51The moment he realised things had gone drastically wrong
0:36:51 > 0:36:53is still fresh in his memory.
0:36:53 > 0:36:57It just clicked on the overalls and wrapped the overalls
0:36:57 > 0:36:59and then sort of took my hand with it.
0:37:01 > 0:37:05And then...you heard this crunch.
0:37:07 > 0:37:09That's when I saw the bone come.
0:37:09 > 0:37:13Even for seasoned paramedics, people's pain thresholds
0:37:13 > 0:37:15can be a source of surprise.
0:37:15 > 0:37:18But keeping a smile on his face after watching his own arm snap
0:37:18 > 0:37:23in front of him must make Kevin one of the air ambulance's toughest customers.
0:37:23 > 0:37:26There was no point screaming and shouting. It's done and done, isn't it?
0:37:26 > 0:37:30So I just grinned and beared it.
0:37:39 > 0:37:42Plastic surgery is a multi-million pound business,
0:37:42 > 0:37:45but it's not all about brow-lifts or a bit of nip and tuck.
0:37:45 > 0:37:48People with facial injuries rely on the surgeon's skill
0:37:48 > 0:37:50to give them their lives back.
0:37:50 > 0:37:53And biker Andy Broxham is one of them.
0:38:03 > 0:38:07Just six months after the bike crash that almost killed him,
0:38:07 > 0:38:12Andy's deep in the Yorkshire Dales, halfway through a coast to coast bike ride
0:38:12 > 0:38:15to raise money for the Helimed team.
0:38:15 > 0:38:20We're doing the Way of the Roses, 170 miles all uphill.
0:38:20 > 0:38:22Easy.
0:38:22 > 0:38:25The cyclists include two colleagues who were with Andy
0:38:25 > 0:38:27the day he crashed.
0:38:27 > 0:38:31It's given him something to focus on, organising things
0:38:31 > 0:38:36and getting everybody ready for it and planning meetings and everything.
0:38:36 > 0:38:39He's a strong character. I didn't realise how strong he is.
0:38:39 > 0:38:41I think he's got more operations to go
0:38:41 > 0:38:44but I think he's going to be all right, it's a big relief.
0:38:45 > 0:38:51It's taken a lot of organising. Andy's driving the support vehicle.
0:38:51 > 0:38:54He sees the whole trip as part of his rehabilitation.
0:38:56 > 0:39:00Everybody at work has been absolutely fantastic.
0:39:00 > 0:39:04And for them to do this, really, they're doing it for me.
0:39:04 > 0:39:06It's very humbling. I can't thank them enough.
0:39:16 > 0:39:20Two days, 100 miles and many steep hills later,
0:39:20 > 0:39:24Andy and his wife Angela have arrived at the finish point,
0:39:24 > 0:39:27and on cue, his cycle team.
0:39:28 > 0:39:31Yay! Oh, you're here.
0:39:31 > 0:39:33- Good to see you.- Nice one.
0:39:35 > 0:39:38Andy doesn't realise but there's also a surprise visitor
0:39:38 > 0:39:42to welcome him and the team to Bridlington.
0:39:42 > 0:39:45Sergeant Nick Walmsley made the call that made the difference
0:39:45 > 0:39:47between life and death.
0:39:47 > 0:39:50You look a darned sight better than the last time I saw you, I tell you.
0:39:50 > 0:39:54- Yeah. A lot of people say that. - Absolutely brilliant.
0:39:54 > 0:39:57'Of all these people that helped me survive'
0:39:57 > 0:39:59I think Nick is the one that made the biggest difference.
0:39:59 > 0:40:03I knew the area cos I've used the air ambulance on many occasions.
0:40:03 > 0:40:05If you're stuck out there in the middle of nowhere
0:40:05 > 0:40:08they're the lads and lasses that can get there quickest.
0:40:08 > 0:40:12'What a resilient man. What a strength of character.
0:40:12 > 0:40:15'It's a terrible, terrible ordeal to try and get through'
0:40:15 > 0:40:19and if it wasn't for the largeness of the man, not just in frame
0:40:19 > 0:40:24but also in spirit, it could've been a very different story.
0:40:24 > 0:40:26Andy and his team of cycling work colleagues
0:40:26 > 0:40:29raised the money they wanted for the air ambulance.
0:40:29 > 0:40:32But with that job done, there's another target
0:40:32 > 0:40:34that'll mean going back to hospital.
0:40:35 > 0:40:38I know I'm not going to look perfect, I didn't before.
0:40:38 > 0:40:40I know I'm not going to look anything like,
0:40:40 > 0:40:44but I just want to be able to eat and chew.
0:40:45 > 0:40:49Once I can do that I can start eating proper things.
0:40:49 > 0:40:51That's all I ask for. That's all I want.
0:40:55 > 0:40:58A few weeks later, at Hull Royal Infirmary
0:40:58 > 0:41:01Andy is at the beginning of the next stage.
0:41:01 > 0:41:03Reconstruction.
0:41:03 > 0:41:06I keep thinking that I should be nervous, but I'm not.
0:41:06 > 0:41:10I'm sort of more excited to get on with it.
0:41:10 > 0:41:13I'm just saying, you know, bring it on.
0:41:13 > 0:41:16Two isolated screws...
0:41:16 > 0:41:20I was looking at some pictures the other day and, you know,
0:41:20 > 0:41:23obviously I look different but my face is rounder
0:41:23 > 0:41:27and just looks like a completely different person.
0:41:27 > 0:41:29Andy's op will last three hours.
0:41:31 > 0:41:34The team of surgeons must remove these metal plates
0:41:34 > 0:41:38put in to patch the broken bones together.
0:41:38 > 0:41:43It takes longer than expected, but Andy's surgeon is optimistic.
0:41:43 > 0:41:45I think his mood is lifting at the moment.
0:41:45 > 0:41:50I think his life back on track and I think that we've just got to do
0:41:50 > 0:41:53what we can do to continue to improve his look, really.
0:41:53 > 0:41:56I don't think there's a quick fix.
0:41:57 > 0:42:00And Andy is prepared to wait.
0:42:00 > 0:42:02He knows he's lucky to be alive.
0:42:04 > 0:42:06And I'm pleased to say Andy and his workmates
0:42:06 > 0:42:09are planning more fundraising events for the helicopter paramedics
0:42:09 > 0:42:11who saved his life.
0:42:20 > 0:42:23Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd