Episode 10

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0:00:03 > 0:00:06When the people of rural Yorkshire dial 999,

0:00:06 > 0:00:09help can be a long time coming.

0:00:09 > 0:00:12The Yorkshire Dales are as beautiful as they are big,

0:00:12 > 0:00:16but if you're seriously injured in a landscape as gigantic as this,

0:00:16 > 0:00:18your life is on the line.

0:00:19 > 0:00:22But in the remotest parts of Britain's biggest county,

0:00:22 > 0:00:27- they look to the skies for help. - Look on your left.

0:00:27 > 0:00:30Can you get in that grass field on your left? Go for that.

0:00:30 > 0:00:34From high drama in the Peaks to high waters in the Dales,

0:00:34 > 0:00:38the Helimed team's at the heart of almost every rescue,

0:00:38 > 0:00:42bringing 21st-century medicine to some of Britain's

0:00:42 > 0:00:46most isolated communities, and saving lives against the odds.

0:00:54 > 0:00:56Today on Helicopter Heroes,

0:00:56 > 0:01:00the team flies in to help with a first aider who became a life-saver.

0:01:00 > 0:01:02Eric? Eric? Eric!

0:01:03 > 0:01:07If I hadn't known what to do, Eric wouldn't be here today.

0:01:07 > 0:01:09Thank you isn't enough.

0:01:09 > 0:01:12There's a race against the tide

0:01:12 > 0:01:14to save a little girl hurt at the seaside.

0:01:14 > 0:01:17It's going to be under water in about 15, 20 minutes.

0:01:17 > 0:01:22- We're going to get you sorted, OK? - And the biker who broke 43 bones.

0:01:22 > 0:01:25I heard the bang and he come flying over the top.

0:01:25 > 0:01:28He's had quite a significant impact into this car which has turned

0:01:28 > 0:01:31right, and he's been ejected and landed in this place.

0:01:38 > 0:01:42It takes years of training to qualify as a paramedic, but a few

0:01:42 > 0:01:47hours in a classroom can be enough to teach you how to save a life.

0:01:47 > 0:01:50And every day, the Helimed team meets ordinary members of the public

0:01:50 > 0:01:54who've put first-aid lessons into action.

0:01:56 > 0:01:58It takes just two minutes

0:01:58 > 0:02:00for the Helimed team to be ready for take off.

0:02:01 > 0:02:06Engage, three greens. It's a normal 950 on the fuel.

0:02:06 > 0:02:10But if you are alone and in cardiac arrest,

0:02:10 > 0:02:13it's probably already too late to save you.

0:02:13 > 0:02:14We've got a crew request

0:02:14 > 0:02:17in a power station in Doncaster, South Yorkshire,

0:02:17 > 0:02:19for a male who's in cardiac arrest.

0:02:19 > 0:02:21Could be that the patient's been electrocuted

0:02:21 > 0:02:23or a myocardial heart problem.

0:02:25 > 0:02:27Thanks to a colleague trained to use CPR,

0:02:27 > 0:02:31the team's patient still has a chance.

0:02:31 > 0:02:37- RADIO:- "Just an update from scene. Patient has had a return of ROSC."

0:02:37 > 0:02:42Good lad, well done. Well done.

0:02:43 > 0:02:48It's great news. ROSC means "return of spontaneous circulation".

0:02:48 > 0:02:52Fewer than 5% of people given CPR survive,

0:02:52 > 0:02:55and this patient's just become one of them.

0:02:55 > 0:02:58Can you just confirm if the patient's packaged on a scoop?

0:02:59 > 0:03:02But the team knows he's also likely to arrest again

0:03:02 > 0:03:06if he doesn't receive prompt hospital treatment.

0:03:06 > 0:03:09- Eric?- Eric?- Eric!

0:03:09 > 0:03:1355-year-old demolition worker Eric Wells is lucky to be alive.

0:03:13 > 0:03:17If it weren't for his colleague Sean Hewitt, he would have died.

0:03:17 > 0:03:19Well, he were sat over there.

0:03:19 > 0:03:22Kept going hot, cold, hot, cold, laid on the floor.

0:03:22 > 0:03:25And then he got back up. I said, are you all right?

0:03:25 > 0:03:27Not much response.

0:03:27 > 0:03:31Then he come into the cabin, and then he started to rub his chest.

0:03:31 > 0:03:35And that's where he collapsed in the chair.

0:03:35 > 0:03:38And obviously we laid him down. Dean rung for the ambulance,

0:03:38 > 0:03:41and I started to proceed with CPR.

0:03:41 > 0:03:43Because he was really, really struggling for breathing.

0:03:43 > 0:03:46He was cold, and everything else. So I just started CPR straightaway.

0:03:46 > 0:03:50Just relax. We've got your colleagues here. It's the ambulance service.

0:03:50 > 0:03:52We're going to need to keep him as flat as we can, all right?

0:03:52 > 0:03:55So we're going to go straight out onto the ambulance.

0:03:55 > 0:03:58Eric is partially conscious, and his heart rate is very weak.

0:03:59 > 0:04:02All right, guys. Ready, steady, lift!

0:04:03 > 0:04:06Eric, just relax your head back.

0:04:08 > 0:04:13Sean has been trained in first aid by the St John Ambulance,

0:04:13 > 0:04:16and this is not the first time he has saved someone's life.

0:04:16 > 0:04:21The second time I had to use it was in a car accident when a woman

0:04:21 > 0:04:23got completely smashed by a tree,

0:04:23 > 0:04:25straight through the side of the car.

0:04:25 > 0:04:28Only the second time that I've had to use it, but it's come in handy.

0:04:28 > 0:04:32As long as he's all right, that's all we're bothered about. So.

0:04:32 > 0:04:33I'd do it for anyone.

0:04:35 > 0:04:38How's that? Is that better for your head?

0:04:38 > 0:04:41Cheers, boys, thanks very much. Appreciated.

0:04:41 > 0:04:46Helimed 98 is ready to leave, but Eric's not out of the woods yet.

0:04:46 > 0:04:48He appears confused.

0:04:48 > 0:04:51Victims of heart attacks can suffer brain damage

0:04:51 > 0:04:55- as a result of lack of oxygen. - Just relax, relax.

0:04:55 > 0:04:58The team wants to get him to the Northern General Hospital

0:04:58 > 0:05:04- in Sheffield as quickly as possible. - Eric! Eric, keep still.

0:05:04 > 0:05:07We don't want him kicking his foot about.

0:05:07 > 0:05:11I'm just go to try and slip him through. That's it. Eric.

0:05:11 > 0:05:16We are the ambulance service. Just keep still, please.

0:05:16 > 0:05:19We're trying to help you out. You had a heart attack.

0:05:19 > 0:05:22- Are you all right in the back? - Eric is very agitated.

0:05:22 > 0:05:25It's a common symptom of patients whose brains have been

0:05:25 > 0:05:28starved of oxygen, and it's not a good sign.

0:05:29 > 0:05:33At 1,000 feet, restraining him is all the paramedics can do.

0:05:37 > 0:05:41He's pulled his line out, so watch yourselves on the blood. Keep still.

0:05:41 > 0:05:44Keep still.

0:05:45 > 0:05:47All right, guys?

0:05:47 > 0:05:50He became very combative, trying to wiggle his legs out,

0:05:50 > 0:05:51his arms were punching.

0:05:51 > 0:05:54We literally had to lay on top of him just to hold him down

0:05:54 > 0:05:56and keep everything safe.

0:05:56 > 0:05:58Just get him up there and see what happens.

0:05:58 > 0:06:02A cardiac arrest can cause irreparable damage to the heart.

0:06:03 > 0:06:07In the next ten minutes, the doctors will X-ray Eric and begin surgery

0:06:07 > 0:06:11to open out the blocked blood vessels that caused his attack.

0:06:13 > 0:06:16His long-term outlook will take longer to emerge.

0:06:22 > 0:06:27When the sun shines, North Yorkshire is a perfect holiday hotspot.

0:06:27 > 0:06:30Shielded from the worst of the weather by the Pennines,

0:06:30 > 0:06:34parts of the county are actually as dry as North Africa.

0:06:34 > 0:06:38But locals will tell you you can also experience

0:06:38 > 0:06:42four seasons in one day here, and today is one of those days.

0:06:42 > 0:06:45- It doesn't help with this rain. - Not at all.

0:06:46 > 0:06:49Helimed 99 is fighting the weather to reach a badly injured biker

0:06:49 > 0:06:52high on the North York Moors.

0:06:53 > 0:06:57- I think we're getting hailed on. - It's not nice, is it?

0:06:57 > 0:07:00The crew knows high ground and low cloud

0:07:00 > 0:07:03are a deadly combination for pilots.

0:07:03 > 0:07:07Is it up on the hill? We just don't know really, do we?

0:07:07 > 0:07:12There's no-one on scene that can give us a grid reference.

0:07:12 > 0:07:15That's not great, is it? There is somebody there, is there?

0:07:15 > 0:07:18- Is that somebody? - Is that somebody at two o'clock?

0:07:18 > 0:07:21And are they gesticulating?

0:07:21 > 0:07:24Yes, they are. There we go. We've found it.

0:07:30 > 0:07:35- Hi, guys.- All right?- Yes, I am. How you? Peter, pleased to meet you.

0:07:37 > 0:07:40I see you are using the bikes as a bit of protection.

0:07:41 > 0:07:46That's exactly what we need. Tell me, what's been happening to you?

0:07:46 > 0:07:48I came down here and went into a ditch

0:07:48 > 0:07:52- and went over the handlebars, and the handlebar went into my groin.- OK.

0:07:53 > 0:07:57I think it might be a pelvis trapped or something like that.

0:07:57 > 0:08:03It might be bruising, but I'm a bit out of... A bit bruised.

0:08:03 > 0:08:06- A bit bruised and sore. - And then they took me to the bike,

0:08:06 > 0:08:09and I passed out for about ten seconds, apparently.

0:08:09 > 0:08:11Pete Hitchcock's up here from London.

0:08:11 > 0:08:15He had been out riding with his son when he lost control of his bike.

0:08:15 > 0:08:17It's pretty blowy.

0:08:17 > 0:08:20He just drifted to the side, you can see the puddle there.

0:08:20 > 0:08:22He's just gone round it a bit,

0:08:22 > 0:08:24gone onto the grass, the wind's blown him

0:08:24 > 0:08:26and he's gone into that ditch and over the handlebars there.

0:08:26 > 0:08:29When you stood up, could you put weight on that same leg?

0:08:29 > 0:08:31Not really, not on the right leg.

0:08:31 > 0:08:36The weather is getting worse, and Sammy has to adapt her treatment.

0:08:36 > 0:08:38Given the condition of the weather,

0:08:38 > 0:08:40I don't really want to strip you off.

0:08:40 > 0:08:43I just need to see if you have bleeding anywhere.

0:08:43 > 0:08:47- Have you felt anything running?- Pete pulled himself out of the ditch.

0:08:48 > 0:08:52- Actually in your groin area? - It wasn't like this earlier.

0:08:52 > 0:08:57It was lovely and sunny. Then he crashes, and the weather rolls in.

0:08:57 > 0:09:00Sammy's flying suit is meant to be waterproof,

0:09:00 > 0:09:03but nothing can withstand rain like this.

0:09:04 > 0:09:06Whoo. Right, then.

0:09:06 > 0:09:09And then what we'll do is we'll put you on a board

0:09:09 > 0:09:12and we'll carry you to the aircraft and have a proper look at you.

0:09:12 > 0:09:14But I don't want to be stripping you off where you are, all right?

0:09:14 > 0:09:16Whereabouts do you live, Pete?

0:09:16 > 0:09:19- London. Harrow.- Oh! Welcome to the beautiful Yorkshire.

0:09:19 > 0:09:23- I'm sure it's July next week. - Pardon?- I'm sure it's July next week.

0:09:25 > 0:09:29And all we're getting is a hailstone gun, is that right?

0:09:29 > 0:09:31It was sunny when I set off.

0:09:31 > 0:09:33Oh, bless you.

0:09:34 > 0:09:38There aren't enough people to carry Pete to the helicopter.

0:09:38 > 0:09:41But then, out of the gloom, help is on its way.

0:09:42 > 0:09:46We're going to lay him down onto this board. Ready, steady, roll.

0:09:48 > 0:09:50Ow! That hurt.

0:09:51 > 0:09:55Let us help you straighten that leg. Can you lay flat on your back?

0:09:55 > 0:09:59- Or have you got back protectors on? - No, pull me round here.

0:09:59 > 0:10:01Ready, steady...

0:10:02 > 0:10:05If you go to the side of the aircraft, to the left.

0:10:08 > 0:10:11That's got to be a bit better, bud. Out of the wind.

0:10:11 > 0:10:14Couldn't do anything out there, could we?

0:10:16 > 0:10:18It turns out Pete has a fractured pelvis.

0:10:20 > 0:10:22His is a minor break,

0:10:22 > 0:10:25and thanks to prompt treatment from the Helimed team,

0:10:25 > 0:10:29he'll be able to head back to his home in London ten days later.

0:10:32 > 0:10:35It was a beautiful day when I left the airport at Leeds Bradford,

0:10:35 > 0:10:38but by the time we arrived up on the track,

0:10:38 > 0:10:40it was Yorkshire at her finest.

0:10:40 > 0:10:44It was horizontal hailstones followed by lashings

0:10:44 > 0:10:48and lashings of rain. The patient was soaking wet and so was I.

0:10:48 > 0:10:51I'm pleased to report that despite a fractured pelvis,

0:10:51 > 0:10:52he's made a great recovery.

0:10:52 > 0:10:56I hope he finds it in his heart to come and visit Yorkshire again.

0:10:59 > 0:11:04The North York Moors National Park covers 550 square miles.

0:11:05 > 0:11:08Its rolling hills stretch from the Vale of York

0:11:08 > 0:11:10all the way to the coast.

0:11:10 > 0:11:14But the part of the park that keeps the Helimed team most busy

0:11:14 > 0:11:16is Dalby Forest.

0:11:16 > 0:11:218,000 acres of woodland concealing one of the UK's most popular

0:11:21 > 0:11:23mountain bike tracks.

0:11:26 > 0:11:28Today, another young rider has come off.

0:11:31 > 0:11:35We go there that frequently, there's already a mark on the map.

0:11:35 > 0:11:39What, Dalby Forest? Funny old thing, mate.

0:11:39 > 0:11:42Pilot Chris Attrill needs to find the clearing in the forest

0:11:42 > 0:11:44to bring Helimed 98 down.

0:11:44 > 0:11:47He's been here so many times before,

0:11:47 > 0:11:49Chris already knows the best place to land.

0:11:50 > 0:11:54- I'm assuming it is the hollow, isn't it?- That's what we were told.

0:11:56 > 0:11:59The accident was witnessed by several other riders.

0:11:59 > 0:12:04Good Samaritans, eh? Is he on his own, or with his parents or anything?

0:12:04 > 0:12:08Tom was attempting a tricky section of woodland track when he came off.

0:12:08 > 0:12:10It's feared he has a neck injury.

0:12:10 > 0:12:13You all right there, Tom? How are you doing down there?

0:12:15 > 0:12:17You're getting cold?

0:12:17 > 0:12:19We'll get you off the ground pretty quick, all right?

0:12:19 > 0:12:22Off-duty staff from York Hospital's A&E unit

0:12:22 > 0:12:24were enjoying the track themselves.

0:12:24 > 0:12:27They've been making sure Tom's injury is protected.

0:12:27 > 0:12:30- You've not hurt yourself anywhere else, have you?- No.

0:12:30 > 0:12:35Is it all right if I have a little feel? What were you doing?

0:12:35 > 0:12:38- I was on the track there and I fell off.- You fell off?

0:12:38 > 0:12:40Were you not paying attention?

0:12:40 > 0:12:43Tom's family weren't surprised by this accident.

0:12:43 > 0:12:46- He's always coming off his bike. - He's done it loads of times.

0:12:46 > 0:12:48I trusted him to do it on his own,

0:12:48 > 0:12:52- but unfortunately he's fell off this time.- Right, Tom.

0:12:52 > 0:12:54What I need you to do is just lie there.

0:12:54 > 0:12:57On my call. Everybody all ready?

0:12:57 > 0:12:58Ready, steady, move.

0:13:00 > 0:13:02Look at the mud there.

0:13:02 > 0:13:06With suspected injuries involving the neck, all patients must wear a

0:13:06 > 0:13:12surgical collar, and some, like Tom, will be strapped to a spinal board.

0:13:12 > 0:13:15He was complaining of a bit of tenderness of his C-spine, so I just

0:13:15 > 0:13:18made sure he didn't move his head at all and things like that.

0:13:18 > 0:13:21I thought it was probably best to call an ambulance.

0:13:21 > 0:13:25Making sure Tom is properly strapped in and perfectly still

0:13:25 > 0:13:29will ensure if there is any serious injury to the neck,

0:13:29 > 0:13:31it won't be made any worse.

0:13:31 > 0:13:32Ready, steady.

0:13:32 > 0:13:35The Helimed team's used to carrying injured mountain bikers

0:13:35 > 0:13:38out of these woods, but Tom's younger than most.

0:13:38 > 0:13:40They don't often come this size, do they?

0:13:41 > 0:13:44Helimed 98's going to fly him direct to the A&E unit

0:13:44 > 0:13:49at Scarborough Hospital where his neck and back will be X-rayed.

0:13:49 > 0:13:51He's come off that track there with his helmet on, and it doesn't

0:13:51 > 0:13:54sound like he's knocked himself out, but he's saying his neck hurts.

0:13:54 > 0:13:57So, a nice little flight to hospital for him,

0:13:57 > 0:14:00and then hopefully get on with the rest of his holiday.

0:14:00 > 0:14:03His dad Dave will make the short flight with Tom.

0:14:03 > 0:14:06Staff at Scarborough Hospital will be only too familiar

0:14:06 > 0:14:08with Tom's case.

0:14:08 > 0:14:11They've had to treat up to three riders a day with injuries

0:14:11 > 0:14:13suffered in the woods.

0:14:13 > 0:14:15How you doing?

0:14:15 > 0:14:18Like most of the casualties, Tom turns out only to have

0:14:18 > 0:14:22minor injuries, and is sent home the following day.

0:14:24 > 0:14:27But paramedics know if you're called down to the woods today,

0:14:27 > 0:14:31you shouldn't be surprised if you're called back tomorrow.

0:14:31 > 0:14:34Helimed 98. We're on to the crew at the moment.

0:14:34 > 0:14:37They've just arrived with the patient. They're asking

0:14:37 > 0:14:40have you identified the location of their vehicle yet. Over.

0:14:41 > 0:14:43No, that is a negative.

0:14:45 > 0:14:48Down in the trees is a horse rider

0:14:48 > 0:14:50who's come off after hitting a branch.

0:14:50 > 0:14:53There's the ambulance there. We've got it. Two o'clock.

0:14:53 > 0:14:56Where are they from there, then?

0:14:56 > 0:14:58They've just said about half a mile in some woods.

0:15:01 > 0:15:03You got woods all round, haven't you?

0:15:04 > 0:15:07Roger. Me and me mate will both come down there.

0:15:07 > 0:15:10We've got reports that someone's fallen off a horse, and we're just

0:15:10 > 0:15:14going to go down now and see if we can give them any assistance,

0:15:14 > 0:15:17because at the very least, it's going to be quite a long walk

0:15:17 > 0:15:22for them, so the more people that can help carry the patient, the better.

0:15:22 > 0:15:24I've never been in this wood before.

0:15:24 > 0:15:27We do some training with Mountain Rescue sometimes

0:15:27 > 0:15:30in the next one over, St Ives area.

0:15:30 > 0:15:34It's fairly similar. It's this kind of woodland, with lots of footpaths

0:15:34 > 0:15:36running through it, obviously.

0:15:36 > 0:15:41So, a fairly high amount of traffic for leisure activities.

0:15:41 > 0:15:45Horse riding, mountain biking, walking, that sort of thing.

0:15:45 > 0:15:48Undulating, this, for carrying someone.

0:15:48 > 0:15:49Hiya.

0:15:49 > 0:15:53The injured rider, Jane Houghton from Keighley,

0:15:53 > 0:15:56has been knocked off her horse,

0:15:56 > 0:16:00and land crews think she's injured her pelvis and her spine.

0:16:00 > 0:16:04Yeah, we just had a little canter up the hill,

0:16:04 > 0:16:08and we were laughing because we'd enjoyed it,

0:16:08 > 0:16:13and my horse decided to walk underneath the tree branch,

0:16:13 > 0:16:19and I was looking at my friend, and didn't see the tree branch,

0:16:19 > 0:16:21and it kind of knocked my head right back.

0:16:22 > 0:16:28I've just got a horse that has a tendency to go towards trees.

0:16:30 > 0:16:34Jane was wearing all the right protective gear, but she fell hard.

0:16:34 > 0:16:37There's no way she can walk out of here.

0:16:37 > 0:16:41Looking at the terrain, we could do with at least another couple

0:16:41 > 0:16:45of bodies so that we've got at least six of us carrying the patient.

0:16:45 > 0:16:48It's going to be quite difficult and tiring.

0:16:48 > 0:16:50We were just coming through the woods.

0:16:50 > 0:16:53We'd had a bit of a canter coming up the bottom there which was

0:16:53 > 0:16:56fine, and we'd just come back to walk, and we were walking up,

0:16:56 > 0:17:00but there are some quite dangerous overhanging branches here

0:17:00 > 0:17:03that could really do with being chopped off.

0:17:03 > 0:17:06And unfortunately, the horse avoided some of the divots, and ended up...

0:17:06 > 0:17:09The horse could get under the branch, but unfortunately

0:17:09 > 0:17:12the rider couldn't, and the rider was taken straight off.

0:17:12 > 0:17:15She's not in too much distress, over.

0:17:15 > 0:17:17So crew will be carrying, over.

0:17:18 > 0:17:20It's getting colder here in the woods.

0:17:20 > 0:17:22They're going to wrap their patient up

0:17:22 > 0:17:25as they wait for reinforcements to arrive.

0:17:25 > 0:17:29The thing is, you never fall off when you're doing the dangerous things.

0:17:29 > 0:17:32So when we were flying up the hill, you never fall off.

0:17:32 > 0:17:34It's just when you're stood still.

0:17:34 > 0:17:37The team's call for help has been answered

0:17:37 > 0:17:39by two volunteers from St John Ambulance.

0:17:39 > 0:17:41Right, one, two, three.

0:17:41 > 0:17:42Everybody all right?

0:17:42 > 0:17:45Carrying Jane out of the woods is going to be tricky

0:17:45 > 0:17:49and physically demanding, especially on this terrain.

0:17:49 > 0:17:52A bit awkward here, all right? Do you want to go on that side?

0:17:52 > 0:17:56Jane's on her way by road to Scarborough Hospital for scans

0:17:56 > 0:17:57and X-rays.

0:17:57 > 0:17:59It's feared she has a fractured pelvis,

0:17:59 > 0:18:02and that's a very serious injury.

0:18:03 > 0:18:06She'll be out of the saddle for some time.

0:18:12 > 0:18:16It's five weeks since demolition man Eric Wells was admitted to

0:18:16 > 0:18:20hospital after a heart attack that would have killed him

0:18:20 > 0:18:22had it not been for workmate Sean Hewitt,

0:18:22 > 0:18:25who gave him life-saving CPR.

0:18:25 > 0:18:28Despite needing five shocks from a defibrillator,

0:18:28 > 0:18:33Eric's heart is recovering, and he hopes he'll soon be allowed home.

0:18:33 > 0:18:36I don't remember anything on the day.

0:18:36 > 0:18:39It almost surprised me how it happened,

0:18:39 > 0:18:43and I don't know what time I had the heart attack or anything.

0:18:44 > 0:18:46It's just a blank.

0:18:46 > 0:18:48- Eric?- Eric?- Eric!

0:18:48 > 0:18:52They put me into a coma for about ten days.

0:18:53 > 0:18:57They tried bringing me round once, and me heart couldn't take it,

0:18:57 > 0:19:00so they put me under again.

0:19:02 > 0:19:05And I can't remember anything apart from the last four days

0:19:05 > 0:19:08when they brought me

0:19:08 > 0:19:11out of the coma to make sure I was fit to bring me up to here.

0:19:12 > 0:19:14We're just trying to help you out.

0:19:14 > 0:19:17It was soon after Eric came out of the coma that he was told

0:19:17 > 0:19:20he owes his life to a workmate he hardly knew.

0:19:22 > 0:19:24Obviously, I'm pleased he saved me life.

0:19:26 > 0:19:30And I'm still trying to put a face to Sean.

0:19:30 > 0:19:32If he hadn't have saved me life,

0:19:32 > 0:19:36I wouldn't have met me grandson for the first time last week.

0:19:37 > 0:19:40Because he was born while I was in the coma.

0:19:42 > 0:19:44So that's a chance in a million.

0:19:47 > 0:19:49At Helimed headquarters,

0:19:49 > 0:19:52there's no doubt that there'd be more people like Eric surviving

0:19:52 > 0:19:57their heart attacks if there were more people like Sean to save them.

0:19:57 > 0:20:01There's no question that the gentleman that performed CPR

0:20:01 > 0:20:03saved his life that day.

0:20:04 > 0:20:07Just learning the basic techniques of how to recognise

0:20:07 > 0:20:12somebody in cardiac arrest and how to start chest compressions,

0:20:12 > 0:20:15it's invaluable, and it's something that everybody should do.

0:20:15 > 0:20:20Without that gentleman that day, the patient would have died.

0:20:22 > 0:20:27It's now four months since the day Eric almost died.

0:20:27 > 0:20:30He's being looked after by family in Billingham on Teesside, and

0:20:30 > 0:20:36he's about to be reunited with the man who saved his life, Sean Hewitt.

0:20:38 > 0:20:41It's going to be interesting. I don't know how I'm going to react.

0:20:43 > 0:20:45It'll be...

0:20:45 > 0:20:47It's exciting to see him.

0:20:47 > 0:20:50And thank him for saving my life.

0:20:52 > 0:20:54Sean is driving up from South Yorkshire.

0:20:54 > 0:20:58He's been trained by his employers in giving CPR.

0:20:58 > 0:21:02He never expected to have to put it into practice so soon.

0:21:04 > 0:21:05The last time I saw him,

0:21:05 > 0:21:09we lifted him onto the trolley and I just looked at him,

0:21:09 > 0:21:13and I thought, Eric, I hope you make it, because I've done my best.

0:21:13 > 0:21:16And that's the last time I saw him,

0:21:16 > 0:21:19and then he got took into the helicopter and took to hospital.

0:21:19 > 0:21:23And that's the last I've saw of him or heard of him until today.

0:21:26 > 0:21:29- How are you doing?- Feeling better.

0:21:32 > 0:21:33Are you all right, mate?

0:21:33 > 0:21:35I appreciate what you did. HE SNIFFS

0:21:38 > 0:21:41We wouldn't have been doing this four months ago!

0:21:41 > 0:21:43I was going to give you a snog, but you had a big beard,

0:21:43 > 0:21:45and I thought, no.

0:21:47 > 0:21:51Eric has no recollection of what happened that day.

0:21:51 > 0:21:55I found you in Abel's office slumped in a chair at the back

0:21:55 > 0:21:57of the office.

0:21:57 > 0:22:02I lifted you out of that chair, I laid you on the floor,

0:22:02 > 0:22:06and I proceeded with CPR for at least 12 to 15 minutes.

0:22:06 > 0:22:08I kept shouting your name and everything,

0:22:08 > 0:22:10and there was no response.

0:22:10 > 0:22:17And I'm sorry if I broke a rib or two, I don't know. I didn't mean to.

0:22:17 > 0:22:21After about 15 minutes, three ambulances came.

0:22:21 > 0:22:25From what I heard, I died nine times.

0:22:28 > 0:22:31Thank you isn't enough. I don't know what I can do.

0:22:31 > 0:22:34I'd have done it for you, Eric. I'd have done it for anybody.

0:22:34 > 0:22:37- Thank you for saving me life. - You're welcome.

0:22:38 > 0:22:40I'd have done it for you or anyone.

0:22:42 > 0:22:44Are you all right?

0:22:44 > 0:22:49To hear you first-hand makes things clearer in my mind

0:22:49 > 0:22:51about what happened.

0:22:51 > 0:22:54And that helps me on the road to recovery even more.

0:22:59 > 0:23:03Yorkshire's coastline's been shaped by the waves over hundreds

0:23:03 > 0:23:09of millions of years, and life here still revolves around time and tide.

0:23:09 > 0:23:13There's no shortage of reminders about the force of the sea here.

0:23:13 > 0:23:16But every summer, thousands come to enjoy the quaint fishing

0:23:16 > 0:23:20villages and secluded beaches north of Whitby.

0:23:20 > 0:23:25Sadly, one day trip has ended in a nasty accident.

0:23:29 > 0:23:32Helimed 98, visual traffic lining up.

0:23:32 > 0:23:36I'm going to go direct to this location.

0:23:36 > 0:23:39Initial reports are that we've got an 11-year-old child who's

0:23:39 > 0:23:42fallen from the sea wall. A fall from any height can be significant.

0:23:42 > 0:23:46I suggest that a wall at a coastal resort could be quite high,

0:23:46 > 0:23:49so the chance of serious injury is quite high.

0:23:49 > 0:23:53Is there a problem with tides? Do we know any of that information? Over.

0:23:56 > 0:24:00Trying to speak to the crew now, but airway reception's very poor.

0:24:00 > 0:24:03Paramedics Paul Kilner and Dave Appleby are heading

0:24:03 > 0:24:09for Runswick Bay, a former fishing village, now full of holiday homes.

0:24:09 > 0:24:12The village is built into the cliffs, and the only place

0:24:12 > 0:24:17to land is the beach, but it looks like the tide is coming in fast.

0:24:17 > 0:24:20Why don't I put it on the beach? He's cleared the beach now.

0:24:20 > 0:24:24It may be easier if you just jump out and we ascertain where we are.

0:24:24 > 0:24:27Pilot Andy Lister's a former naval officer.

0:24:27 > 0:24:31He knows landing on the beach is a risky business.

0:24:31 > 0:24:33Soft sand, incoming waves

0:24:33 > 0:24:38and members of the public are all hazards he must keep an eye on.

0:24:38 > 0:24:41I'd like to stay running until we know exactly what we're doing.

0:24:41 > 0:24:44Andy will keep the engines running just in case.

0:24:44 > 0:24:47If Helimed 98 developed a technical fault here,

0:24:47 > 0:24:52£3 million worth of helicopter would be at the mercy of the waves.

0:24:52 > 0:24:55The chopper is only a few feet from the sea,

0:24:55 > 0:24:57and the water's getting closer.

0:24:57 > 0:25:00He's going to be under water in about 15 or 20 minutes.

0:25:01 > 0:25:04- The tide will be up to him. - That's why he's kept it running.

0:25:04 > 0:25:09Not knocked out. Complaining of pain in head and neck. Lacerations.

0:25:09 > 0:25:12- Central or side?- Central.

0:25:12 > 0:25:16- Has she got any altered neurology?- No.

0:25:16 > 0:25:18Are you overly concerned with it?

0:25:18 > 0:25:21We're concerned because she's 11 and she's in a lot of pain.

0:25:21 > 0:25:2511-year-old Olivia Muncaster was on holiday

0:25:25 > 0:25:28when she fell from the sea wall.

0:25:28 > 0:25:31Hello. How you doing? You all right?

0:25:31 > 0:25:34I don't know, you've got all these people staring at you,

0:25:34 > 0:25:36asking you all these questions.

0:25:36 > 0:25:39We are looking after you now. You'll be all right.

0:25:39 > 0:25:41Ground crews called in the Helimed team.

0:25:41 > 0:25:44The road out of the bay is steep with sharp bends,

0:25:44 > 0:25:47and then there's a 20-mile drive to the nearest A&E.

0:25:49 > 0:25:51It's going to get noisy, so I'll have a listen to her chest.

0:25:51 > 0:25:53I'll go back and have a word with Andy.

0:25:53 > 0:25:56Then I'll just stand at the aircraft.

0:25:56 > 0:25:59We think the tide will be coming in in the next 15, 20 minutes.

0:26:01 > 0:26:03Pilot Andy is anxious to be off.

0:26:03 > 0:26:05Thankfully, the sea is calm,

0:26:05 > 0:26:08but the tide's almost lapping around the skids.

0:26:08 > 0:26:10Can you get some of the guys to help move this equipment,

0:26:10 > 0:26:13because when he takes off, it will blow.

0:26:13 > 0:26:16Are you hurting anywhere while you're laying there? In your back?

0:26:18 > 0:26:20The back of my head.

0:26:20 > 0:26:24At last, Olivia's ready to be loaded into the chopper.

0:26:28 > 0:26:32- Let's just try and get this lass on. - I'll not go any further than that.

0:26:35 > 0:26:38Loading a patient with rotors running is something the team

0:26:38 > 0:26:43tries to avoid. It's noisy and can be frightening for younger patients.

0:26:45 > 0:26:49For pilot Andy, this is a moment of relief.

0:26:49 > 0:26:53Olivia's being flown to the James Cook Trauma Unit in Middlesbrough.

0:26:53 > 0:26:57- Just coming left a wee bit. - You're good this side.

0:26:57 > 0:27:00Olivia's mum, Helen, is coming with her.

0:27:00 > 0:27:05Nobody expected a holiday by the sea to end like this.

0:27:05 > 0:27:08Approaching for permission to land.

0:27:08 > 0:27:13Paramedic Paul knows there's every chance his patient has escaped with

0:27:13 > 0:27:18little more than minor injuries, but a broken neck is hard to diagnose.

0:27:18 > 0:27:21Only X-rays will reveal the truth.

0:27:22 > 0:27:26This is a day neither Olivia nor her mum will forget,

0:27:26 > 0:27:29- and neither will pilot Andy. - It was very problematic.

0:27:29 > 0:27:32Although Runswick Bay was very picturesque,

0:27:32 > 0:27:35selecting a suitable landing site was very difficult indeed.

0:27:35 > 0:27:37We are always concerned that

0:27:37 > 0:27:39if we land on the beach with the tide coming in,

0:27:39 > 0:27:41we may not start the engines again,

0:27:41 > 0:27:44so on this occasion we deemed it to be safer to continue running

0:27:44 > 0:27:47with the aircraft while we loaded the casualty,

0:27:47 > 0:27:49who was already packaged, before departing to hospital.

0:27:49 > 0:27:51But there is a happy ending.

0:27:51 > 0:27:56X-rays rule out a neck injury, and she's released after treatment.

0:28:03 > 0:28:06Driving the roads of North Yorkshire takes you back to the days

0:28:06 > 0:28:09when cars came with starting handles.

0:28:09 > 0:28:14The lanes are narrow, winding and great fun to drive,

0:28:14 > 0:28:17but if you're behind the wheel of a two-tonne ambulance,

0:28:17 > 0:28:20you see them very differently.

0:28:25 > 0:28:29The top of the Pennines is where Yorkshire meets Lancashire.

0:28:29 > 0:28:32It's a barren and desolate part of the country,

0:28:32 > 0:28:35where acres of moorland are punctuated

0:28:35 > 0:28:40only by the occasional reservoir and the even more occasional road.

0:28:40 > 0:28:42What are we going to, then, chaps?

0:28:42 > 0:28:45- Somebody potentially having a stroke.- Roger.

0:28:45 > 0:28:48Today, the Helimed team has been called to a patient needing

0:28:48 > 0:28:51help by one of the reservoirs.

0:28:51 > 0:28:54The trouble is, no-one knows which one.

0:28:54 > 0:28:58It would be very difficult for a land crew to get good access,

0:28:58 > 0:29:02so we're just going initially to see if that's actually the case

0:29:02 > 0:29:04and to see what we can do to help.

0:29:04 > 0:29:07OK, we've got an ambulance down there, Dave, nine o'clock.

0:29:07 > 0:29:10Yeah, I'm just going to talk to them.

0:29:10 > 0:29:12On the ground, paramedics and police officers

0:29:12 > 0:29:15are searching for the 77-year-old.

0:29:15 > 0:29:18In the air, they can't see anything either.

0:29:18 > 0:29:22You'd have thought there'd have been somebody with him, wouldn't you?

0:29:22 > 0:29:24- Have they found somebody or...? - No, they're walking.

0:29:24 > 0:29:28But it seems everyone's been looking in the wrong place.

0:29:28 > 0:29:31- We're here. - Right, so we're nowhere near.

0:29:31 > 0:29:33- It's over there.- Right.

0:29:33 > 0:29:37- Let's go. Where we going, then? - We're going to the west.- To the west.

0:29:37 > 0:29:39Yep.

0:29:41 > 0:29:43- OK. Round the corner.- Yep.

0:29:45 > 0:29:48Going down your side, Dave. On the corner.

0:29:51 > 0:29:53Right, chaps, I'm going to park it in.

0:29:55 > 0:29:56Hello there.

0:29:57 > 0:30:01- It started with a pain across the bottom of my back.- Yeah.

0:30:01 > 0:30:05Alan Ledbetter had nearly finished his long moorland walk

0:30:05 > 0:30:07when other hikers saw he needed help.

0:30:07 > 0:30:10Their quick thinking could have saved his life.

0:30:10 > 0:30:14He was really, really struggling to walk, just to keep on his feet.

0:30:14 > 0:30:18We asked if he was all right and he said, "Not really"...

0:30:18 > 0:30:19he just can't balance.

0:30:19 > 0:30:23I got this pain across the bottom of my back.

0:30:23 > 0:30:26- I didn't think anything of it. - What type of pain?

0:30:26 > 0:30:30- Just a pain, like...- Was it an achy pain, was it a sharp pain?

0:30:30 > 0:30:31Achy pain.

0:30:31 > 0:30:34He was leaning to one side, quite pronounced, so we thought,

0:30:34 > 0:30:37"That's not right." He fell over a couple of times.

0:30:37 > 0:30:40We walked with him and helped him and he got a little bit worse.

0:30:40 > 0:30:43How long had you been walking before that came on?

0:30:43 > 0:30:47- Oh, four or five hours. - And do you do a lot of walking?

0:30:47 > 0:30:50Yeah, I get out at least twice a week.

0:30:50 > 0:30:53Although Alan seems to think he's OK,

0:30:53 > 0:30:57the way he's leaning to the left is worrying paramedic Dave.

0:30:57 > 0:30:58Can you move that way a bit?

0:30:58 > 0:31:00Right, OK.

0:31:00 > 0:31:03Give us your hands. I want you to squeeze my fingers hard.

0:31:03 > 0:31:04Both of them.

0:31:04 > 0:31:07These tests on his face, arms and speech

0:31:07 > 0:31:10can be a good way of diagnosing a stroke.

0:31:10 > 0:31:15Right, it sounds to me like he's definitely had a TIA.

0:31:15 > 0:31:19- A what?- What we think you've had is what we call a TIA.

0:31:19 > 0:31:22It's a transient ischemic attack. It's a little bit...

0:31:22 > 0:31:29It's a very, very tiny stroke, but it only lasts for a number of minutes.

0:31:29 > 0:31:32I would highly recommend that we get you down

0:31:32 > 0:31:35to the local hospital for a check up.

0:31:35 > 0:31:37Well, listen, I know...

0:31:37 > 0:31:40but the thing with these is...

0:31:40 > 0:31:42sometimes it's a one-off

0:31:42 > 0:31:45and sometimes they can happen in another two or three hours.

0:31:45 > 0:31:48If you're up here on your own and something happens,

0:31:48 > 0:31:52you might not be as lucky as to have these good people here to see it.

0:31:52 > 0:31:54Although Alan would rather finish his walk

0:31:54 > 0:31:59and head to the doctors in the morning, Dave's having none of it.

0:31:59 > 0:32:00I'm here to help people.

0:32:00 > 0:32:05If we leave you now and something happens in half an hour,

0:32:05 > 0:32:10not only will I feel very, very bad about it, I'll get sacked.

0:32:10 > 0:32:12Oh, well, I don't want you to get the sack.

0:32:12 > 0:32:14I don't want to have either of those feelings.

0:32:14 > 0:32:17There's absolutely no road access to this one,

0:32:17 > 0:32:20so the ground ambulance and the police officers are heading off

0:32:20 > 0:32:22in the wrong direction. We've stopped them now

0:32:22 > 0:32:23and we've returned them to the vehicle

0:32:23 > 0:32:28and we're going to transfer this man down to the ground ambulance where

0:32:28 > 0:32:31he's going to be transferred into hospital for a bit of a check up.

0:32:36 > 0:32:40We've lifted with the patient. Transferring to the ground vehicle.

0:32:40 > 0:32:44It'll be approximately one minute and we'll be back on the ground.

0:32:44 > 0:32:48It's a short but, for Alan, a potentially critical flight.

0:32:49 > 0:32:52Tail's clear.

0:32:52 > 0:32:55- Yeah, I need to put my tail over the top here.- Roger.

0:32:55 > 0:32:57The wind's behind me. I can't do this, at the moment.

0:32:59 > 0:33:02Basically, I think he's had a TIA.

0:33:02 > 0:33:04Top and bottom. He says, "Can't you just...

0:33:04 > 0:33:08"If I promise to see my doctor..." I said, "No, doesn't work like that.

0:33:08 > 0:33:10"You could have another one quite easily

0:33:10 > 0:33:12"and then you're not going to be so lucky."

0:33:12 > 0:33:14And it's a good job he took Dave's advice.

0:33:14 > 0:33:19At hospital, it was confirmed he had had a TIA or a mini-stroke.

0:33:20 > 0:33:24Alan is now taking it easy back at home, very grateful for the

0:33:24 > 0:33:29fellow hillwalkers who spotted the signs and possibly saved his life.

0:33:33 > 0:33:37Making a living in the countryside is a tough business.

0:33:39 > 0:33:43Yorkshire's farmers must keep one eye on the market price

0:33:43 > 0:33:45and another on the weather,

0:33:45 > 0:33:50which is why harvest is invariably the busiest time for rural builders,

0:33:50 > 0:33:54putting up barns for the winter to come.

0:33:54 > 0:33:57And, today, one of them has fallen 30 feet.

0:33:57 > 0:33:59The crew on scene in there asked for us

0:33:59 > 0:34:01because they said he's got a head injury.

0:34:01 > 0:34:05With head injuries, patients can become aggressive

0:34:05 > 0:34:08and uncooperative so, as a paramedic,

0:34:08 > 0:34:11we can struggle sometimes to manage those patients

0:34:11 > 0:34:15so there is a doctor en route should we need to sedate the patient.

0:34:15 > 0:34:18- Clear on the left? - Clear left now, Patrice, mate, yeah.

0:34:18 > 0:34:20Clear on the right, thank you.

0:34:23 > 0:34:25This chap's Darrell, he's 27.

0:34:25 > 0:34:30He was working on the apex of the roof and he slid in the wet and

0:34:30 > 0:34:33he's gone straight down the other side of that hedge into the road.

0:34:33 > 0:34:36It seems like he's taken the brunt of the impact on his left shoulder

0:34:36 > 0:34:40- and he's very dull on that left apex as well.- Right.

0:34:40 > 0:34:42Darrell Wood is lucky to be alive.

0:34:42 > 0:34:46His fall was broken by a big hedge under the barn.

0:34:46 > 0:34:48Oh, you've done that clavicle good and proper.

0:34:49 > 0:34:51There was nowt we could do once he's up there.

0:34:51 > 0:34:54He slid down and that's it, you can't do nothing, he's gone.

0:34:54 > 0:34:59We shouted at him, no answer, so we jumped down to get him

0:34:59 > 0:35:01and he was like dazed, concussed and that.

0:35:01 > 0:35:05Got caught in the rain and then just one slip and he's gone.

0:35:05 > 0:35:08Flying doctor Jez Pennell, medical director of the Helimed team,

0:35:08 > 0:35:12has driven here expecting a patient with critical injuries.

0:35:12 > 0:35:14This is a pleasant surprise.

0:35:14 > 0:35:17- And your pelvis and your legs all feel OK?- Yeah.

0:35:17 > 0:35:20- I remember falling into a bush. - Into a bush?- Yeah.- Right.

0:35:20 > 0:35:24- So, the bush has broken your fall, has it?- You've had a lucky escape.

0:35:27 > 0:35:32There we go. Now, just lie, sit back. Sit back.

0:35:32 > 0:35:36Darrell may not feel like it, but he's been extremely fortunate.

0:35:36 > 0:35:39Just spin round, he's coming in feet-first.

0:35:39 > 0:35:43You need to bring him up to chest height or head height if you're me.

0:35:43 > 0:35:47Paramedics are trained to treat for the worst and hope for the best.

0:35:47 > 0:35:51That's why Darrell has been strapped to a spinal stretcher

0:35:51 > 0:35:55but he has none of the common symptoms of a neck or back injury.

0:35:55 > 0:35:59He's being flown to Leeds General Infirmary where his first

0:35:59 > 0:36:01appointment will be with the X-ray department.

0:36:01 > 0:36:04He's been very lucky in that there's a really high bush underneath

0:36:04 > 0:36:06the edge that he's gone over which has broken his fall

0:36:06 > 0:36:08although he's still landed on his head.

0:36:08 > 0:36:10I think if he'd gone the other way,

0:36:10 > 0:36:12it would have been a completely different story.

0:36:12 > 0:36:16And doctors confirm luck has indeed been on Darrell's side.

0:36:16 > 0:36:19His broken collarbone and shoulder are painful

0:36:19 > 0:36:24but for a man who's fallen 30 feet, he's got off very lightly.

0:36:27 > 0:36:28On a summer's day,

0:36:28 > 0:36:32Yorkshire's countryside is full of visitors seeking peace,

0:36:32 > 0:36:36quiet and nature but for some, the lanes of the moors

0:36:36 > 0:36:39and dales are an attraction in themselves.

0:36:39 > 0:36:41This is biking country.

0:36:44 > 0:36:48We're off to a motorcyclist who's had a collision with a car.

0:36:48 > 0:36:53- It's saying three miles to go, mate, so it's got to be fairly close.- Yep.

0:36:54 > 0:36:59Visual. Visual, 12:00, dark green field, two miles.

0:36:59 > 0:37:01Even before they've landed,

0:37:01 > 0:37:05paramedic Andy can get a good idea of just how serious this crash is.

0:37:07 > 0:37:10The 25-year-old rider has come off his bike

0:37:10 > 0:37:13and flown right over a garden wall.

0:37:13 > 0:37:18This is James, 25-years-old. He's come from there and landed here.

0:37:18 > 0:37:20- And he was coming this way by the looks of it.- Yeah.

0:37:20 > 0:37:26He's got a fractured femur, both knees look to be dislocated,

0:37:26 > 0:37:31- broken left arm, complaining of chest pain.- Fractured left arm.

0:37:31 > 0:37:35He's complaining of back pain as well. This is exactly how he landed.

0:37:35 > 0:37:37He hasn't been moved.

0:37:37 > 0:37:40So, at present, I haven't got a collar on him yet.

0:37:40 > 0:37:41OK, no worries, mate.

0:37:41 > 0:37:44We're going to get you sorted, OK?

0:37:44 > 0:37:45How are you feeling at the moment?

0:37:45 > 0:37:49- Pain, all over.- Pain all over?

0:37:49 > 0:37:53- How bad is it now since you've had morphine?- It's getting worse.

0:37:53 > 0:37:55It's getting worse, is it?

0:37:55 > 0:37:58James has just become a statistic.

0:37:58 > 0:38:01It's been a grim summer on Yorkshire's roads with

0:38:01 > 0:38:05warm weather being blamed for a doubling in deaths among bikers.

0:38:05 > 0:38:09In North Yorkshire alone, ten riders have died this year

0:38:09 > 0:38:11and they weren't boy racers.

0:38:11 > 0:38:15The average casualty is a family man in his 40s.

0:38:15 > 0:38:18It was all in a split-second, I thought, "Where's the motorbike?"

0:38:18 > 0:38:20And I thought, "Well, he must have gone round."

0:38:20 > 0:38:24Then, all of a sudden, I heard the bang and he came flying over the top.

0:38:24 > 0:38:27James' injuries have left him in severe pain.

0:38:27 > 0:38:30He's got a number of things going on that maybe

0:38:30 > 0:38:32we'll have to go down ket route.

0:38:32 > 0:38:36Andy's going to use his strongest painkiller.

0:38:36 > 0:38:38It's probably the only way they'll be able to

0:38:38 > 0:38:40straighten his shattered legs.

0:38:40 > 0:38:44- I think that's a definite dislocation on there.- Yeah, OK.

0:38:44 > 0:38:47- So we haven't straightened that properly just yet.- No.

0:38:47 > 0:38:49And that's an internal femur.

0:38:49 > 0:38:53We're going to give you some ketamine if that would be OK? And hopefully...

0:38:53 > 0:38:55It's a lot stronger than the stuff I've given you.

0:38:55 > 0:38:57..that'll get rid of that pain.

0:38:57 > 0:38:59Just titrate it to his response, mate,

0:38:59 > 0:39:02and if it wears off after 20 minutes, we can give him some more.

0:39:02 > 0:39:06This is an area where everyone knows everyone else.

0:39:06 > 0:39:10- Already, James' mum and auntie are with him.- All right, sweetheart?

0:39:10 > 0:39:13He came on the phone and he went, "Mum, I'm really hurt."

0:39:13 > 0:39:15I said, "Why? What's happened?"

0:39:15 > 0:39:18He said, "Somebody's just hit me and knocked me off the bike."

0:39:18 > 0:39:20I think the work they're doing is fantastic,

0:39:20 > 0:39:22I just wish it wasn't my son that's lying there.

0:39:22 > 0:39:25- JAMES GROANS IN PAIN - It's all right, darling.

0:39:26 > 0:39:30James flew more than 30 feet before landing in the garden.

0:39:30 > 0:39:35Despite very extensive injuries to his body, his head is unmarked.

0:39:35 > 0:39:37His helmet did its job.

0:39:37 > 0:39:40He's had quite a significant impact into this car which has

0:39:40 > 0:39:43turned right. He's been ejected and landed in this place.

0:39:43 > 0:39:45He's got multiple injuries at this point.

0:39:45 > 0:39:48He hasn't got a head injury which is also good for us.

0:39:48 > 0:39:51He's got some limb injuries which have obviously caused him

0:39:51 > 0:39:54quite significant pain and we've had difficulty mobilising him

0:39:54 > 0:39:55from that point.

0:39:58 > 0:40:01They're straightening his leg with a traction splint

0:40:01 > 0:40:04but paramedics often find themselves caring for the other

0:40:04 > 0:40:09victims of accidents - the parents and partners of patients.

0:40:09 > 0:40:12We're going to pop him off to hospital in the fastest way to

0:40:12 > 0:40:14get there and we'll take him into a specialist centre

0:40:14 > 0:40:18which will be able to treat him for his injuries, do you understand?

0:40:18 > 0:40:19We'll look after him.

0:40:21 > 0:40:26Paramedic Andy knows his patient's injuries are very serious.

0:40:26 > 0:40:29He needs the kind of diagnostic tools only the trauma centre

0:40:29 > 0:40:33at Leeds General Infirmary can provide.

0:40:33 > 0:40:36Helimed 99 can provide the speed.

0:40:37 > 0:40:41Yeah, we're clear there. Can I pass him onto you?

0:40:41 > 0:40:42- Wait a minute.- I've got him here.

0:40:44 > 0:40:48The LGI's doctors and surgeons are about to take over.

0:40:48 > 0:40:50- Has it come back, that pain? - Yeah.- Has it?

0:40:50 > 0:40:53And Andy's got quite a list for them.

0:40:53 > 0:40:55This is James, 25-year-old.

0:40:55 > 0:40:58He was riding his motorcycle at approximately 50 mph.

0:40:58 > 0:41:03He's got pain across his chest, pain on his back, pelvis pain,

0:41:03 > 0:41:07a fractured left femur, a fractured left lower arm,

0:41:07 > 0:41:10a right distal fractured femur and that was bleeding.

0:41:10 > 0:41:12With so many injuries,

0:41:12 > 0:41:16James is already very fortunate to have survived so far

0:41:16 > 0:41:21but with major internal trauma, the next few hours will be critical.

0:41:23 > 0:41:28Doctors find James has a staggering 43 broken bones.

0:41:28 > 0:41:32He spends the whole of the next day in theatre as surgeons

0:41:32 > 0:41:36reconstruct his pelvis and limbs with titanium rods.

0:41:36 > 0:41:41He spends five weeks in hospital and two months after the accident,

0:41:41 > 0:41:45he's still using a wheelchair and unable to walk.

0:41:45 > 0:41:47I shattered my leg roughly about there.

0:41:47 > 0:41:53I've got the spike, whatever you call it, going up there.

0:41:53 > 0:41:55My kneecap is split in half, it's actually got wires on it,

0:41:55 > 0:41:57figure of eight.

0:41:57 > 0:42:00My pelvis is cracked into three places.

0:42:02 > 0:42:04Two bones are broken in my arm,

0:42:04 > 0:42:09I've got a broken wrist which is now repaired.

0:42:09 > 0:42:13Nine fractures to my ribs, my sternum's cracked across there

0:42:13 > 0:42:15and two fractures to my back.

0:42:15 > 0:42:20After so long in hospital, James is just pleased to be home.

0:42:20 > 0:42:25He has many more months of physio ahead but his prognosis is good.

0:42:25 > 0:42:28I've had quite a good recovery straightaway.

0:42:28 > 0:42:31I was pretty lucky, very lucky, for my family's sake.

0:42:32 > 0:42:34I'm not keen to get on a bike again.

0:42:35 > 0:42:38And I'm pleased to say all of today's patients

0:42:38 > 0:42:40are recovering well.