0:00:03 > 0:00:05When the people of rural Yorkshire
0:00:05 > 0:00:09dial 999, help can be a long time coming.
0:00:09 > 0:00:13The Yorkshires Dales are as beautiful as they are big.
0:00:13 > 0:00:17But if you're seriously injured in a landscape as gigantic as this,
0:00:17 > 0:00:20your life is on the line.
0:00:20 > 0:00:23But in the remotest parts of Britain's biggest county,
0:00:23 > 0:00:26they look to the skies for help.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29Look on your left, can you get in that grass field on the left?
0:00:29 > 0:00:30Yes, mate, go for that.
0:00:30 > 0:00:32From high drama in the peaks
0:00:32 > 0:00:34to high waters in The Dales,
0:00:34 > 0:00:37the Helimed team's at the heart of almost every rescue...
0:00:39 > 0:00:41..bringing 21st century medicine
0:00:41 > 0:00:44to some of Britain's most isolated communities
0:00:44 > 0:00:47and saving lives against the odds.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59Today on Helicopter Heroes.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01Parade ends at an army base
0:01:01 > 0:01:04and the sergeant major's fighting a suspected heart attack.
0:01:06 > 0:01:08It feels like someone's sat right in the middle of the chest.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11A veteran horsewoman takes a tumble.
0:01:11 > 0:01:13- You broke your pelvis before, have you?- Well, the other side.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16She shouldn't be riding but she won't stop.
0:01:16 > 0:01:17High in the Pennines,
0:01:17 > 0:01:21pilot John struggles to reach an overturned lorry.
0:01:21 > 0:01:23I'm not happy about parking there.
0:01:23 > 0:01:24Stay there!
0:01:24 > 0:01:28And on the moors, Helimed 98 is battling the weather.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30We're going the wrong way round, guys.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41It's a frightening fact that around 20 people a day die
0:01:41 > 0:01:44from heart disease in Yorkshire,
0:01:44 > 0:01:50200 across the UK and some of them had healthy lifestyles.
0:01:50 > 0:01:55Even the super fit are not immune from Britain's biggest killer.
0:01:56 > 0:01:58It's the Helimed team's job to save them.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04Here at a military base in North Yorkshire, the chopper's
0:02:04 > 0:02:09on stand-by throughout the day and today the neighbours need help.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13The Royal Artillery has dialled 999 after a medical emergency
0:02:13 > 0:02:17involving one of its most senior NCOs.
0:02:17 > 0:02:19Well, we've just seen a call come in
0:02:19 > 0:02:22which indicates that there's a patient on camp,
0:02:22 > 0:02:26which is not unusual. Since we've been here about 18 months
0:02:26 > 0:02:30we've already done four details with patients from here.
0:02:34 > 0:02:39- It's literally 200 metres away from our...- Oh, ambulance is here.- ..base.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41- At least we can make an assessment, can't we?- Mm.
0:02:41 > 0:02:43In the military medical centre
0:02:43 > 0:02:47a sergeant major has crushing chest pains.
0:02:47 > 0:02:48..progressively worsened until
0:02:48 > 0:02:50probably about an hour and a half ago,
0:02:50 > 0:02:53most pain after starting home to get his lunch
0:02:53 > 0:02:54and it was at rest that he got the pain.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56It was about eight or nine out of ten.
0:02:56 > 0:02:58It's sounds like he's having a heart attack.
0:02:58 > 0:03:00- It's right in the centre of your chest?- Right in the middle.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03It feels like someone's sat right in the middle of the chest.
0:03:03 > 0:03:04Pain anywhere else at all?
0:03:04 > 0:03:07- No, I've just got tingles in my arm, in the arm area.- Your right arm?
0:03:07 > 0:03:11Yeah, that I just can't seem to shake off. But it's just right in there.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14Scott Merry is the battery sergeant major.
0:03:14 > 0:03:16He served in Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan
0:03:16 > 0:03:19and he's normally one of the fittest men in the regiment.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22- Yeah, there's not been much change really.- No.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25ECG suggested that it's a myocardial infarction,
0:03:25 > 0:03:27a heart attack basically.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29Although he's sat up and he looks quite well,
0:03:29 > 0:03:31multiple ECGs have confirmed
0:03:31 > 0:03:34that there's some elevation in the leads
0:03:34 > 0:03:37that we look for heart attacks in.
0:03:37 > 0:03:41It could, however, be what we call pericarditis,
0:03:41 > 0:03:45which is an infection of the skin, the muscle layers around the heart.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48Either way, the treatment is the same.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50He needs to get to hospital quickly.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53We're trying to book him into a specialist unit
0:03:53 > 0:03:57at James Cook Hospital where we can take him
0:03:57 > 0:03:59and we'll get direct treatment straightaway for the problem
0:03:59 > 0:04:00that he's got.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03I am genuinely fit. I never get sick.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05But...
0:04:05 > 0:04:08hopefully this is nothing. Probably something I ate.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11Could well be. Better safe than sorry though, I'm afraid.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13To be honest, it was my wife's 40th this weekend
0:04:13 > 0:04:16- and we hit Harrogate quite hard, so...- Oh, right.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19But this is much more than a hangover.
0:04:19 > 0:04:21Scott needs specialist medical care.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29So pilot Chris has one of his shortest ever flights,
0:04:29 > 0:04:34just 200 metres across the base, ready for Scott to be flown to hospital.
0:04:36 > 0:04:37Take your time.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41Back side here, mate, feet in.
0:04:42 > 0:04:46He still seems very well but looks can be deceiving.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49Leon knows that patients like Scott
0:04:49 > 0:04:52can go into cardiac arrest at any time.
0:04:56 > 0:05:00- Trees to my left, mate.- OK, mate. - 20 metres. Good to the rear.
0:05:02 > 0:05:03This is Helimed 98,
0:05:03 > 0:05:05we've just lifted Alanbrooke Barracks, Topcliffe.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09Basic service en route to James Cook.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12- ETA's about 10 minutes, Leon. - No worries.
0:05:12 > 0:05:16Scott's crushing chest pain still hasn't got any better.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18Now, how would you describe that pain again, Scott?
0:05:18 > 0:05:20It feels like it's getting a little bit tighter.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23Like someone's...I don't want to put words in your mouth.
0:05:23 > 0:05:24Just a tightness around your chest?
0:05:24 > 0:05:27- Yes, just right in the middle there, just...- Someone pushing down.
0:05:31 > 0:05:3498, on the pad, James Cook.
0:05:36 > 0:05:40Scott's life is still in danger and so is his job.
0:05:40 > 0:05:44His heart is about to undergo exhaustive tests to determine
0:05:44 > 0:05:46the cause of the pain.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49He knows that if it is a heart attack,
0:05:49 > 0:05:52his distinguished career in the army could be over.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55His role demands total fitness.
0:05:56 > 0:06:00For Scott, his family and his men back at the barracks,
0:06:00 > 0:06:03it's a long wait for a diagnosis.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14It's two weeks later, the Royal Artillery are on parade.
0:06:14 > 0:06:19And so, against all expectations, is their sergeant major.
0:06:19 > 0:06:23Back in uniform and clutching his trademark baton.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25What it came down to
0:06:25 > 0:06:29and I was diagnosed with something called pericarditis which is a virus
0:06:29 > 0:06:33that affects the bag that the heart sits in.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38It had filled with fluid which was compressing the heart which
0:06:38 > 0:06:40was giving me the chest pains.
0:06:40 > 0:06:44Although it wasn't a heart attack, this is still a serious condition.
0:06:44 > 0:06:49And this super-fit soldier's been told he's got to take it easy.
0:06:49 > 0:06:50It's quite frustrating.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53On the Tuesdays and the Thursdays and the Fridays during the week,
0:06:53 > 0:06:56we always have PT and I'm missing out of that
0:06:56 > 0:06:59but that couple of hours or an hour doing a bit of exercise,
0:06:59 > 0:07:02you know, just calms me down for the rest of the day.
0:07:02 > 0:07:04Yeah, I am, I am missing that.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08But Scott's main concern wasn't what was happening to him,
0:07:08 > 0:07:10it was what other people could see.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13One of the worst things was it was the teacher training day
0:07:13 > 0:07:16and as I'm getting wheeled towards the helicopter
0:07:16 > 0:07:20I look over my left shoulder and my son is looking at me.
0:07:20 > 0:07:21My 11-year-old son.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23So all I... I said, "Hello, son."
0:07:23 > 0:07:27And he thought it was a training exercise so I let it go.
0:07:27 > 0:07:29And since he's been back on base,
0:07:29 > 0:07:34he's been the subject of nonstop military banter.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37As soon as I came out of hospital, the battery, you know, bless them,
0:07:37 > 0:07:43they put a card together for me, a get well card and also gave me
0:07:43 > 0:07:46a little toy helicopter with remarks like,
0:07:46 > 0:07:49"Don't stop being a chopper", you know, that sort of thing.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52So I'm doing it for everybody else really, you know,
0:07:52 > 0:07:55if it keeps everybody else happy, I'm happy.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02The heather-covered hill tops of the North York Moors
0:08:02 > 0:08:06are dominated by Britain's most expensive grouse shooting estates
0:08:06 > 0:08:10where a day's sport can cost hundreds of pounds a head.
0:08:10 > 0:08:14But the valleys are still home to a hardy community of hill farmers,
0:08:14 > 0:08:17working the fields of remote places like Bilsdale.
0:08:17 > 0:08:22That's where Helimed 98 is heading today.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24Helimed 98 lifted.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27...We'll pass at a bank...
0:08:27 > 0:08:31An elderly woman has fallen off her horse.
0:08:31 > 0:08:35There's a concern from the caller that the patient might've
0:08:35 > 0:08:37fractured her pelvis which
0:08:37 > 0:08:40given the patient's age and the mechanism of injuries,
0:08:40 > 0:08:42quite significant concern.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45So we're going to go down there before the land crews arrive
0:08:45 > 0:08:46to assess.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52To reach their patient, paramedic Leon and pilot John Slater
0:08:52 > 0:08:56must fly through the low cloud left by a storm on the moors.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59What we should see will be a farm off to our right
0:08:59 > 0:09:02and the next nearest farm will be up, which is the one we're aiming for
0:09:02 > 0:09:03and there should be two buildings
0:09:03 > 0:09:06and an outhouse or some building off to the left.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08Trying to find the right farm isn't easy
0:09:08 > 0:09:12and an old-fashioned Ordnance Survey map is the best way to do it.
0:09:12 > 0:09:17- What's that? Low on the bend.- Yeah, I see...on the track.- Three o'clock.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19- Yeah, visual.- Do you see?- Yeah.- Sam?
0:09:20 > 0:09:25- Not seen.- Three o'clock, very low. - Ah, yep, seen.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28- What do you reckon? - Yeah, think so, mate.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31It's someone stood next to a pile of clothes.
0:09:31 > 0:09:36- Yeah, I'm going to park on this slope up here if you're happy.- Yep.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38This is a remote place to live.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41The nearest shop is a 25 minute drive
0:09:41 > 0:09:46and the roads mean anything but a 4x4 is a nonstarter.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48- What's your name, sweet?- Jean.- Jean.
0:09:48 > 0:09:50And what's happened this morning, Jean?
0:09:50 > 0:09:55- Erm...I was just coming home with the pony and she slipped.- OK.
0:09:55 > 0:09:59And I came off but unfortunately I fell heavy on a stone...
0:09:59 > 0:10:04Jean Sanderson has always been reluctant to give up riding.
0:10:04 > 0:10:06Even though she's 74 years old.
0:10:06 > 0:10:08- Right on there. Have you got any pain there at the moment?- Yeah.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10Yeah, OK, if you...
0:10:10 > 0:10:13She was coming up the field and the horse just slipped
0:10:13 > 0:10:16and she thought she was going to come down, she just come off.
0:10:18 > 0:10:20Sam's concerned about his patient.
0:10:20 > 0:10:22He fears her pelvis is broken
0:10:22 > 0:10:26and this isn't the first time it's happened.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28- You've broke your pelvis before, have you?- Well, the other side.
0:10:28 > 0:10:32- The other side.- Yeah, but that wasn't with a horse, that was...
0:10:32 > 0:10:35- That was something else, was it? - Just falling down.- Just falling down.
0:10:35 > 0:10:39Her husband's always had reservations about her riding.
0:10:39 > 0:10:43Oh, she's very tough. She shouldn't be riding but she won't stop.
0:10:43 > 0:10:45It's her life, you know?
0:10:46 > 0:10:50Jean's mount was caught out by the mud left by a moorland cloudburst.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53Jean, can you remember everything that's happened?
0:10:53 > 0:10:55You can remember falling off the horse?
0:10:55 > 0:10:57Because the horse has gone down onto you, hasn't she?
0:10:57 > 0:11:02I can remember the horse slipped and then...I just, erm, well,
0:11:02 > 0:11:04I was stunned, I think, really.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07And then I realised I was sitting on a stone and I just moved
0:11:07 > 0:11:10and thought, "Oh, something went crack."
0:11:12 > 0:11:15The pelvis is a vital shield for many of the body's
0:11:15 > 0:11:20internal organs and a fracture can lead to serious internal bleeding.
0:11:20 > 0:11:24What we're going to do, we've got a hard board and like a belt
0:11:24 > 0:11:26and what we're going to do is pop the belt round your pelvis,
0:11:26 > 0:11:29just if so you have damaged it, it'll keep it all together.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32- Yeah.- And stop it from moving around too much as we move you.
0:11:32 > 0:11:37It's in areas like this that the Helimed team comes into its own.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40Driving Jean off this hillside would be painful
0:11:40 > 0:11:42and could make her condition worse.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44This is just a bit of morphine, OK?
0:11:44 > 0:11:46So when we start to move you onto this board,
0:11:46 > 0:11:48it shouldn't be as painful for you, OK?
0:11:48 > 0:11:51Just because of what you've said happened today and what's happened
0:11:51 > 0:11:54to you in the past, we're best off to take you up to James Cook.
0:11:55 > 0:12:00- Right.- So I know it's a bit of a trek but it's better safe than sorry.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03- I feel awful about it, really. - What do you feel awful about?
0:12:03 > 0:12:07- Well, having all of yous out!- Well, we weren't doing anything else.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09- Yeah, yeah.- I was only watching Jeremy Kyle.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12It's not a problem, it's what we're here for.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16- Have you ever been in a helicopter before, Jean?- I haven't.
0:12:16 > 0:12:21- Ah! So it will be a day of firsts for you.- It will, yeah.
0:12:22 > 0:12:24You all right, guys?
0:12:27 > 0:12:30Pilot John's been carrying out a recce for take off.
0:12:30 > 0:12:34Now he's in danger of being a casualty himself.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36I don't get paid for this mud!
0:12:36 > 0:12:39You could be a skipper on the North Sea now.
0:12:41 > 0:12:45Just carrying Jean to the chopper on this hillside won't be easy.
0:12:45 > 0:12:51The moors cover more than 500 square miles and their height means
0:12:51 > 0:12:56the rainfall up here is usually much heavier than average.
0:12:56 > 0:12:58It's a good job you're only little, Jean.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01Wouldn't fancy carrying me over this.
0:13:06 > 0:13:08Because of the distances involved in going up to James Cook,
0:13:08 > 0:13:11we're going to fly her there because it's going to obviously be a
0:13:11 > 0:13:14quicker transit, if there is some kind of bleeding into her abdomen
0:13:14 > 0:13:16but it'll also be more comfortable for the patient.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19You could see how badly rotted the tracks are around here
0:13:19 > 0:13:21and it's quite a long trek up to the main road so that's
0:13:21 > 0:13:24the plan at the moment but she seems relatively well in herself.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27She's comfortable now that she's had some morphine.
0:13:28 > 0:13:313-5-0 heading.
0:13:31 > 0:13:333-5-0.
0:13:33 > 0:13:38Jean's on her way to the trauma unit at the James Cook Hospital
0:13:38 > 0:13:39in Middlesbrough.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44If she had been going by road, it could've taken an hour.
0:13:47 > 0:13:48- OK, you ready?- Yep.
0:13:50 > 0:13:54Jean's arriving at hospital within 10 minutes.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57Inside, doctors are waiting to X-ray her pelvis
0:13:57 > 0:14:00and, if necessary, operate.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06But a few days later, in a misty Bilsdale,
0:14:06 > 0:14:10their patient is back home by the fire, in pain from bruising
0:14:10 > 0:14:13and pulled muscles but otherwise unhurt.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18I hadn't broken my pelvis or my hip, you know,
0:14:18 > 0:14:22so...which is fair enough, which was good news really.
0:14:23 > 0:14:27It's just taking time, it's the pain what's pulling me
0:14:27 > 0:14:32back more than anything I think really, but I do get around, yeah.
0:14:34 > 0:14:36Jean's on sticks for now
0:14:36 > 0:14:39but her fall hasn't changed her mind about riding.
0:14:39 > 0:14:45Even in her eighth decade and regardless of doctor's orders.
0:14:45 > 0:14:51The main doctor came and he suggested I stopped riding
0:14:51 > 0:14:57but he said, "I can't really force you", you know,
0:14:57 > 0:14:59and I said, "Oh, dear me."
0:14:59 > 0:15:02And then I said, "I'll keep the pony,
0:15:02 > 0:15:05"just in case I do get back to riding."
0:15:05 > 0:15:09So he said, "Well, fair enough." So that was it, like, really.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14And as far as this horsewoman is concerned,
0:15:14 > 0:15:18she's not hanging up her boots yet.
0:15:18 > 0:15:22If you feel that wind in your face and the sunshine in your face
0:15:22 > 0:15:27and the pony's going well and you look around at the scenery,
0:15:27 > 0:15:33it's just absolutely marvellous, it is.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35There's your carrot.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38That's it. Good lassie.
0:15:38 > 0:15:40I am going to try,
0:15:40 > 0:15:45even if I don't go on the moor and riding all over...
0:15:45 > 0:15:48I can still go, sort of, round the farm
0:15:48 > 0:15:52so that's what I'm hoping to do, definitely.
0:15:56 > 0:16:00Now you would've thought riding one of these over terrain like this
0:16:00 > 0:16:04would be hard enough for anyone. But some bikers think it's too easy.
0:16:04 > 0:16:09Motocross enthusiasts insist on creating bigger hills to ride over
0:16:09 > 0:16:12but sometimes the result is all too predictable.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17This sport is not for the faint-hearted.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20Riders race around specialist tracks in all conditions attempting
0:16:20 > 0:16:2520ft jumps that launch them into the air for four times that distance.
0:16:25 > 0:16:29Even when a rider is wearing all the right protective gear,
0:16:29 > 0:16:33it's not unusual for serious injuries to occur
0:16:33 > 0:16:36when man and motorbike come back to earth.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42We're heading to Fat Cats,
0:16:42 > 0:16:45it's a motocross centre near Doncaster
0:16:45 > 0:16:48and we've got reports there a crew are on scene
0:16:48 > 0:16:50and they've asked for our assistance
0:16:50 > 0:16:52as a patient's got an unstable pelvis fracture.
0:16:52 > 0:16:56Internal bleed is our biggest concern. Therefore, the aircraft is
0:16:56 > 0:16:58involved and hopefully we'll be able to take him to the
0:16:58 > 0:17:00major trauma centre in Sheffield.
0:17:01 > 0:17:05I'll probably turn around because it will be easier just to walk
0:17:05 > 0:17:09back up the hill, so I'll just approach this bit and turn around.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13- ...Probably get blown over into that.- Yeah, hold on to him.
0:17:13 > 0:17:18TWO-WAY RADIO CHATTER
0:17:22 > 0:17:26- Hello.- This is Andy.- Hiya, Andy. - He's come off his motorbike.
0:17:26 > 0:17:33For paramedic, Sammy, Andy Wallis' leg is a serious cause for concern.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36- You see his leg? He said he's had to twist his leg back around.- Yeah.
0:17:36 > 0:17:41- Do you take any medication at all, Andy?- None.- None at all, great.
0:17:41 > 0:17:43Traction splint, please!
0:17:43 > 0:17:45Bring a pelvic binder, as well.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49Hello, my name's Sammy, I'm another paramedic.
0:17:49 > 0:17:51I'm going to put your leg in a traction splint which will hurt
0:17:51 > 0:17:55when we do it but it'll also make it a lot, lot better once it's in.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58OK? Then we'll get you up off this floor.
0:17:58 > 0:18:00I'd just come off from my session and parked my bike up
0:18:00 > 0:18:02and I've just seen him through the vans.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05He did this jump, just flipped over front ways and he must've
0:18:05 > 0:18:08landed, fell off and another bike's come over and landed on him.
0:18:08 > 0:18:12He got over it, it just flipped him off. He was flying, wasn't he?
0:18:12 > 0:18:14- He was. - There's no stopping him today.
0:18:15 > 0:18:17Sammy fears that as well as a broken leg,
0:18:17 > 0:18:20Andy has fractured his pelvis.
0:18:20 > 0:18:22Both injuries can cause internal bleeding.
0:18:22 > 0:18:26So he's been giving saline to keep his blood pressure up.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29Now the team's giving him a powerful painkiller.
0:18:29 > 0:18:32You might not even remember when we do it, OK?
0:18:32 > 0:18:36He's got a significant twisted spiral fracture to his femur.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39The land crew have done an excellent job giving him morphine
0:18:39 > 0:18:43but his pain is still excessive so we're just drawing up some
0:18:43 > 0:18:46ketamine now before we realign his leg.
0:18:47 > 0:18:50His knee's actually facing the wrong way.
0:18:50 > 0:18:55Now he's sedated, it's time to straighten Andy's broken leg.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58Once it's done, he'll be much more comfortable.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01You support his leg, all right?
0:19:01 > 0:19:03I'm just going to pull this from under him, all right?
0:19:03 > 0:19:07This is called a Kendrick splint. It's a traction splint
0:19:07 > 0:19:10and if this leg has got a fracture,
0:19:10 > 0:19:13you know, we'll address this. It's what we gave him the ketamine for
0:19:13 > 0:19:15so we can pull it straight. Literally if there's a break
0:19:15 > 0:19:19and it's gone either side or it's spiralled across, we'll pull it,
0:19:19 > 0:19:24give traction basically and sort of restore it to its normal length.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27- Another breath, Andy.- Right. - Andy, come on, fella.
0:19:27 > 0:19:31- Ready?- Another breath. Come on, big breath.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34He is, I can see him, he's just not sucking on the gas.
0:19:34 > 0:19:36- I can see his belly.- It's working.
0:19:36 > 0:19:40- Keep going. You ready?- Yeah? - Fantastic.
0:19:40 > 0:19:44Andy fell at a ramp built to propel riders into the air.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47Helimed pilot Andy Hall has pulled off a stunt of his own
0:19:47 > 0:19:48by landing on top of it.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53I didn't want to put the tail up the slope
0:19:53 > 0:19:58and we parked with the tail over the ramp, it's a bit of an uneven area.
0:20:00 > 0:20:03It's built for purpose, not built for helicopters, of course.
0:20:03 > 0:20:07It's digging into the back end, just got to be a bit careful.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09I think we're waiting to bring him up now.
0:20:09 > 0:20:13Obs are stable, most recent BP 130 over 79.
0:20:13 > 0:20:15Heart rate, 60.
0:20:15 > 0:20:20GCS 14, he has had 20mg of morphine
0:20:20 > 0:20:24and up to now, 30mg of ketamine.
0:20:24 > 0:20:28Our ETA will be approximately 12.25.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33Biker Andy's being taken to hospital in Sheffield
0:20:33 > 0:20:36where surgeons will operate on his leg.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39He'd driven across the Pennines from his home in Lancashire
0:20:39 > 0:20:41to take part in today's event.
0:20:42 > 0:20:45It'll be a while before he's fit to return home
0:20:45 > 0:20:50and much longer before he's in any shape to ride his bike again.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57The Yorkshire Dales is among
0:20:57 > 0:21:00England's most sparsely populated areas.
0:21:00 > 0:21:04There are fewer than 28 people per every square mile,
0:21:04 > 0:21:05London boasts 12,000.
0:21:06 > 0:21:10For the ambulance service it adds up to an outsized problem.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13Reaching the most critical emergencies within eight minutes
0:21:13 > 0:21:18is their target but even Helimed 98 has its work cut out doing that.
0:21:19 > 0:21:21Today, on a farm near Masham,
0:21:21 > 0:21:24a farmer is feared to be having a heart attack.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27The team's touching down yards from his home.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34This emergency has come straight out of the textbook.
0:21:34 > 0:21:38Within five minutes of the 999 call from his son,
0:21:38 > 0:21:43farmer Ken Wilkinson had a volunteer community responder with oxygen
0:21:43 > 0:21:45and deliberator by his side,
0:21:45 > 0:21:49closely followed by a paramedic in a response car.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51In areas like this, they're very vital.
0:21:51 > 0:21:53I work in Bradford and we have them
0:21:53 > 0:21:56just on the outskirts of Bradford in some areas where it can take
0:21:56 > 0:21:58forever to get an ambulance there
0:21:58 > 0:22:02and they do really good work and they're volunteers as well.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04- He's just telling me he's got a little bit of chest pain now.- OK.
0:22:04 > 0:22:06He was just out in the field...
0:22:06 > 0:22:08Ken was out rounding up sheep and digging fodder for them
0:22:08 > 0:22:10when he felt unwell.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12- Sort of sat on his hands, it was a bit like this.- Mm.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15And up in the field...and he was just going like that.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18When he developed chest pains, his son Martin raced him
0:22:18 > 0:22:20back to the house on his quad bike.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23- You normally fit and well then, sir?- Mm.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25Yeah, all right, you sit nice and still, relax your arms.
0:22:25 > 0:22:29This trace shows no obvious sign of a heart attack
0:22:29 > 0:22:33but with chest pains, ambulance crews don't take any chances.
0:22:33 > 0:22:35Have you still got some discomfort?
0:22:36 > 0:22:40- No.- Nothing at all?- No.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43And when it came on, about that half hour ago,
0:22:43 > 0:22:46was it more than three or four out of ten?
0:22:46 > 0:22:49- Or has it always just... - No.- ..been about a three?
0:22:49 > 0:22:51- It was just a tingling. - A tingling? OK.
0:22:53 > 0:22:58The family farm is in a remote area, close to The Dales town of Masham.
0:22:58 > 0:23:03Now an ambulance has arrived, Ken has five trained medics on hand.
0:23:03 > 0:23:04His son is impressed.
0:23:04 > 0:23:08Would be ten minutes in the field before he felt like that he
0:23:08 > 0:23:11wanted to come down to the house and we would be down here...
0:23:12 > 0:23:15..a couple of minutes and the first lady landed,
0:23:15 > 0:23:17probably ten minutes.
0:23:17 > 0:23:22And then another five before the ambulance was here.
0:23:22 > 0:23:26Technology helps the medics of The Dales find their patients
0:23:26 > 0:23:30but responding to 999 calls up here is stressful.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33The country roads, you've got bits of traffic and you've got
0:23:33 > 0:23:36tractors in small roads so that's what slows you down, if anything.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38But it is beautiful.
0:23:40 > 0:23:43The team's decided Ken isn't in immediate danger.
0:23:43 > 0:23:45Right then, sir. It's you and me going up in the world.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48'Thank goodness for sat nav, I mean,'
0:23:48 > 0:23:51years ago, you know, we'd be looking in map books so, you did it
0:23:51 > 0:23:54because you had to and you got used to doing it
0:23:54 > 0:23:56and now the sat nav's fantastic
0:23:56 > 0:23:58because on this particular farm there's several buildings
0:23:58 > 0:24:02and the sat nav actually pulled this particular cottage which is
0:24:02 > 0:24:05fantastic and it just reduces any delays, you know,
0:24:05 > 0:24:08the on-scene time's so much quicker
0:24:08 > 0:24:10because you know exactly where you're going.
0:24:10 > 0:24:15Finding a patient from 1,000ft up in the air is rather harder.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18We had this as the property and the RRV had pulled up,
0:24:18 > 0:24:22we weren't entirely convinced that this... the casualty was in the house.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25- Yeah.- For all we knew, he was still out in a field somewhere.
0:24:25 > 0:24:27That's why...because there's some properties up on
0:24:27 > 0:24:30- the river banks there, aren't there? Some old ruins.- Yeah, yeah.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32So we saw the car park and we presumed
0:24:32 > 0:24:35- it may very well have been a walker...- Right.- ..who had collapsed,
0:24:35 > 0:24:37you know, on the trails sort of thing, so we had a quick look
0:24:37 > 0:24:41round there before returning here and that's when we saw you waving.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43The ground ambulance will be taking him
0:24:43 > 0:24:46to hospital in nearby Northallerton.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49Up here, the first response to a medical emergency is likely
0:24:49 > 0:24:53to come from a friend or neighbour, trained by the ambulance service.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56I was just saying thank you, she's missed her Christmas luncheon.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58- No, I've not missed it! - Well, you started it...
0:24:58 > 0:25:00I've just missed the end of it.
0:25:00 > 0:25:02Yeah, so figgy pudding, you're going to have to have
0:25:02 > 0:25:05- double helpings next time. - Do you think?- Yeah.
0:25:07 > 0:25:09They're a real good team going
0:25:09 > 0:25:15and the advantage is you know most of the people that you visit
0:25:15 > 0:25:17which has got to be a help, hasn't it?
0:25:17 > 0:25:20The lambs and the fodder will have to wait.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23Ken's on his way to hospital for tests to his heart.
0:25:23 > 0:25:28People living in Yorkshire's rural areas are statistically much
0:25:28 > 0:25:32less likely to dial 999 than those in the cities,
0:25:32 > 0:25:34even when they really should.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37Martin did the right thing and in his dad's case,
0:25:37 > 0:25:41the NHS response was certainly prompt.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45If you live here in The Dales, you'll know there's a barrier
0:25:45 > 0:25:48that actually divides the North of England.
0:25:48 > 0:25:49Thanks to the Pennines,
0:25:49 > 0:25:53some people in North Yorkshire can actually get to London faster
0:25:53 > 0:25:55than they can to Liverpool by train
0:25:55 > 0:26:00and the roads over the hills are both difficult and dangerous.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05The M62 is still the only motorway
0:26:05 > 0:26:08from the east of Northern England to the west.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11No wonder it's amongst the busiest in the UK
0:26:11 > 0:26:15which is why the high Pennines passes first trodden out by
0:26:15 > 0:26:19pack horses 300 years ago are still popular with motorists
0:26:19 > 0:26:21anxious to find a short cut.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23- We're here, mate.- You sure?
0:26:23 > 0:26:25Well, that's the Woodhead Pass road on your left, isn't it?
0:26:25 > 0:26:27Yeah.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31High above the market town of Glossop, Helimed 99 is
0:26:31 > 0:26:36on final approach to another smash on the Pennine passes.
0:26:36 > 0:26:40We've had reports that on the Woodhead Pass,
0:26:40 > 0:26:44just a few miles north-east of Glossop,
0:26:44 > 0:26:48a heavy goods vehicle has rolled over
0:26:48 > 0:26:52and that the driver is trapped.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57I would say the incident's in that drop there, isn't it?
0:26:57 > 0:26:59- OK, got the stationary traffic. - Got the ambulance.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02I've got the ambulance now and I've got the vehicle.
0:27:02 > 0:27:06The road is closed so pilot John Slater could land on it
0:27:06 > 0:27:09but police vehicles are in the way.
0:27:09 > 0:27:13- Is that black car too close? - On the road, you mean?- Yeah.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16Yeah...the police car that's just pulled up.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19If I open the thing, I'll signal to him and tell him to move it.
0:27:19 > 0:27:20Could do.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23Right, I'm going to open the door.
0:27:23 > 0:27:27The stone walls close to the crash will make this landing tricky,
0:27:27 > 0:27:29even if drivers cooperate.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36Mate, I'm not too...I'm not happy about parking there.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39John decides a patch of grass will be a better bet.
0:27:39 > 0:27:41If he'd parked his car where the yellow one is.
0:27:41 > 0:27:46- He's gone to go, he's gone to stop it, mate.- I'm not going there.- Right.
0:27:46 > 0:27:50- I'm going for this bank here. - Just watch these trees here, mate.
0:27:52 > 0:27:54Stay there!
0:27:54 > 0:27:56Stay there.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58Right, how are we behind?
0:27:58 > 0:28:00You're OK behind but we're on quite a bit of a slope.
0:28:00 > 0:28:04- But that's OK, I'm happy here. - Sure?- Yeah.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12The driver doesn't appear to be seriously injured
0:28:12 > 0:28:15but the medics aren't taking any chances.
0:28:15 > 0:28:19- Saying he can't feel the lower parts of his legs at the minute.- Right.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22He's doing fine, talking to us, we've given him some morphine,
0:28:22 > 0:28:24think it's dropped his blood pressure a bit,
0:28:24 > 0:28:26- he's gone a bit woozy on us.- Right.
0:28:26 > 0:28:30- Is he...so pinned to his knees?- Yeah.
0:28:30 > 0:28:34Bit of neuro deficit to his lower legs.
0:28:34 > 0:28:36He feels like he can't move them at all.
0:28:36 > 0:28:38This is an exposed place.
0:28:38 > 0:28:41The road is frequently closed for days on end in mid-winter
0:28:41 > 0:28:46and the roadside reservoir makes it especially prone to ice.
0:28:46 > 0:28:48That can't have been a factor today.
0:28:48 > 0:28:51Think it's just manpower just to get him out the side.
0:28:51 > 0:28:54We'll go on you guys, completely on you guys.
0:28:55 > 0:28:59Firefighters are going to remove the driver on a spinal stretcher
0:28:59 > 0:29:01but it's just a precaution.
0:29:01 > 0:29:05This gentlemen looks like he's hurt his knee but other than that,
0:29:05 > 0:29:08all his baseline obs are fine.
0:29:08 > 0:29:11And he's not complaining about any other injuries.
0:29:12 > 0:29:17It's only about 10 to 12 miles to the nearest hospital in Manchester
0:29:17 > 0:29:20so I think the crew's going to deal with that.
0:29:20 > 0:29:22We're just waiting for the fire brigade to
0:29:22 > 0:29:26extricate the guy from this cab, as you can see it's quite high up.
0:29:26 > 0:29:29Then give him a further check and then we can get him
0:29:29 > 0:29:33on his way to hospital and then we'll return and get some much needed fuel.
0:29:33 > 0:29:37Helicopters are only used to fly patients when it's clinically
0:29:37 > 0:29:40necessary or impractical to transport them any other way.
0:29:43 > 0:29:46Hopefully the police will have called the recovery truck
0:29:46 > 0:29:49and they'll get the truck back on its wheels and on her way.
0:29:51 > 0:29:53Helimed 99 will be back at base in 15 minutes
0:29:53 > 0:29:56but the drivers trapped by the accident will still be
0:29:56 > 0:30:00crawling across the Pennines in two hours time.
0:30:00 > 0:30:04That's the penalty motorists pay for taking one of Britain's most
0:30:04 > 0:30:07spectacular but accident-prone routes.
0:30:09 > 0:30:13The Pennines form the border between five major counties
0:30:13 > 0:30:17and a call out to the passes means a long drive on blue lights,
0:30:17 > 0:30:21often through the traffic jams caused by the emergency incident
0:30:21 > 0:30:23unless you can fly there.
0:30:26 > 0:30:29We're going to a road traffic accident in Derbyshire,
0:30:29 > 0:30:33near the bottom of Snake Pass, which is one of the really
0:30:33 > 0:30:35busy roads that goes between Sheffield and Manchester.
0:30:35 > 0:30:42Got reports of a patient with a head injury, trapped in the car there.
0:30:42 > 0:30:45TWO-WAY RADIO CHATTER
0:30:45 > 0:30:49Paramedics Daryl and John are keen cyclists.
0:30:49 > 0:30:50They often ride these hills.
0:30:50 > 0:30:53- Have you rode on Snake Pass on your bike?- Yeah.
0:30:53 > 0:30:56- You know there's a flat bit coming out of Glossop...- Yeah.
0:30:56 > 0:30:59..and then the pass starts right at the bottom of that bit?
0:30:59 > 0:31:03- Right, OK. Yeah, we're pretty much straight over Holme Moss then.- Yeah.
0:31:03 > 0:31:06There's been an accident near Holme Moss,
0:31:06 > 0:31:10the giant transmitter that beams BBC radio to most of the North.
0:31:10 > 0:31:12Yeah, we've got the guy wires from Holme Moss,
0:31:12 > 0:31:15- we appear to be on track, anyhow.- Yeah.
0:31:15 > 0:31:18- The road there to the left of it, just inside?- Yeah, that's the road.
0:31:18 > 0:31:21Looks like it's right down here, this junction, doesn't it?
0:31:21 > 0:31:24- Yeah, it does.- Look at the traffic, all the way back up the road there.
0:31:24 > 0:31:26Yeah, terrible.
0:31:26 > 0:31:28Two vehicles have crashed head-on.
0:31:28 > 0:31:32Van driver Liam Scrimgeour had forgotten to put on his seat belt.
0:31:32 > 0:31:35In the impact, his head hit the windscreen.
0:31:35 > 0:31:38- What's your name?- Liam. - I'm John, Liam, OK.
0:31:39 > 0:31:41The Snake Pass was recently included
0:31:41 > 0:31:45in a list of the top ten most dangerous roads in Britain.
0:31:45 > 0:31:48Today, its reputation has been confirmed.
0:31:50 > 0:31:54Local firefighters are used to being called to crashes up here.
0:31:54 > 0:31:57There's no such thing as a standard RTC, the thing about this
0:31:57 > 0:32:00one which is a little bit unusual, it's actually a van.
0:32:00 > 0:32:04Generally RTCs involve normal saloon vehicles, domestic cars, etc.
0:32:04 > 0:32:07It's a little unusual in that it's a van,
0:32:07 > 0:32:10we're having to make extra cuts to actually remove the roof
0:32:10 > 0:32:13as opposed to taking the roof off a normal domestic saloon car.
0:32:13 > 0:32:15Can I just have a word with him before you do that?
0:32:15 > 0:32:18- Is that all right?- Yeah. - I just need to do some checks on him.
0:32:18 > 0:32:20Right, I'm just going to listen to your breathing.
0:32:20 > 0:32:24It's probably all right, mate. Any pain at all in your chest? No?
0:32:24 > 0:32:25Right.
0:32:25 > 0:32:28The fire service will remove the roof of his van
0:32:28 > 0:32:30so the team can lift him clear,
0:32:30 > 0:32:34while keeping his spine straight.
0:32:34 > 0:32:37Paramedic John wants to protect Liam's neck.
0:32:37 > 0:32:38He's fitting a surgical collar.
0:32:38 > 0:32:41Can you just hold his head for us, mate, while I put this on?
0:32:41 > 0:32:43Just up above so I can get it round.
0:32:44 > 0:32:47Traffic's backing up for miles.
0:32:47 > 0:32:49The pass links Manchester and Sheffield,
0:32:49 > 0:32:54the two biggest neighbouring cities in Britain not linked by a motorway.
0:32:54 > 0:32:56He's only complaining of pain in his leg,
0:32:56 > 0:33:00however, not wearing a seat belt and he's bull's-eyed the window.
0:33:02 > 0:33:03The North West ambulance service
0:33:03 > 0:33:07has scrambled its specialist rescue team to the smash.
0:33:07 > 0:33:09Chaps, we can just put a KED on him
0:33:09 > 0:33:11and bring him out sideways if you want?
0:33:11 > 0:33:14We're going to get him extricated on our scoop.
0:33:14 > 0:33:18So we'll pop it in behind him and we'll just ease him onto it.
0:33:19 > 0:33:21Have you discovered anything new bothering you
0:33:21 > 0:33:24- since we've just brought you out?- No.
0:33:24 > 0:33:27When you were taken out then, did anything hurt when you came out?
0:33:27 > 0:33:30- No, just a little bit in my knee but...- Right.
0:33:32 > 0:33:34We're actually getting him in the helicopter now
0:33:34 > 0:33:37so probably going to be there in 15 minutes, over.
0:33:37 > 0:33:40At least Liam's now ready for his flight to hospital.
0:33:40 > 0:33:44The team's taking him to Sheffield Northern General
0:33:44 > 0:33:46where he'll be scanned and X-rayed.
0:33:46 > 0:33:50Happily, his injuries are not as serious as first feared
0:33:50 > 0:33:53and he's later allowed home to York.
0:33:56 > 0:33:58On top of the Pennines,
0:33:58 > 0:34:02the temperature can be a full ten degrees colder than at lower levels
0:34:02 > 0:34:07and on these roads, winter can catch out the unwary.
0:34:10 > 0:34:12For most drivers crossing the Pennines,
0:34:12 > 0:34:14its passes are like any other road.
0:34:14 > 0:34:17The radio's on, the heater's turned up
0:34:17 > 0:34:21but when there's an accident up here, the remoteness and the climate
0:34:21 > 0:34:25can make a minor accident serious very quickly.
0:34:25 > 0:34:29And that's when another emergency service comes in to its own.
0:34:29 > 0:34:32The local knowledge and four wheel drives
0:34:32 > 0:34:35of mountain rescue often come in handy.
0:34:35 > 0:34:38These volunteers are all medically trained
0:34:38 > 0:34:41and several motorists owe their lives to them.
0:34:42 > 0:34:46Today, Helimed 99 has been called in by a mountain rescue party
0:34:46 > 0:34:47on the Snake Pass.
0:34:47 > 0:34:50We were on our way to a course over at Woodhead
0:34:50 > 0:34:52and we just came across this RTC.
0:34:52 > 0:34:55Initially ABC assessment and control C spine
0:34:55 > 0:34:59and just make sure the right resources were running to the job.
0:34:59 > 0:35:01So our natural thing was just to help out where we can
0:35:01 > 0:35:03until the emergency services arrived.
0:35:03 > 0:35:06Head-on impacts are still statistically
0:35:06 > 0:35:09the most dangerous accidents on our roads.
0:35:09 > 0:35:13A family returning home to South Yorkshire has been caught out
0:35:13 > 0:35:15by the first bite of winter.
0:35:15 > 0:35:18Ice patches are making the pass slippery.
0:35:18 > 0:35:20It's one of the first kind of mornings that we've had
0:35:20 > 0:35:23some really hard frost across the region so there's going to be plenty
0:35:23 > 0:35:27of accidents. This incident, two cars have clipped each other, caused
0:35:27 > 0:35:29significant damage and there's a patient still trapped in one
0:35:29 > 0:35:32that we're going to fly over to the Northern.
0:35:32 > 0:35:35Delays are building for tourists and commuters alike.
0:35:35 > 0:35:39The Peak District National Park straddles both the Snake and
0:35:39 > 0:35:43Woodhead Passes and it's a favourite place for city workers to live.
0:35:43 > 0:35:46Looks like he's been trapped with where the vehicle's been deformed,
0:35:46 > 0:35:48rather than any injuries he's got.
0:35:48 > 0:35:50But we can't see his lower legs at the moment so just getting the
0:35:50 > 0:35:53fire service to create a bit of space on the right-hand side of the
0:35:53 > 0:35:56vehicle and then we're going to extricate him through the side.
0:35:56 > 0:35:58Before that, we're just going to give him some morphine.
0:35:58 > 0:36:01One of the doctors might give him a bit of ketamine as well,
0:36:01 > 0:36:03something a bit stronger. So, we'll get him out,
0:36:03 > 0:36:05have a proper look at him then we'll take things from there.
0:36:08 > 0:36:10Just making the conditions for the emergency services
0:36:10 > 0:36:13quite hazardous at the moment. There's lots of fire engines,
0:36:13 > 0:36:15police car's arrived on scene, got the helicopter here as well
0:36:15 > 0:36:18so we're just thinking of relocating it to get to a better position
0:36:18 > 0:36:21to load the patient and head off as quickly as we can.
0:36:22 > 0:36:25I'm going to ask you to back up, please, as far as you can.
0:36:25 > 0:36:29Pilot Andy needs to get Helimed 99 closer to the patient
0:36:29 > 0:36:33but first he's going to need the cooperation of motorists.
0:36:34 > 0:36:38Andy can touch down in an area not much bigger than a tennis court
0:36:38 > 0:36:40but he has to protect the public
0:36:40 > 0:36:44and the emergency services from the chopper's downwash.
0:36:44 > 0:36:46With grit and rock salt on the road
0:36:46 > 0:36:51and plastic debris from the cars, a man-made 150 mile an hour gale
0:36:51 > 0:36:56could hurt or injure anyone unwise enough to be in the landing zone.
0:36:56 > 0:36:59He's got away quite lightly at the moment.
0:36:59 > 0:37:00All his obs are stable,
0:37:00 > 0:37:02looks like he's just got some lower limb injuries.
0:37:02 > 0:37:05But you can see what's happened to the car he's been driving.
0:37:05 > 0:37:08There's been a significant intrusion onto the driver's side of it
0:37:08 > 0:37:11so as a precaution we'll fly him to Sheffield Northern
0:37:11 > 0:37:14and get the doctors down there to have a look at him.
0:37:14 > 0:37:16Despite the remoteness of the accident,
0:37:16 > 0:37:20the driver will be in hospital in Sheffield in less than ten minutes.
0:37:20 > 0:37:25He has suffered serious injuries and is detained for several days.
0:37:28 > 0:37:31A lot of the flying paramedic's work
0:37:31 > 0:37:34has always been up in The Dales, moors and peaks.
0:37:34 > 0:37:36When the heavens open in North Yorkshire,
0:37:36 > 0:37:39life gets harder for the Helimed team.
0:37:41 > 0:37:47With hills towering up to 2,500ft and clouds down to 500,
0:37:47 > 0:37:51reaching patients is difficult and potentially dangerous.
0:37:51 > 0:37:55- Looks a bit murky. - It does a bit, mate, yeah.
0:37:55 > 0:37:58Helimed 98's been scrambled to a cyclist badly injured
0:37:58 > 0:38:00in the North York Moors.
0:38:00 > 0:38:03Ahead is a curtain of cloud.
0:38:03 > 0:38:06Oh, we're going the wrong way round guys.
0:38:06 > 0:38:10Air Desk from Helimed 98, due to the low lying cloud
0:38:10 > 0:38:14and weather conditions, we may not be there as quickly as we thought, over.
0:38:16 > 0:38:18This is Helimed 98, just for your information,
0:38:18 > 0:38:21we're not able to go direct because of weather, we'll be reaching
0:38:21 > 0:38:25around via Ampleforth, Helmsley and then up through the low ground.
0:38:25 > 0:38:26As luck would have it,
0:38:26 > 0:38:29the first job that we get is up towards the North York Moors,
0:38:29 > 0:38:33which takes us back into the low lying cloud
0:38:33 > 0:38:36so we're having to sort of fly around it a little bit to find routes
0:38:36 > 0:38:38in the low ground which will take us into the job.
0:38:40 > 0:38:45Pilot Chris knows these hills well. If anyone can get through, he can.
0:38:45 > 0:38:48Thing is, all this weather's going north so we're going to try
0:38:48 > 0:38:49- and go north with it.- Right, yeah.
0:38:49 > 0:38:52We're going to have to come all the way back to the south and around.
0:38:52 > 0:38:55Chris is hugging the ground.
0:38:56 > 0:39:01He knows a river straddled by a medieval abbey will take them
0:39:01 > 0:39:02to their patient.
0:39:04 > 0:39:07Here we go, coming round onto the nose.
0:39:07 > 0:39:08Yep.
0:39:12 > 0:39:17This a valley up there, so...that's it, this is a valley up here
0:39:17 > 0:39:19- and we want to go this way.- Yep.
0:39:19 > 0:39:23At last a valley opens up and it heads in the right direction.
0:39:24 > 0:39:27So follow this road up because it's on this road, Chris.
0:39:27 > 0:39:29Yeah, that's what I meant.
0:39:31 > 0:39:34You've got a truck coming up to you, I'm not going to stop there...
0:39:34 > 0:39:38And finally, thanks to Chris's skill, they make it.
0:39:38 > 0:39:40There's a gate here, Chris, at your three o'clock.
0:39:40 > 0:39:44Yeah, I've got that, mate. The problem is me staying.
0:39:44 > 0:39:47- I'm not taking anything with me. - No, that's OK, mate.
0:39:47 > 0:39:49I'll just drop you off.
0:39:49 > 0:39:52- OK, mate?- OK, Chris, disconnecting. - We are on the ground.
0:39:54 > 0:39:58Chris daren't land Helimed 98 here but he can drop off
0:39:58 > 0:40:01paramedic Darren within walking distance of the patient.
0:40:01 > 0:40:03- So, what have we got? - This is Craig.- Yeah.
0:40:03 > 0:40:06Craig has come down this hill doing about 50mph.
0:40:06 > 0:40:10He's hit that pothole somewhere, miles up there, he's flown
0:40:10 > 0:40:1510, 15m in the air and he's impacted probably somewhere around here.
0:40:15 > 0:40:18If we just pass that helmet too, we've got a massive
0:40:18 > 0:40:23great big dent in the top of the helmet there.
0:40:23 > 0:40:25- He's got the corresponding dent in his head.- Fantastic.
0:40:25 > 0:40:27- Fully conscious.- Lovely.
0:40:27 > 0:40:29We've got rash on his leg,
0:40:29 > 0:40:33we've got what looks like a possible colles fracture on this side.
0:40:33 > 0:40:34Right.
0:40:34 > 0:40:36- And we have got C spine pain.- OK.
0:40:36 > 0:40:40Serious cyclist Craig Mitchell from Lanarkshire was sprinting down a
0:40:40 > 0:40:45steep hill near the moorland village of Hornby when he lost control.
0:40:45 > 0:40:50Taking part in a road race today and we've come down the hill
0:40:50 > 0:40:52and the conditions have been very, very wet
0:40:52 > 0:40:55and he's just feathered the brakes coming down
0:40:55 > 0:40:58and the back wheel's kind of just slipped which has forced him wide
0:40:58 > 0:41:01and the pothole has just launched him over the handlebars.
0:41:01 > 0:41:04And at the speed we were doing, he's carried on and travelled down
0:41:04 > 0:41:06and hit into the fence here.
0:41:06 > 0:41:11His symptoms are worrying. Particularly the pain in his back.
0:41:11 > 0:41:15- Hello, people.- Hello. - Can we have your board, please?- Yes.
0:41:15 > 0:41:19But Darren has ways of diagnosing a possible head injury.
0:41:19 > 0:41:23- What day is it, Craig?- Friday. - Friday. Take a deep breath for me.
0:41:23 > 0:41:27- Does that hurt?- Only in my collar bone.- Only in your collar bone.
0:41:27 > 0:41:30- Can you remember everything that's happened to you?- Yep.
0:41:30 > 0:41:33- What's your date of birth? - 15th August, '65.
0:41:33 > 0:41:36- And how old does that make you? - 48 years and 2 months.- Super.
0:41:36 > 0:41:41- Good, good. Well, at least all his marbles are in the right place.- Yes.
0:41:41 > 0:41:44TWO-WAY RADIO CHATTER
0:41:44 > 0:41:47On any other day, Craig's back pain which could be
0:41:47 > 0:41:51caused by a spinal injury would earn him a flight to hospital.
0:41:51 > 0:41:53It's going to be this field over here, mate.
0:41:53 > 0:41:56But with low cloud continuing to billow over the hills,
0:41:56 > 0:42:00the team decides the risk of flying its patient over
0:42:00 > 0:42:05the moors to the nearest trauma unit is too great.
0:42:05 > 0:42:07- Where do you live?- Strathaven. - Oh, you live there.
0:42:07 > 0:42:08So you're just visiting?
0:42:08 > 0:42:10So you've come down to God's own county then,
0:42:10 > 0:42:13- to have a ride round on a bike? - To have a crash on a bike.- Yeah.
0:42:13 > 0:42:16- Of all places to crash. - Welcome to Yorkshire.
0:42:16 > 0:42:19Craig's certainly not confused.
0:42:19 > 0:42:21He'll be travelling by road.
0:42:21 > 0:42:25He's been extremely lucky. His injuries look quite minor.
0:42:25 > 0:42:29He's not been unconscious although his helmet is damaged.
0:42:29 > 0:42:30Which is a good case in point,
0:42:30 > 0:42:33we see so many people without cycling helmets.
0:42:33 > 0:42:36This could've been so much different had he not been wearing one.
0:42:36 > 0:42:38He's in quite good spirits so I'm not concerned for him
0:42:38 > 0:42:40in terms of his injuries.
0:42:40 > 0:42:44For Darren and the crew, the flight back to base promises
0:42:44 > 0:42:46to be just as circuitous as the journey here.
0:42:47 > 0:42:50Craig is driven 20 miles to Middlesbrough
0:42:50 > 0:42:53where his injuries turn out to be relatively minor.
0:42:53 > 0:42:57He soon returns home to Scotland and is now back in the saddle.