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 > 0:00:17But if you are seriously injured in a landscape as gigantic as this,
0:00:17 > 0:00:19your life is on the line.
0:00:19 > 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 > 0:00:28Look on your left, can you get in that grass field on the left?
0:00:28 > 0:00:30Yes, mate, go for that.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33From high drama in the peaks, to high waters in the dales,
0:00:33 > 0:00:38the Helimed team is at the heart of almost every rescue.
0:00:38 > 0:00:42Bringing 21st-century medicine to some of Britain's
0:00:42 > 0:00:47most isolated communities and saving lives against the odds.
0:00:54 > 0:00:58Today on Helicopter Heroes, high in the Dales,
0:00:58 > 0:01:00a walker is badly injured,
0:01:00 > 0:01:03and pilot Ian must pull off a daring landing.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05Just looking at the power situation,
0:01:05 > 0:01:09because I can't afford to turn around in there.
0:01:09 > 0:01:13The fire brigade dials 999 after a training day goes wrong.
0:01:13 > 0:01:15He knew himself what he'd done when he fell down.
0:01:15 > 0:01:17He saw the injury straightaway,
0:01:17 > 0:01:19so luckily we had first aid kits with us.
0:01:19 > 0:01:23And in Brideshead country, a retired jockey is hurt in a freak accident.
0:01:23 > 0:01:24You see that post there,
0:01:24 > 0:01:30it snapped the post off and thrown it from there to here, hitting him.
0:01:37 > 0:01:41There's 1,000 miles of footpath in the Yorkshire Dales.
0:01:41 > 0:01:45And in some places, walking is the only way to get around.
0:01:45 > 0:01:47It means, if you get into trouble,
0:01:47 > 0:01:50you could be ten miles or more from the nearest house.
0:01:50 > 0:01:55And if you think this is going to get you out of trouble, think again.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01High in the Dales, spring can be a long time coming.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05It's April, and the mountain rescue teams are still being kept busy
0:02:05 > 0:02:09by walkers caught out by the last gasp of winter.
0:02:10 > 0:02:14Today, Helimed 98 is being scrambled to help out
0:02:14 > 0:02:17at an incident in a remote part of Swaledale.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20High above the village of Gunnerside,
0:02:20 > 0:02:22an injured walker needs help.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24Go ahead.
0:02:24 > 0:02:29Just to let you know, Swaledale Mountain Rescue have been informed.
0:02:29 > 0:02:31Do you want to get your radio onto 62 Alpha,
0:02:31 > 0:02:35because it sounds like mountain rescue are the wrong team?
0:02:35 > 0:02:38Paramedic Al Day is a mountain rescue leader himself
0:02:38 > 0:02:40in his spare time.
0:02:40 > 0:02:45He knows that finding an injured man in these peaks could be tough.
0:02:45 > 0:02:49The kind of problem for us is when you are looking at the map
0:02:49 > 0:02:52of the Gunnerside area,
0:02:52 > 0:02:58you can see there's about 1,000 little gills.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01It's in that sort of area to the north of Gunnerside,
0:03:01 > 0:03:05and he could be realistically in any one of these, really.
0:03:07 > 0:03:09So we'll have to keep our eyes peeled.
0:03:09 > 0:03:13So that beck in there, I think that's that one there.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17OK, slow it down a little bit.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19Just having a look.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23Spotting a patch of red fabric
0:03:23 > 0:03:26in hundreds of square miles of snow and rock is hard.
0:03:26 > 0:03:30But the crew of Helimed 98 has done it.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33I've got somebody down at two o'clock, two red jackets,
0:03:33 > 0:03:35by the side of a waterfall.
0:03:35 > 0:03:39- Coming into your three o'clock now, Ian.- OK, looking.
0:03:39 > 0:03:40Visual, got it.
0:03:40 > 0:03:45Swaledale is the most rugged of the Yorkshire Dales.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48Captain Ian will have his work cut out to land here.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50Got the landing site visual.
0:03:50 > 0:03:52I'm aiming for the flat area ground
0:03:52 > 0:03:55to the right-hand side of the casualty.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58- Everybody happy?- Happy with that.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01OK, so all I'm interested in is clearance down the valley,
0:04:01 > 0:04:03which should be fine at this height.
0:04:04 > 0:04:08Just looking at the power situation, just bear with me a second.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10Descending into a deep valley,
0:04:10 > 0:04:14Ian must make sure he has the power to climb out.
0:04:14 > 0:04:18There's too much of a slope on this one, I'll have to lift off again.
0:04:18 > 0:04:22- OK.- Because I can't afford to turn round in there.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24So we'll just go forward.
0:04:24 > 0:04:26Just going forward.
0:04:26 > 0:04:28Ian used to fly for the Special Forces,
0:04:28 > 0:04:31but landing down here is just too risky.
0:04:31 > 0:04:35Unfortunately, I haven't got the power to spare
0:04:35 > 0:04:37to mess about in that valley.
0:04:37 > 0:04:38He needs to lighten the load.
0:04:40 > 0:04:41Clear to my left.
0:04:41 > 0:04:45He's landing at the top of the ravine to drop off half his crew.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49And skids are about to put down.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51Goods are down.
0:04:51 > 0:04:55Paramedic Al will have to take the hard way down to their patient.
0:04:55 > 0:04:59A 300-foot climb down a rocky hillside.
0:05:00 > 0:05:05With Helimed 98's rotor blades feet from the walls of the ravine,
0:05:05 > 0:05:09Ian now has to find a patch of ground flat enough to touch down.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12Yes, move to the left. Fly down?
0:05:12 > 0:05:14Yes. Keep coming.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18- OK, and down.- There?- Yes, down there. I'm happy enough with that.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21No, I've got nothing on the right-hand side,
0:05:21 > 0:05:22it's just open ground on the right.
0:05:22 > 0:05:26If you want to come further left, it's flat.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28- OK.- Coming left.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30Coming left.
0:05:31 > 0:05:35It's tricky, but years of experience and a little help
0:05:35 > 0:05:40from a paramedic Matt puts Helimed 98 safely on the ground,
0:05:40 > 0:05:43much to the relief of serious walker Ronald Scott.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46What are the injuries, and we definitely required?
0:05:46 > 0:05:49- So I can tell the pilot. - This guy can't move, right?
0:05:49 > 0:05:54He's got... He can't move a hip and the upper leg on his left side.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56Through a fall?
0:05:56 > 0:05:59He's done the easy bit, he's come down here
0:05:59 > 0:06:02- and just slipped on that rock and come back.- OK.
0:06:02 > 0:06:06Ronald was well prepared for the unseasonal weather.
0:06:06 > 0:06:10But some loose rocks have left him with a broken hip.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12Next trick is, how do we get you out?
0:06:12 > 0:06:14His friends were well equipped too,
0:06:14 > 0:06:17each with fully charged mobile phones,
0:06:17 > 0:06:20but that's not enough in Swaledale.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22We tried at the top of the hill for a mobile signal,
0:06:22 > 0:06:23but we couldn't get one.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25So the rest of the party went down to Gunnerside,
0:06:25 > 0:06:27and as soon as they could get a signal
0:06:27 > 0:06:29or could get to a public telephone,
0:06:29 > 0:06:31they were going to phone for help.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34Getting him out of this ravine is going to be
0:06:34 > 0:06:36just as hard as reaching him.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40As Ronald's rescuers have discovered,
0:06:40 > 0:06:43finding a casualty in the featureless landscape
0:06:43 > 0:06:47of the Yorkshire Dales is a daily struggle for the Helimed team.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49One valley looks much like another,
0:06:49 > 0:06:53and some places are in shadow for much of the day.
0:06:53 > 0:06:55But, occasionally, a major landmark
0:06:55 > 0:06:58makes reaching the patient a lot easier.
0:06:58 > 0:07:03- I can see it now, I think. - Yes. That big rock.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06Across Yorkshire, there are dozens of rock faces,
0:07:06 > 0:07:09but one of the best for climbers is Almscliffe Crag near Harrogate.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11Rock climbing is a dangerous sport,
0:07:11 > 0:07:15and today, one man has fallen ten feet and badly broken his lower leg.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18Getting the chopper close to the scene is going to be
0:07:18 > 0:07:20difficult for pilot Andy Hall.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22Has anybody landed here before?
0:07:22 > 0:07:26Have you got a good idea where is a good place to land?
0:07:26 > 0:07:28To be honest, it's a bit sloping, and you tend to end up
0:07:28 > 0:07:31landing not too close to the rocks.
0:07:31 > 0:07:35- So it's a bit of a walk for us normally.- OK.
0:07:35 > 0:07:37The party is halfway down the rock face,
0:07:37 > 0:07:39making this rescue even harder.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42Between these two rocks is probably the flattest bit.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47- We're not going to land on there, mate.- No.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50In this corner, that's the best I can offer you.
0:07:50 > 0:07:52INDISTINCT
0:07:52 > 0:07:55Almscliffe Crag is miles from the nearest hospital,
0:07:55 > 0:08:00and the only way to get the patient out of here quickly and safely
0:08:00 > 0:08:02is by air ambulance.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04But it's a hot day and it's a long trek up the hill
0:08:04 > 0:08:06for paramedic Tony Wilkes.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08This is a tough rescue.
0:08:08 > 0:08:12The injured climber is part of a group of off-duty firefighters.
0:08:12 > 0:08:16We are all members of West Yorkshire Fire service, various stations,
0:08:16 > 0:08:18mainly Leeds, Stanningley, and myself at Morley.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21We've just come out to do a bit of climbing today.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24Not usually dealing with your colleagues, but you just do
0:08:24 > 0:08:27the same thing really, it's just that you've got a bit of rapport
0:08:27 > 0:08:30with them, so he knew himself what he'd done when he fell down.
0:08:30 > 0:08:31You could see his injury straightaway,
0:08:31 > 0:08:33so luckily we had first aid kits with us.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36And we just tried to make him as comfortable as possible
0:08:36 > 0:08:38until the paramedics got here.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41Paul Minelli has suffered a nasty break in his lower leg.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44The bone has come through the front of his shin.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46Ground crews have got his leg splinted,
0:08:46 > 0:08:49and Tony will have to administer morphine.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52Come up with the group, we're quite experienced at climbing,
0:08:52 > 0:08:56but this lad is actually more experienced than the rest of us.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58But he overstretched himself.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01He did a bit of bouldering on there, which is quite the norm.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04He's come off thinking he was safe when he landed.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07But obviously hit the ground
0:09:07 > 0:09:10and he's gone over one of these small rocks
0:09:10 > 0:09:11you can see on the ground.
0:09:11 > 0:09:16Pilot Andy Hall is able to bring Helimed 99 closer to the scene.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19Paul is in such pain that the trek down the hill
0:09:19 > 0:09:21would have really hurt.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24- The pain is the same as when I first did it.- Just come down.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27It's not anything like it was when they were putting crepitus on it.
0:09:27 > 0:09:31- Can we have someone who doesn't mind lifting?- Yes.
0:09:31 > 0:09:35Now, Paul is on a stretcher, and luckily for paramedic Tony,
0:09:35 > 0:09:38there's no shortage of help to get him onto the chopper.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41We'll just get him on the stretcher now and take him off
0:09:41 > 0:09:44in the air ambulance to Leeds. Take him to hospital.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48Then we're going to get his dog in his car and take that home for him.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57- Take him down.- Yes.- Go ahead. OK?
0:09:57 > 0:10:01Just feed him on top of the wall and just relax him on top of the wall.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03- Yes.- OK, sliding.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09Paul will be out of action for some time.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12A break like his can take three months to properly heal,
0:10:12 > 0:10:18so no more rock climbing and no more fighting fires for some weeks ahead.
0:10:18 > 0:10:20Keep coming, keep coming.
0:10:20 > 0:10:22Keep coming, and down. That's cracking.
0:10:23 > 0:10:27But the team know it's unlikely this is the last time
0:10:27 > 0:10:30the chopper is called to Almscliffe Crag.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36There was a time when Yorkshire wool dressed the world.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40The mills of Halifax and Bradford generated a source of money
0:10:40 > 0:10:43that would make Richard Branson and Alan Sugar envious,
0:10:43 > 0:10:47making cloth that lasted a lifetime.
0:10:47 > 0:10:51Now fashion means most people throw away this spring's must-have
0:10:51 > 0:10:52by the end of summer.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56But that's good news for the Helimed team.
0:10:57 > 0:11:01Recycling is big business. And a major moneyspinner.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05Across the UK, clothes recycling shops have popped up everywhere.
0:11:06 > 0:11:11Here in Yorkshire, the air ambulance receives a huge donation,
0:11:11 > 0:11:15thanks to money made through the selling on of unwanted clothes.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19We as a company raise over £300,000 a year for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance
0:11:19 > 0:11:21and have been one of their leading contributors
0:11:21 > 0:11:24over the past seven years we've been working with them.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30Plants like this one sort through bags of unwanted garments
0:11:30 > 0:11:34and fabrics, which will then go on to have a new lease of life.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37The vehicle is coming back to our depot here in Halifax,
0:11:37 > 0:11:40but the product is unloaded into bales and is stored,
0:11:40 > 0:11:45awaiting collection by our partners from both Europe and the UK.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48The product you see in these bales can be clothes, shoes,
0:11:48 > 0:11:52household textiles, continental quilts, duvets, things like that.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55They'll all go to our partners where they are graded into
0:11:55 > 0:11:58about 100-150 different grades of clothing.
0:11:58 > 0:12:00They are then sold on to the second-hand clothing market
0:12:00 > 0:12:02throughout Europe and Africa.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07Just an update. Still a query on injury.
0:12:07 > 0:12:11He is conscious and breathing, but is now not trapped.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14INDISTINCT
0:12:17 > 0:12:20Today, Helimed 98 is heading for another recycling depot
0:12:20 > 0:12:23in the market town of Northallerton,
0:12:23 > 0:12:25where a forklift truck has overturned.
0:12:25 > 0:12:31- There's a guy waving. - I've got him, in the jacket.- Yes.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33- Just be aware there's skips.- Yeah.
0:12:33 > 0:12:37Pilot Chris is landing in the backyard of the plant
0:12:37 > 0:12:40on an industrial estate.
0:12:40 > 0:12:41And you're still clear.
0:12:41 > 0:12:46Initially, we got the call that this person might be trapped
0:12:46 > 0:12:49under a forklift. But he's now apparently not trapped any more,
0:12:49 > 0:12:52which is obviously a good thing.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55Obviously, quite a lot of weight involved,
0:12:55 > 0:12:57so it depends how he's been trapped,
0:12:57 > 0:13:00what part of his body has actually been put pressure on.
0:13:00 > 0:13:04Their patient is 17-year-old Ryan Bull.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07He has a serious crush injury to his arm.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09What's your pain like, Ryan?
0:13:09 > 0:13:12- If you had to score it out of 10, 0 being no pain, 10 being...- 10.
0:13:12 > 0:13:16I was turning the forklift round
0:13:16 > 0:13:19and I think I turned it round too far forward.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21Like too fast.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24And it's just gone straight onto my arm and...
0:13:24 > 0:13:27next thing I know, I'm on the floor.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29Forklift trucks are dangerous,
0:13:29 > 0:13:32which is why the drivers need to pass a test
0:13:32 > 0:13:34before they can use them.
0:13:34 > 0:13:36Ryan is lucky he is not more seriously injured.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39This chap has been incredibly lucky.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42Looks like he's got an isolated elbow fracture, which is open,
0:13:42 > 0:13:46so the body sticking out and it's bled quite a lot on the floor.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49There is no other apparent injuries,
0:13:49 > 0:13:51but the forearm is numb,
0:13:51 > 0:13:55and he's got reduced blood supply to that arm.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58So he needs really to go to hospital for surgery on that.
0:13:58 > 0:14:03Ryan's arm is very badly broken, and his elbow is dislocated.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06As he fell from the forklift, his leg was also trapped.
0:14:06 > 0:14:08When Gareth's finished checking your feet out,
0:14:08 > 0:14:10we'll get you on the back of the ambulance,
0:14:10 > 0:14:13have a look at this arm and see if we need to do anything else with that.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16Then we'll get you down to the hospital. OK?
0:14:17 > 0:14:19Ah!
0:14:19 > 0:14:23Death rates among forklift truck drivers are high.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26An average, a driver dies every month.
0:14:26 > 0:14:28Ryan's mum Sonia has turned up.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31One of her close friends was killed
0:14:31 > 0:14:33a few weeks ago in a similar accident.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36When she got the call about Ryan, she rushed straight here.
0:14:36 > 0:14:38When I got this phone call, it absolutely killed me.
0:14:38 > 0:14:40I said, "Is he all right?"
0:14:40 > 0:14:42They said, "We don't know, we just need to get there."
0:14:42 > 0:14:44When I came and I saw it was the arm, I thought,
0:14:44 > 0:14:46"I can live if he didn't have an arm," do you know?
0:14:46 > 0:14:48As long as I've still got my boy.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51I adopted him over two years ago.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54He's a good boy, he doesn't drink, doesn't smoke, doesn't take drugs.
0:14:54 > 0:14:58Ryan's serious crush injury and dislocated elbow
0:14:58 > 0:15:02has cut off blood supply to his hand, which has now turned blue.
0:15:02 > 0:15:07Putting the dislocated bone back into place can really hurt,
0:15:07 > 0:15:11so he's going to need much stronger pain relief.
0:15:11 > 0:15:15He's had some morphine, but that hasn't really done the job fully,
0:15:15 > 0:15:18so we'll give him some ketamine, which works in different ways.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21Essentially, it's a stronger painkiller.
0:15:21 > 0:15:23- Sorry, bud.- I can feel that.
0:15:23 > 0:15:27Dr Rob Anderson has arrived to administer the ketamine
0:15:27 > 0:15:30and reset Ryan's arm.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33- Right, just... - Keep going on that gas, now.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35- There you go, it's in.- Ah!
0:15:35 > 0:15:40There's no reaction from him when they were manipulating it.
0:15:40 > 0:15:42So, the pain relief works really well on him.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44Now Ryan has had pain relief,
0:15:44 > 0:15:48it's time to bandage him up and get him off to surgery.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51All right, Ryan?
0:15:51 > 0:15:54Paramedics Tony and Daz will take Ryan to James Cook Hospital
0:15:54 > 0:15:56in Middlesbrough.
0:15:56 > 0:15:58Ryan won't remember this flight,
0:15:58 > 0:16:01as the effects of the ketamine take hold.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06Just let the wheels take it, mate.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08He won't remember anything of this now.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11No, he's just away with the fairies, isn't he?
0:16:14 > 0:16:17There are around 8,000 forklift truck accidents
0:16:17 > 0:16:19in the UK every year.
0:16:20 > 0:16:25Ryan is lucky to be alive, but he's not out of the woods yet.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29It's concerning, if he has one painful injury
0:16:29 > 0:16:30that's masking other serious ones.
0:16:30 > 0:16:32But we've worked out the mechanics of the incident,
0:16:32 > 0:16:35and we don't think there's been any forces involved
0:16:35 > 0:16:37that could have caused any spinal injuries,
0:16:37 > 0:16:39he's not hit his head or anything.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41The waiting surgeons at James Cook
0:16:41 > 0:16:44will have to try and rebuild Ryan's crushed arm
0:16:44 > 0:16:47and check for other injuries.
0:16:47 > 0:16:49His arm has a very deep wound,
0:16:49 > 0:16:52and he could have very serious long-term nerve damage.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00From the cockpit, the crews of the Helimed choppers
0:17:00 > 0:17:04can enjoy some of the UK's most famous tourist attractions,
0:17:04 > 0:17:08and Castle Howard is certainly one of the grandest.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11It was the setting for TV's Brideshead Revisited
0:17:11 > 0:17:13and numerous movies.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16Today, its surrounding hills are a holiday
0:17:16 > 0:17:18destination in their own right.
0:17:18 > 0:17:22But it's not the countryside that brings the Helimed team here.
0:17:22 > 0:17:27Helimed 98's heading to the village of Scackleton, population just 100,
0:17:27 > 0:17:30where an elderly woman is having a heart attack.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33Paramedic Sammy Wills must save her.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35- Whereabouts are we?- Straight through this door.- This one?- Yeah.
0:17:35 > 0:17:39The patient is 71-year-old Margaret Edwards.
0:17:39 > 0:17:43- She's had GTM, aspirin and oxygen. - Yeah.- That's all I can give.
0:17:43 > 0:17:45- That's fantastic. - Pain went down to a six,
0:17:45 > 0:17:47but it's gone back up.
0:17:47 > 0:17:51We're just west of Malton in North Yorkshire.
0:17:51 > 0:17:55Um, got an elderly lady who's living in quite a remote area,
0:17:55 > 0:17:58who's complaining of chest pain.
0:17:58 > 0:18:02We've got here, and it does look like she's having a heart attack.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05Earlier in the day, Margaret had been complaining
0:18:05 > 0:18:09of tightness across her chest and pains in her arms and back -
0:18:09 > 0:18:11pains which have become worse.
0:18:11 > 0:18:16Paramedics need to reduce her pain before they can move her.
0:18:16 > 0:18:18- All right, there, Margaret? - Mm-hm...- Yeah.
0:18:18 > 0:18:19Hello, my name's Sammy.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22I'm one of the paramedics with Yorkshire Air Ambulance,
0:18:22 > 0:18:24the helicopter. Hello.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26I wonder if you would accept a young lady, 71-year-old,
0:18:26 > 0:18:28with central chest pains.
0:18:28 > 0:18:32One or more of the arteries to her heart have become blocked,
0:18:32 > 0:18:34which is causing the attack.
0:18:34 > 0:18:39She needs to get to hospital quickly to undergo immediate surgery.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42Clots will be removed and arteries will be opened up
0:18:42 > 0:18:44so blood can start flowing again.
0:18:44 > 0:18:48Right, we can give you something to take away that sickness.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51Does Margaret take any medication?
0:18:51 > 0:18:53- You're not allergic to anything, are you?- Oh, no.- No.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56The nearest hospital that can treat her appropriately,
0:18:56 > 0:18:58put stents in her heart, if appropriate,
0:18:58 > 0:19:00is James Cook in Middlesbrough.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03So, she's had everything we can give her as far as drugs -
0:19:03 > 0:19:06she's had morphine to ease the pain and relax the heart
0:19:06 > 0:19:09and one or two other bits and pieces to help.
0:19:09 > 0:19:11We'll be getting off in the next five minutes
0:19:11 > 0:19:14and taking her up to James Cook. They've been pre-alerted,
0:19:14 > 0:19:15they're expecting us,
0:19:15 > 0:19:17so hopefully the lady within the next half hour
0:19:17 > 0:19:20will have had the best treatment you can get anywhere, really,
0:19:20 > 0:19:22for this type of condition.
0:19:22 > 0:19:24Bit of fresh air for you, Margaret, all right?
0:19:24 > 0:19:28Heart problems are so common that the emergency response
0:19:28 > 0:19:31and medical treatment for patients has been perfected,
0:19:31 > 0:19:34dramatically increasing survival rates.
0:19:34 > 0:19:36Put her down there a second.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38That's it. Now, watch your head, as well, though.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40And turn yourself round.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43Just let me know if you feel sick, I've got another bowl.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47- Just want to go straight up and down from here.- Yep.
0:19:47 > 0:19:51Pilot Andy Lister will make the ten-minute flight to James Cook.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54By road from here the journey could easily take over an hour.
0:19:55 > 0:20:00A heart attack victim can go into full cardiac arrest at any moment,
0:20:00 > 0:20:04so Sammy needs to keep a very close eye on Margret's condition.
0:20:11 > 0:20:15Margaret's heart is struggling to keep her blood circulating.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18She'll be taken straight from the helipad into the cardiac unit
0:20:18 > 0:20:24where surgeons are on stand-by 24 hours a day for cases like this.
0:20:25 > 0:20:27They insert a small spring, or stent,
0:20:27 > 0:20:31into a blood vessel in her heart to restore blood flow.
0:20:31 > 0:20:33It makes a big difference,
0:20:33 > 0:20:37and within days, Margaret is on her way home to Brideshead country.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45In the hills close to Yorkshire's rocky border with County Durham,
0:20:45 > 0:20:48mountain rescue volunteers are hard at work
0:20:48 > 0:20:52helping the helimed team airlift an injured walker from the fells.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55So, I take it you've slipped on the rocks...
0:20:55 > 0:20:58- On those slippy stones, there. - Back here.- Went straight down.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00I realised straightaway I just couldn't get back up.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03- OK.- Three colleagues lifted me up... - Yep.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05- ..and I've been lying in this position.- OK.
0:21:05 > 0:21:09- You can see my leg is, you know... - Yeah.- ..out at an angle.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12Walker Ronald Scott is badly hurt.
0:21:12 > 0:21:17He needs surgery, but that's a long way from this narrow valley
0:21:17 > 0:21:19above the village of Gunnerside.
0:21:19 > 0:21:23- How about round there? - I can feel you.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26- Tender?- Tender, that's all.- Yeah.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30- OK. And is it hurting your groin? - No.- OK.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35Ronald's friends realised the seriousness of his injury
0:21:35 > 0:21:40immediately, but getting help up here is far from simple.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43That's it, you're on the board. We need to go that way now.
0:21:43 > 0:21:48It's now an hour since the 999 call, and the cold is beginning to bite.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50This is a big, woolly sleeping bag.
0:21:50 > 0:21:54- Once their stretcher gets here, we'll actually put you inside it.- OK.
0:21:54 > 0:21:59It looks like he's, um, he's broken, um, his big thighbone at the top,
0:21:59 > 0:22:04where it goes round into his hip joint there.
0:22:04 > 0:22:08Um, which is evident by the shortening of rotation of his leg,
0:22:08 > 0:22:11but he's not in a huge amount of pain, he's fairly comfortable,
0:22:11 > 0:22:12and we've got him flat now.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17Communications are always difficult in this gully, um,
0:22:17 > 0:22:20but from a kind of mountain rescue point of view,
0:22:20 > 0:22:23relatively straightforward and very helpful,
0:22:23 > 0:22:26well-organised party as well, which makes a big difference for us.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29It'll be a long walk home for the rescue team,
0:22:29 > 0:22:32including those with four legs.
0:22:32 > 0:22:34Ready, steady, move.
0:22:38 > 0:22:40Oh, perfect!
0:22:40 > 0:22:44Ronald's accident happened on the site of a long-abandoned lead mine.
0:22:44 > 0:22:48Today, no-one lives within five miles of this spot, and he's lucky
0:22:48 > 0:22:53his journey to treatment will take less than 20 minutes.
0:22:57 > 0:23:02With Ronald on board, pilot Ian is once again going to have fight
0:23:02 > 0:23:07Pennines downdrafts and gravity to get his patient to hospital.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10COMMUNICATION OVER RADIO
0:23:10 > 0:23:13Whilst it still looks like midwinter in the Dales,
0:23:13 > 0:23:16spring's in the air in urban Teesside.
0:23:16 > 0:23:21Ronald's being flown to the James Cook Hospital in Middlesbrough.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24It'll be some time before he can put his walking boots on again,
0:23:24 > 0:23:27but he's grateful to his rescuers.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29- See you again? - No, you won't see me!
0:23:29 > 0:23:32- Thank you very much indeed! Superb and professional!- Take care.
0:23:32 > 0:23:34Thank you. Thank you very much.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41Back in Brideshead country, the leafy lanes
0:23:41 > 0:23:45of the Howardian Hills are a favourite with tourists.
0:23:45 > 0:23:49A quarter of a million people look around historic Castle Howard
0:23:49 > 0:23:55every year, but ten times that number visit the surrounding countryside,
0:23:55 > 0:23:58and many come on two wheels.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00Helimed 98 has been scrambled
0:24:00 > 0:24:04to a minor road on the edge of the estate.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07- Yeah, Roger.- Might be going towards a place called East Grinstead.
0:24:07 > 0:24:12The team has sat nav, but pinning down the scene of an accident
0:24:12 > 0:24:16is always done the old-fashioned way, with a map and a marker pen.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19Yeah, this is pretty good access, mate.
0:24:21 > 0:24:23We're good on the left, well clear of the fence line.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31How you doing, you all right?
0:24:31 > 0:24:35His name's Gareth, they think he's dislocated his hip and that.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38- All right, no problem. Hello, there, you all right?- Yeah.
0:24:38 > 0:24:42- All right, mate, how you doing?- OK. - What we call you?- Gareth.- Gareth.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44Can you remember what happened?
0:24:44 > 0:24:48- Yeah, I just came round the corner hit the gravel.- OK.
0:24:48 > 0:24:51Did you slide here or worked your way here?
0:24:51 > 0:24:55- Er... I slid here, I think. - Slid here.- I think I slid here.- OK.
0:24:55 > 0:24:57And who took your helmet off?
0:24:57 > 0:25:00- Did somebody...? - I think I did.- You did, OK.
0:25:00 > 0:25:0444-year-old Gareth Jones has a suspected broken hip.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07He's slid down, rather than got thrown off,
0:25:07 > 0:25:10so he's kind of laid the bike down and slid this way.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13- He's took his own helmet off, he's got no neck or back pain.- OK.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16Just the left hip, running to the front...
0:25:16 > 0:25:19Many of the lanes of Brideshead country were laid out
0:25:19 > 0:25:23at the same time as Castle Howard's ornamental grounds.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25They were fine for horse-drawn carriages,
0:25:25 > 0:25:29but modern bikers, like Gareth, are often caught out.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31- There?- Yeah.- OK.
0:25:31 > 0:25:35Out in this part of Yorkshire, the roads can be very quiet,
0:25:35 > 0:25:39and Gareth could have been lying here injured for some time.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43We just came down this road here, I was in front, doing about 40-45,
0:25:43 > 0:25:46I went round that corner down there, didn't see him come round
0:25:46 > 0:25:50the corner, turned round, came back, saw him laid on the main road.
0:25:50 > 0:25:52I can't see what happened.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55You can see the gravel on the main road there.
0:25:55 > 0:25:56So we'll give him some painkillers
0:25:56 > 0:26:00and we'll take his left leg trouser off and see what we're dealing with.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04It's gas and air, laughing gas, makes you feel a little light-headed,
0:26:04 > 0:26:05but works really well.
0:26:05 > 0:26:07GAS HISSES That's the noise I need to hear.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10- Right.- Pop it in your mouth. It will take effect really quick
0:26:10 > 0:26:12but wears off just as quick, so keep going.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15Gareth has a modern bike and all the right gear,
0:26:15 > 0:26:19which makes this case all the more concerning for fellow biker Sam.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21I'm a biker as well,
0:26:21 > 0:26:25so, obviously, it does heighten your senses a little bit
0:26:25 > 0:26:27when you do get called out to another biker,
0:26:27 > 0:26:30cos you do it yourself, you're painfully aware
0:26:30 > 0:26:33how vulnerable other bikers are, and this just illustrates it.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36If, you know, he's only come off at 20-30 mph,
0:26:36 > 0:26:40but he's potentially got some quite nasty injuries to his hip.
0:26:40 > 0:26:42All I'm going to do is pop this little board under you,
0:26:42 > 0:26:44little yellow board, we'll pop it behind you
0:26:44 > 0:26:46and just get you to roll onto it, if that's all right.
0:26:46 > 0:26:50Now Gareth's pain has been reduced with gas and air,
0:26:50 > 0:26:54the paramedics can carefully rolled him onto a spinal board.
0:26:54 > 0:26:55HE GROANS Keep going with that gas and air!
0:26:55 > 0:26:57Nice, deep breaths, keep going.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00Gareth's injuries are not life-threatening,
0:27:00 > 0:27:03so she'll be taken by road to hospital in York, but paramedics
0:27:03 > 0:27:07need to get him comfortable before they can go anywhere.
0:27:07 > 0:27:11There are some problems there, on his girdle.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14His injuries could have been far worse
0:27:14 > 0:27:16had he not been wearing the right bikers gear,
0:27:16 > 0:27:21because simple accidents like this can happen at any time.
0:27:21 > 0:27:24If you worried about stuff like this, then you'd never do
0:27:24 > 0:27:26anything that you kind of enjoy. It's just one of those things,
0:27:26 > 0:27:27you've got to be a bit careful,
0:27:27 > 0:27:30and, unfortunately, this guy's come a cropper.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35Their patient is flown to hospital in York,
0:27:35 > 0:27:38where doctors confirm he has broken his hip.
0:27:38 > 0:27:40It'll be some time before he's able to enjoy
0:27:40 > 0:27:43the roads of Brideshead country again.
0:27:46 > 0:27:50On the edge of the North York Moors, one of Yorkshire's
0:27:50 > 0:27:54smallest ambulance stations is among its busiest today.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57The paramedics of Kirkbymoorside have been called
0:27:57 > 0:28:02to an industrial accident, and it sounds serious.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05Helimed 98 is backing them up.
0:28:05 > 0:28:0616 miles.
0:28:09 > 0:28:11It's actually in Kirkbymoorside itself, is it?
0:28:11 > 0:28:14- Yes, northern edge, mate. - OK, mate, no worries.
0:28:14 > 0:28:16We've been dispatched to a...
0:28:16 > 0:28:20digger that's overturned and ejected the operator
0:28:20 > 0:28:22out onto the road.
0:28:22 > 0:28:26Um, well, big machine and squashy bodies don't mix very often.
0:28:26 > 0:28:29And if he's been ejected out of it, the likelihood is
0:28:29 > 0:28:32he's gone through some kind of Plexiglas window
0:28:32 > 0:28:34or a windscreen or otherwise to get down,
0:28:34 > 0:28:37and he'll have gone from height as well to get to that location.
0:28:37 > 0:28:40Paramedic Darren Axe Began his medical career
0:28:40 > 0:28:43as an underground first aider in a coal mine.
0:28:43 > 0:28:47He knows accidents involving heavy machinery can be lethal.
0:28:47 > 0:28:48- Looks very wet.- Yeah.
0:28:48 > 0:28:52- Mind as you go, looks a bit wet out to the left.- Roger.
0:28:52 > 0:28:54What's happening?
0:28:54 > 0:28:56- He knocked himself out. - Is he awake now, then?
0:28:56 > 0:28:59His awake now. He's really sick.
0:28:59 > 0:29:03The injured workman is 26-year-old Mike Thomson.
0:29:03 > 0:29:06He's concussed and feeling very unwell.
0:29:06 > 0:29:10He's got pain in the head. No neck pain, nothing else.
0:29:10 > 0:29:13- Can you remember what happened to you?- Yes, I can, mate, yeah.- OK.
0:29:13 > 0:29:14Keep that neck still.
0:29:14 > 0:29:16Any pain anywhere?
0:29:16 > 0:29:17My shoulder and just my head up here.
0:29:17 > 0:29:20- You've got this pain in your head and your elbow?- Yeah.
0:29:20 > 0:29:22We work for the electric board.
0:29:22 > 0:29:24We're laying a new electric cable
0:29:24 > 0:29:28and one of our fellow workmates has come up round this corner,
0:29:28 > 0:29:32turned round and maybe gone a bit too quick, I don't know,
0:29:32 > 0:29:34but we was tarmacing over there and looked round the corner
0:29:34 > 0:29:38and the dumper was lying on its side and he was just on the floor.
0:29:38 > 0:29:40Mike, you need to go up to hospital.
0:29:40 > 0:29:43Cos you've had your bell rung a bit, haven't you?
0:29:43 > 0:29:45Yeah, and even though you had a helmet on
0:29:45 > 0:29:48you still managed to knock yourself out a little bit. OK?
0:29:48 > 0:29:50Can you wiggle your fingers for me?
0:29:50 > 0:29:53There's a chance Mike has a head injury.
0:29:53 > 0:29:57Beneath the humour, Darren's trying to diagnose his patient's condition.
0:29:57 > 0:29:59- Does that hurt at all? - No, not at all, mate.
0:29:59 > 0:30:02- No pain here in your ribs?- No. - Or on the other side?- No.
0:30:02 > 0:30:03Take another deep breath.
0:30:03 > 0:30:06OK. Can you straighten your legs out for me?
0:30:06 > 0:30:08Will you just lift that leg? Just lift it.
0:30:08 > 0:30:11Push as hard as you can on my hand. Lift it.
0:30:11 > 0:30:12Can you lift it higher? No?
0:30:12 > 0:30:16Finally, Darren decides Mark's probably not badly hurt,
0:30:16 > 0:30:18he can afford to go to hospital by road,
0:30:18 > 0:30:22leaving Helimed 98 free for a more urgent case.
0:30:22 > 0:30:24- You could quite easily be sick?- Yeah.
0:30:24 > 0:30:26Well, you're pointing the right way, mate.
0:30:26 > 0:30:28Away from me and towards that police officer.
0:30:28 > 0:30:30In fact, if you tried enough,
0:30:30 > 0:30:33you probably would be able to hit his boots from there.
0:30:33 > 0:30:35He's been knocked out for a few seconds.
0:30:35 > 0:30:37He feels quite nauseous as well.
0:30:37 > 0:30:39So...
0:30:39 > 0:30:43Because we've got that blank period in what he's done, erm...
0:30:44 > 0:30:47It's better for us to sort of immobilise him,
0:30:47 > 0:30:49get all the examinations done when he gets down to hospital
0:30:49 > 0:30:53and then we'll let them clear his C-spine from that point on.
0:30:53 > 0:30:56He's got a distracting injury to his elbow, which has given him
0:30:56 > 0:30:59some pain and he's banged the top of his head.
0:30:59 > 0:31:02It turns out Mike has been very lucky.
0:31:02 > 0:31:06170 people were killed in accidents like his last year.
0:31:06 > 0:31:10Sorry, mate, it's a bit bumpy, but blame your mates digging the road up.
0:31:10 > 0:31:13But his injuries were found to be relatively minor
0:31:13 > 0:31:15and he was released after treatment.
0:31:18 > 0:31:22For more than 200 years, the hills around Castle Howard
0:31:22 > 0:31:25have been a major centre for horse racing.
0:31:25 > 0:31:29Some of the UK's most famous trainers live around the estate,
0:31:29 > 0:31:30and many jockeys.
0:31:30 > 0:31:35It's a dangerous sport, but today Helimed 98 has been scrambled
0:31:35 > 0:31:39to rescue one rider who's come a cropper off the track.
0:31:39 > 0:31:43We've just been asked to attend a detail just north of Bolton.
0:31:44 > 0:31:45A crew request.
0:31:45 > 0:31:49They've got a patient there who's fallen and sustained a back injury.
0:31:49 > 0:31:53On board Helimed 98 today is Doctor Jez Pinnell,
0:31:53 > 0:31:57a doctor who's able to administer more powerful pain relief.
0:31:57 > 0:31:59- What's it like your side? - We've got this high tree.
0:31:59 > 0:32:02There's a few wooden stakes sticking up out of the ground on this side
0:32:02 > 0:32:05- and we're over a fence. - We're just over a fence?
0:32:05 > 0:32:06We're over a fence.
0:32:06 > 0:32:08Just try and leave that collar on...
0:32:08 > 0:32:11Having survived a career in the saddle, veteran jockey
0:32:11 > 0:32:16Tom O'Ryan is now an award-winning racing journalist and TV pundit.
0:32:16 > 0:32:19- It's all in the back. - It's in your back.- Yeah.
0:32:19 > 0:32:21He was cutting the grass in a paddock
0:32:21 > 0:32:24when he was badly hurt in a freak accident.
0:32:26 > 0:32:28He was trying to top the grass.
0:32:28 > 0:32:33he moved the fence tape, the electric tape,
0:32:33 > 0:32:37cos it had come away, so he was moving it before he actually
0:32:37 > 0:32:41went over it, and it's somehow got caught in the cutters of the topper.
0:32:41 > 0:32:45It appears that it's just ripped him over
0:32:45 > 0:32:49and he's suffered a very bad back injury, lower back injury.
0:32:49 > 0:32:54It's snapped the post off and thrown it from there to here.
0:32:55 > 0:32:57Possibly hitting him.
0:32:57 > 0:32:59But it's a fairly thick post. As you can see, it's probably
0:32:59 > 0:33:03four inches across, and it's thrown it a good 10-15 feet,
0:33:03 > 0:33:08so something's happened with fairly heavy force.
0:33:08 > 0:33:12Doctor Jez is concerned that Tom could be bleeding internally.
0:33:13 > 0:33:15He's complaining of a lot of lower back pain
0:33:15 > 0:33:18and the slightly worrying thing is that his blood pressure's
0:33:18 > 0:33:21been a bit low when the land crew arrived.
0:33:21 > 0:33:24We can't explain that, it may be cos of an injury to his spinal cord,
0:33:24 > 0:33:25it may be cos of bleeding.
0:33:25 > 0:33:27He's a bit cold.
0:33:27 > 0:33:30Erm, he's had some fluid, we're trying to keep him warm,
0:33:30 > 0:33:32give him a bit of pain relief and we're going to take him
0:33:32 > 0:33:35up to the nearest major trauma centre which is at Middlesbrough.
0:33:35 > 0:33:39Just going to check your blood pressure, all right?
0:33:39 > 0:33:43Tom's fit for his age and used to shrugging off pain.
0:33:43 > 0:33:46But the team knows patients like him can be more seriously hurt
0:33:46 > 0:33:48than it first appears.
0:33:49 > 0:33:52- Surrounded by trees, then.- Yeah.
0:33:55 > 0:33:59Helimed 98 is flying Tom directly to the James Cook Hospital
0:33:59 > 0:34:03in Middlesbrough, the nearest trauma unit to his rural home.
0:34:04 > 0:34:06We're going up slowly.
0:34:07 > 0:34:12But there's a problem. Visibility is bad and getting worse.
0:34:12 > 0:34:14With high ground to cross,
0:34:14 > 0:34:17pilot Ian knows he may soon have to turn around.
0:34:17 > 0:34:20Apparently James Cook's out of limits,
0:34:20 > 0:34:22so it's apparently got about 400 at the moment,
0:34:22 > 0:34:25so we need to change the plan.
0:34:25 > 0:34:29It's no good. Ian must divert to another hospital.
0:34:30 > 0:34:33- Erm, York is... What's closest to here?- York.
0:34:35 > 0:34:40Flying from landmark to landmark, Helimed 98 gropes its way to York.
0:34:41 > 0:34:44OK, there's the Eye. There's the Eye.
0:34:44 > 0:34:47We should find the other railway line...
0:34:47 > 0:34:50Yeah, we need to find the railway line.
0:34:50 > 0:34:53The ancient city centre, with its walls and minster,
0:34:53 > 0:34:55is a welcome sight.
0:34:55 > 0:34:58The hospital is just down there.
0:34:58 > 0:35:00Yeah, got it now, I think. Yeah, Happy.
0:35:02 > 0:35:06It's the start of three long months of hospital treatment for Tom.
0:35:06 > 0:35:10He undergoes complex surgery, and when summer arrives
0:35:10 > 0:35:15in Brideshead country, he's still on the road to recovery.
0:35:15 > 0:35:19Get well soon messages from racing celebrities like Clare Balding
0:35:19 > 0:35:23are piling up on the doormat when Tom finally arrives home.
0:35:23 > 0:35:26And he still has to wear a full-body brace.
0:35:26 > 0:35:29It was a routine day as far as I was concerned.
0:35:30 > 0:35:32I got the tractor out
0:35:32 > 0:35:36and it's a job I've done hundreds of times before, not a problem.
0:35:36 > 0:35:38My spine had...
0:35:38 > 0:35:40I think there was about three or four fractures in it,
0:35:40 > 0:35:44but one particularly with a vertebrae that needed sort of rebuilding.
0:35:44 > 0:35:48So there was six screws and a fair bit of metal work to put into
0:35:48 > 0:35:51my spine to sort of rebuild that.
0:35:51 > 0:35:53There was three fractures in my pelvis,
0:35:53 > 0:35:57one at the front that didn't require surgery and the two at the back
0:35:57 > 0:36:02were either side of my spinal column, and both of those needed pinning.
0:36:02 > 0:36:05Tom has received messages from some of the biggest names
0:36:05 > 0:36:06in the racing world.
0:36:06 > 0:36:09He believes he's lucky to be alive.
0:36:09 > 0:36:14I'm just very fortunate that I'm still here. I'm not paralysed.
0:36:14 > 0:36:16You know, I got great assistance.
0:36:16 > 0:36:18The helicopter crew were fantastic
0:36:18 > 0:36:24and everybody did such an efficient job and have got me to be able
0:36:24 > 0:36:28to sit here today in the sunshine and have this conversation with you.
0:36:28 > 0:36:32Tom's not alone in taking months to recover from a freak accident
0:36:32 > 0:36:34that took moments.
0:36:35 > 0:36:39Teenager Ryan Ball, injured when his forklift truck overturned,
0:36:39 > 0:36:43has lost much of the use of his right arm.
0:36:43 > 0:36:46Surgeons had to repair nerves badly damaged
0:36:46 > 0:36:49when it was crushed under the weight of the truck.
0:36:49 > 0:36:53They said I might not be able to get my arm fully straightened again
0:36:53 > 0:36:58and it might take 12 to 24 months to get my nerve endings back.
0:36:58 > 0:37:02Ryan has to wear this state-of-the-art lightweight brace
0:37:02 > 0:37:04for many, many more weeks.
0:37:04 > 0:37:06All I remember is the forklift tipping,
0:37:06 > 0:37:12so I just basically just went with it and my arm's gone first to try
0:37:12 > 0:37:17and cushion the landing but I had an open fracture and dislocated
0:37:17 > 0:37:23my elbow and that's all, that was all and obviously broke that bone.
0:37:23 > 0:37:28They've cut from the middle of my hand right up to just about here.
0:37:28 > 0:37:31They've stitched as much as they can.
0:37:31 > 0:37:36But where they couldn't stitch I've had a skin graft. It's really weird.
0:37:36 > 0:37:39It's just not a pretty sight.
0:37:39 > 0:37:44Ryan was delighted to get a job so soon after leaving school and he's
0:37:44 > 0:37:48frustrated at no longer being able to work in the recycling business.
0:37:48 > 0:37:51But he's determined to get back into employment
0:37:51 > 0:37:53as soon as his injuries have healed.
0:37:55 > 0:37:59With the Tour De France due to start in the Yorkshire Dales,
0:37:59 > 0:38:02these hills are alive with cyclists.
0:38:02 > 0:38:06From Lycra-clad athletes with carbon fibre frames, to muscle men
0:38:06 > 0:38:11and women on mountain bikes, this is a two-wheeled paradise.
0:38:11 > 0:38:14You have to be fit to cycle the Dales.
0:38:14 > 0:38:17A one-in-four climb here is nothing
0:38:17 > 0:38:21and of course, freewheeling down the other side is great fun,
0:38:21 > 0:38:24but every year several cyclists discover
0:38:24 > 0:38:27that steep hills have a downside, too.
0:38:30 > 0:38:34The Dales are preparing for the big race by opening new cycle routes
0:38:34 > 0:38:36and promoting two-wheel holidays.
0:38:38 > 0:38:41But not all breaks have a happy ending.
0:38:43 > 0:38:4699 alpha Explorer helicopter...
0:38:46 > 0:38:51Inbound to an incident near Clapham which is A65...
0:38:51 > 0:38:54Paramedics Andy Armitage and Al Day are heading to
0:38:54 > 0:38:57the border between Lancashire and Yorkshire
0:38:57 > 0:39:01to a report of a cyclist who has come off a bike at high speed.
0:39:01 > 0:39:06Cyclist. Very exposed to a lot of injury. Quite a lot.
0:39:06 > 0:39:10He's come off just going downhill and lost control.
0:39:10 > 0:39:14The majority have got a helmet on. Which is good.
0:39:14 > 0:39:17If you don't have a helmet on, then you're going to have a bad head.
0:39:18 > 0:39:23The many hills of Yorkshire mean cyclists can reach very high speeds
0:39:23 > 0:39:25so even with the right protective gear,
0:39:25 > 0:39:28injuries can be extremely serious.
0:39:28 > 0:39:30Yeah, yeah, that's him, yes.
0:39:31 > 0:39:33Paramed 99 landing on scene.
0:39:33 > 0:39:38It's only been 20 minutes since the 999 call was first made
0:39:38 > 0:39:43and already Andy and Al are on scene and tending to their patient.
0:39:43 > 0:39:45Doctor Nigel Cockrell from Worcester.
0:39:45 > 0:39:47Hello, mate. What happened?
0:39:47 > 0:39:50Just on the... landed on his right shoulder.
0:39:50 > 0:39:54One thing you should never do is move someone after an accident
0:39:54 > 0:39:58as it can cause more serious injuries, but his friends, who are
0:39:58 > 0:40:01all doctors, knew that leaving him in the road could be more dangerous.
0:40:01 > 0:40:04- We've moved him because he was in the road.- Yeah, fair dos.
0:40:04 > 0:40:07We just lifted him to the side, yeah.
0:40:07 > 0:40:09Luckily for Nigel, his doctor friends were able to
0:40:09 > 0:40:13diagnose his injury straightaway and move him safely.
0:40:13 > 0:40:15We knew he'd fractured his collarbone, we both,
0:40:15 > 0:40:19we're all doctors so, yeah, he had the big bump in his collarbone.
0:40:19 > 0:40:22Lying there in quite a lot of pain so, luckily we had a mobile phone
0:40:22 > 0:40:27signal, called the ambulance and quite surprised to see a helicopter.
0:40:27 > 0:40:31You know, we thought it would just be an ordinary ambulance.
0:40:31 > 0:40:34You've got a bit of pain in your shoulder and your scapula.
0:40:34 > 0:40:37I'll talk medical because you know what I'm on about.
0:40:37 > 0:40:40And we're looking at taking you to Preston, but what we'll do,
0:40:40 > 0:40:43I think we'll put a collar on you, get you on a board
0:40:43 > 0:40:45because you've got a bit of a distracting injury,
0:40:45 > 0:40:48- make sure that neck's clear because you've come off at some speed, by the sounds...- Yeah.
0:40:48 > 0:40:53- Were just going to try to remove... - Broken collarbones are very common in bike crashes
0:40:53 > 0:40:57as bikers often put their arms out to soften the fall.
0:40:57 > 0:41:01Paramedic Andy is concerned Nigel might have other serious injuries
0:41:01 > 0:41:05so moving him must be done very carefully.
0:41:05 > 0:41:09Keeping his head and neck as straight as possible.
0:41:09 > 0:41:11We were out for a 60-mile bike ride,
0:41:11 > 0:41:16come through the Trough Of Bowland, heading back to Settle.
0:41:16 > 0:41:18We've done about 40 miles.
0:41:18 > 0:41:22Just taking it easy on the way back, coming down this hill,
0:41:22 > 0:41:25and he was, Nigel was behind me... Saw him come off.
0:41:27 > 0:41:30He was doing about 20mph so it was quite a crash.
0:41:30 > 0:41:32I was OK while I was lying on my side but now...
0:41:32 > 0:41:35We've moved you, is the worst pain your shoulder blade?
0:41:35 > 0:41:39- It's behind me. It's my shoulder blade that's the painful thing.- OK.
0:41:39 > 0:41:44Now he is lying flat, paramedic Al can check him over thoroughly.
0:41:44 > 0:41:45That's all right.
0:41:45 > 0:41:48Just going to feel down.
0:41:48 > 0:41:52He knows exactly what he's done because these chaps are all doctors.
0:41:52 > 0:41:54So they are well aware of what's happened, what's going on.
0:41:54 > 0:41:57Which means we have to be on our best behaviour(!)
0:41:57 > 0:42:02Further x-rays will establish if he has any additional injury but it
0:42:02 > 0:42:06appears he's had a very lucky escape with only a broken collarbone.
0:42:06 > 0:42:08Just let me know if it gives you any grief, OK?
0:42:08 > 0:42:11Well, we'll ride back to where we are staying.
0:42:11 > 0:42:13Dave's house in Whaley.
0:42:13 > 0:42:16So we'll ride back through Settle, back to Whaley,
0:42:16 > 0:42:20then we'll come up to Preston and see how he is this evening.
0:42:22 > 0:42:25The main thing they've done for him is picked him up and moved him
0:42:25 > 0:42:29off the road because he was lying in the road in a dangerous situation.
0:42:29 > 0:42:33I mean, first aid books will tell you not to move somebody if they've
0:42:33 > 0:42:36been involved in a traumatic incident, but that only applies
0:42:36 > 0:42:38if the patient's not in danger,
0:42:38 > 0:42:41in this situation he was lying in the middle of the road.
0:42:41 > 0:42:43This sort of road can have cars
0:42:43 > 0:42:45and bikes hurtling down here at high speed.
0:42:45 > 0:42:47To come round that blind bend
0:42:47 > 0:42:49and there's somebody in the middle of the road is going to end up with
0:42:49 > 0:42:52far worse than just shoulder injuries.
0:42:52 > 0:42:55While his colleagues enjoy the rest of their ride,
0:42:55 > 0:42:58Nigel's being flown to hospital in Preston
0:42:58 > 0:43:03in pain from his broken collarbone but thankfully nothing worse.
0:43:03 > 0:43:06It wasn't the best end to a bike ride but at least
0:43:06 > 0:43:11he was in the right hands before, during and after his accident.
0:43:11 > 0:43:14And I'm happy to tell you Nigel is now back on his bike
0:43:14 > 0:43:18after what he knows only too well was a very lucky escape.
0:43:18 > 0:43:20But it'll be a while before he's back on the roads
0:43:20 > 0:43:22of the Dales again.
0:43:23 > 0:43:27Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd.