0:00:03 > 0:00:06When the people of rural Yorkshire dial 999,
0:00:06 > 0:00:09help can be a long time coming.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12The Yorkshire Dales are as beautiful as they are big.
0:00:12 > 0:00:16But if you're seriously injured in a landscape as gigantic as this,
0:00:16 > 0:00:19your life is on the line.
0:00:19 > 0:00:23But in the remotest part of Britain's biggest county,
0:00:23 > 0:00:25they look to the skies for help.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28Look on your left, man coming in on that grass field on the left.
0:00:28 > 0:00:29Yes, mate. Go for that.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32From high drama in the peaks
0:00:32 > 0:00:34to high waters in the Dales,
0:00:34 > 0:00:38the Helimed team's at the heart of almost every rescue,
0:00:38 > 0:00:41bringing 21st-century medicine
0:00:41 > 0:00:44to some of Britain's most isolated communities
0:00:44 > 0:00:46and saving lives against the odds.
0:00:56 > 0:00:59Today on Helicopter Heroes...
0:00:59 > 0:01:03A man collapses in the street and a Romanian worker becomes
0:01:03 > 0:01:05a local hero.
0:01:05 > 0:01:09Being a first aider we just go on straight into the CPR and all the procedures that they have to do.
0:01:09 > 0:01:13Fog descends on the seaside and the team struggles
0:01:13 > 0:01:14to reach its patient.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17We have to take a bit of a diversion round the weather.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21There's a shooting and the team is scrambled to the victim.
0:01:21 > 0:01:23He's obviously stable but he's got so many wounds that you never know.
0:01:23 > 0:01:27And a surprised patient finds himself in the care
0:01:27 > 0:01:29of a friend and neighbour.
0:01:29 > 0:01:31What have you been doing with yourself?!
0:01:37 > 0:01:41Don't smoke, stay fit and watch your weight.
0:01:41 > 0:01:43Simple rules to avoid a heart attack.
0:01:43 > 0:01:48But what if Britain's biggest killer strikes you or someone you love?
0:01:48 > 0:01:51If there's someone there who knows how to perform CPR
0:01:51 > 0:01:53you may still have a chance.
0:01:56 > 0:01:58On a rainy afternoon in North Yorkshire,
0:01:58 > 0:02:02a desperate fight is under way to save a man's life.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05He's in cardiac arrest after collapsing in the street
0:02:05 > 0:02:08and Helimed 98 is joining the race to save him.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11Hit the box, mate. Bearing 106 22, Michael.
0:02:11 > 0:02:13- SPEAKS OVER RADIO: - My guess.
0:02:13 > 0:02:18200 people die every day in the UK from a sudden heart attack.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22It's paramedic Tony Wilkes's job to reduce that number.
0:02:22 > 0:02:26Sounds like the ambulance crew have just got out to sea.
0:02:26 > 0:02:30But it sounds quite serious. But he's in arrest in a public street.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32And we're giving him assistance as soon as possible.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37The team's heading to the market town of Malton.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40Landing in its tightly packed streets won't be easy.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42Just turning back around to the right to look.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44OK, mate.
0:02:44 > 0:02:45RADIO BEEPS
0:02:45 > 0:02:47Ah, got him.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51There's a yard of some sort just down below us now.
0:02:51 > 0:02:53That looks fairly stable down there.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57Pilot Chris is squeezing into a car park behind a pub,
0:02:57 > 0:03:01less than 100 yards from the team's patient.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04The man collapsed outside the local swimming pool.
0:03:04 > 0:03:08He's now in the back of an ambulance undergoing CPR.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12His rescuers are manually pumping the blood around his body
0:03:12 > 0:03:13by compressing his heart.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15All right, guys? You all right?
0:03:15 > 0:03:17- Hey, Tony, how are you? - Yeah, not bad.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23- So what's the story then? Is he just...- He's just gone down.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25He was walking towards us, he just like...
0:03:25 > 0:03:29By chance, lifeguard George Neacsu from Romania
0:03:29 > 0:03:31was on his way to work.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33Just walking down to go for my shift,
0:03:33 > 0:03:35walking down and just collapsed in front of us
0:03:35 > 0:03:38And obviously being a first aider, we just go straight into the CPR
0:03:38 > 0:03:40and all the procedures that they have to do
0:03:40 > 0:03:42in case something happened.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46One of George's colleagues ran to fetch a heart defibrillator
0:03:46 > 0:03:47from the pool.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50George just went straight into CPR
0:03:50 > 0:03:54and then we did CPR for the first and then I rang the ambulance,
0:03:54 > 0:03:59was talking to the ambulance where they are and we just kept going.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04Starting CPR early gives a much greater chance of survival.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06Seize a pulse...
0:04:06 > 0:04:09Finally, the crew detect a faint pulse.
0:04:09 > 0:04:13They've got a return of spontaneous respiration
0:04:13 > 0:04:16so he's started to breathe for himself.
0:04:16 > 0:04:18Can you just open your eyes for us, mate?
0:04:18 > 0:04:21- Mr Alison?- Mr Alison? - Open your eyes.- Open your eyes.
0:04:21 > 0:04:26Pensioner Ken Alison is fit for his age but he's fighting for his life.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29He's got an output from his heart so we're going to transfer him
0:04:29 > 0:04:31to the helicopter from here.
0:04:31 > 0:04:32And then transfer him to York District
0:04:32 > 0:04:34straight into their resus department.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37It's extremely urgent that we get him into hospital
0:04:37 > 0:04:40into the resus department because at this time he's really unstable.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43Malton does have a community hospital
0:04:43 > 0:04:46but the specialist treatment the crew's patient needs
0:04:46 > 0:04:50to keep his ailing heart going is a 25-minute drive away.
0:04:51 > 0:04:52OK, feet first.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56So it's all going to be on my call?
0:04:57 > 0:04:59It's less than 10 minutes in a helicopter.
0:04:59 > 0:05:01And forwards...
0:05:02 > 0:05:04That's it, well done.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08Lifeguard George's quick and skilled treatment in the street
0:05:08 > 0:05:10has given the patient hope.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14SPEAKS OVER RADIO: I wouldn't dally around too long, if we can help it.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16I'll be as quick as I can then.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18The clouds base is slowly creeping down here.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23Winton, Helimed 98, we're shortly leaving down York. We'll call again.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29- Everybody got a bit?- Yeah.- Yes. - Go ahead then...
0:05:29 > 0:05:32Paramedics Tony and Daz have radioed ahead.
0:05:32 > 0:05:36The cardiac unit at York District Hospital is on stand-by.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41Yep, slide it.
0:05:41 > 0:05:42Right, he's on. Let's go.
0:05:43 > 0:05:47Ken's family is already on the way to the hospital.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51He's gravely ill and his life is in the balance.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54The next 48 hours will be critical.
0:05:58 > 0:06:00North Yorkshire is full of villages
0:06:00 > 0:06:03that look like they've changed little in 100 years.
0:06:03 > 0:06:05Stone built cottages, country pubs
0:06:05 > 0:06:11and another vital ingredient of any rural community - the cricket pitch.
0:06:13 > 0:06:17But today, Captain Ian Mousette and the Helimed team
0:06:17 > 0:06:20may be about to stop play.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22Anybody see an ambulance around here?
0:06:22 > 0:06:25- OVER RADIO: - I might see something between the bushes at your three o'clock
0:06:25 > 0:06:29- on the double line street. - Police officer in the field lane.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32Oh, yeah, visual. Yeah, got it.
0:06:33 > 0:06:37A cyclist's been badly hurt after an accident involving a car
0:06:37 > 0:06:41and the local cricket pitch looks like the best landing site.
0:06:41 > 0:06:42Good on my side.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46But air ambulance pilots try to stay away from the public
0:06:46 > 0:06:50and Captain Ian manages to squeeze Helimed 98
0:06:50 > 0:06:53onto a patch of grass just outside the boundary.
0:06:53 > 0:06:58Keen cyclist Nigel Simms has been in a collision with a Merc.
0:06:58 > 0:07:02His wife's just arrived at the scene, alerted by a family friend.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05I think he's been driving along and this car must have been
0:07:05 > 0:07:08trying to pass him, maybe, as you do cyclists,
0:07:08 > 0:07:10and it's knocked him off as he's gone past.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13The wing mirror's damaged which is there.
0:07:15 > 0:07:19It's feared 60-year-old Nigel has a broken thigh bone or pelvis.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22It's hard to diagnose which.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25It's your hip that hurts you the most. OK then.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27Is there an open wound or is it just...?
0:07:27 > 0:07:30Nigel's a joiner who cycles to keep fit.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32He was wearing all the right gear.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34Can I get you to straighten your leg for me, sir?
0:07:34 > 0:07:37- Nigel, pop that left leg down. - This is your good one.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40Straighten it down flat, best you can. Where is that hurting?
0:07:40 > 0:07:43- He's had his first five milligrams of morphine.- Nigel.
0:07:43 > 0:07:45The team is still struggling to control his pain
0:07:45 > 0:07:48and he can't bear to have his leg straightened.
0:07:48 > 0:07:52- He's going to need more powerful painkillers.- No more...
0:07:52 > 0:07:54No, we're not going to...
0:07:54 > 0:07:56Take deep breaths on that, best you can.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59Paramedic Sammy suspects Nigel's broken his pelvis,
0:07:59 > 0:08:05an injury which can lead to severe internal bleeding and organ damage.
0:08:05 > 0:08:07He urgently needs x-rays and scans.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12His son ran to the scene from the family home.
0:08:12 > 0:08:17We only live up the top of the hill, he's only come about 200 yards.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19And he's been knocked off.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22Pretty impressive, the amount of people that are here.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25I'm sure all the traffic's not too impressed though.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29It's the day of the local country show so that's probably true.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32The locals have rallied round to help.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35We've got a lovely GP that's stopped.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38Her mum spotted the ambulance. The crew have done absolutely everything
0:08:38 > 0:08:41that they could have before we got here and it's a team effort.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45Straightening Nigel's leg will prevent broken bones causing
0:08:45 > 0:08:47further internal damage.
0:08:47 > 0:08:49Now, then, can we straighten this leg?
0:08:49 > 0:08:52He's not been able to bear the pain until now.
0:08:53 > 0:08:58Good man. Take me some deep breaths, lad, let that oxygen do its work.
0:08:58 > 0:09:00All right then, lad. Yep, we know, we know.
0:09:00 > 0:09:01HE GROANS
0:09:01 > 0:09:04That's the worst of it done now, lad. Put your hand back up there.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07- There we go, well done. - Are you ready, guys?- Yes.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10- Ready, steady, lift.- Fabulous.
0:09:10 > 0:09:14Show day traffic and the jams caused by his own accident would
0:09:14 > 0:09:19have made the road journey to hospital long and painful for Nigel.
0:09:19 > 0:09:21Helimed 98 will be taking him
0:09:21 > 0:09:25straight to the nearest trauma unit at the James Cook Hospital,
0:09:25 > 0:09:26on Teesside.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28THEY CONVERSE
0:09:28 > 0:09:29Are you are right there?
0:09:29 > 0:09:31You'll get a view of the sky in a bit.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35- How's that pain doing at the moment? - Oh, there isn't any.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37You haven't got any now? That's good.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48As the NHS opens more trauma centres, more patients like Nigel
0:09:48 > 0:09:52are going to find themselves carried longer distances to specialist care.
0:09:58 > 0:10:02But at least Nigel should feel at home here in Middlesbrough.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04One of his nurses lives in his hometown.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09Nigel, it's Gaynor, Sammy's wife.
0:10:09 > 0:10:13- Hello.- Hello, how you doing, my love? Oh!- Had better days.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16What have you been doing with yourself?
0:10:16 > 0:10:18He's done lots of good jobs for us at our house,
0:10:18 > 0:10:21so, yeah, he's a good bloke.
0:10:21 > 0:10:23So we're going to look after him very well.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26We would look after everyone very well, of course. But, yeah.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28Nigel's pelvis is broken
0:10:28 > 0:10:32and it'll be some time before he can climb on his bike again.
0:10:32 > 0:10:36But, despite the dangers, he's determined to do just that.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44RADIO CONVERSATION
0:10:47 > 0:10:48For more than a decade,
0:10:48 > 0:10:52package tourists heading off for the sun have shared the runways
0:10:52 > 0:10:56of Leeds Bradford Airport with some rather more important flights.
0:10:56 > 0:11:01This is the Helimed team's main base. Not any more.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04When we first started, we operated out of a Portakabin that had
0:11:04 > 0:11:07two rooms, no toilet and no running water.
0:11:07 > 0:11:11And we've advanced to this. But Nostell, purpose-built? Can't wait.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15The removal men are packing up to move to a new
0:11:15 > 0:11:17helipad in the village of Nostell,
0:11:17 > 0:11:22near Wakefield which means Helimed 99 is asking for take-off clearance
0:11:22 > 0:11:25at the airport for the last time.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28Our forces, we're finally on our way.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31It's quite sad to be leaving but we're moving on to bigger,
0:11:31 > 0:11:34better things and it's very exciting.
0:11:41 > 0:11:44The new headquarters puts the team closer
0:11:44 > 0:11:47to the big centres of population in South Yorkshire.
0:11:49 > 0:11:523 million people live within 10 minutes flying time.
0:11:52 > 0:11:57It also promises better weather with fewer days grounded by low cloud.
0:11:59 > 0:12:03And it's not long before they're scrambled again.
0:12:06 > 0:12:08- RADIO CONVERSATION: All looks clear.- Thank you.
0:12:08 > 0:12:10Yep, looking clear. Right...
0:12:13 > 0:12:16Got a passenger aircraft, looks like it's coming into Leeds
0:12:16 > 0:12:18- but it's a good distance above. - Thanks, mate.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23Paramedics Pete and Matt are on their way from Yorkshire's
0:12:23 > 0:12:26newest airbase to one of its oldest.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31RADIO CONVERSATION: Helimed...
0:12:31 > 0:12:33023 service...
0:12:34 > 0:12:35..to Breighton.
0:12:35 > 0:12:37The airfield at Breighton
0:12:37 > 0:12:40was home to bombers during the Second World War
0:12:40 > 0:12:43and now a collection of vintage planes.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45We're on us way up to East Yorkshire,
0:12:45 > 0:12:47had a report that there's been a work's accident.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50Someone's got their hand trapped in machinery.
0:12:50 > 0:12:54Initially, the call to the ambulance service didn't seem too severe
0:12:54 > 0:12:56but it appears now that the patient
0:12:56 > 0:12:59may have actually had his hand amputated.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03Things we need to need to look at is obviously treating the wound
0:13:03 > 0:13:05so we want to make sure that patients stop haemorrhaging
0:13:05 > 0:13:08and control the wound but also, if there is any viable tissue
0:13:08 > 0:13:12from the amputation, we need to package that up correctly
0:13:12 > 0:13:15to make sure that it's got every chance of being reattached
0:13:15 > 0:13:17to the patient when we get to hospital.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21- OVER RADIO: - Breighton Radio, Helimed 99...
0:13:21 > 0:13:23We're about two miles to the south-west to land.
0:13:23 > 0:13:24Any traffic at Breighton?
0:13:27 > 0:13:30OK, I'm not getting any response from any aircraft
0:13:30 > 0:13:33so I'm assuming there's nothing flying, just seeing
0:13:33 > 0:13:36given that there's no more police...
0:13:36 > 0:13:38- There's a workshop on the airfield. - All right, mate, thank you.
0:13:38 > 0:13:40We're a mile away, on the nose.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43This looks like a timber yard underneath us and that's...
0:13:43 > 0:13:46- Yeah, it does, doesn't it?- I'm sure that's where he said the job was.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49The accident happened at a woodworking plant
0:13:49 > 0:13:51built on one of the old runways.
0:13:52 > 0:13:54This is from 99.
0:13:54 > 0:13:58If you could get someone to call the caller back and ask them
0:13:58 > 0:14:02to identify themselves. We're overhead this complex...
0:14:02 > 0:14:04Several businesses are based here.
0:14:04 > 0:14:08Air ambulances can't just look out for street numbers or
0:14:08 > 0:14:11stop and ask for directions.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14- We need somebody to wave their arms frantically.- We do.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18Yeah, you've got even that complex out to our rear now.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21- That's a wood yard as well.- Yeah.
0:14:21 > 0:14:25In the end, they must take an educated guess.
0:14:25 > 0:14:26And luckily, they are right.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31We're in the right place here, yeah? You called an ambulance?
0:14:33 > 0:14:34What happened?
0:14:35 > 0:14:39- Lad's got his hand trapped in one of our planing machines.- Right.
0:14:39 > 0:14:41There is an ambulance coming round as well so I don't know
0:14:41 > 0:14:43if somebody could look out for that.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46Did you manage to get the bits of tissue that come out?
0:14:46 > 0:14:48No, it's just...
0:14:48 > 0:14:52Quite clean cut, it bled a bit at first but it's slowing down.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57Hiya, fella, how we doing there on the...?
0:14:57 > 0:14:58Paul Hilton was using machinery
0:14:58 > 0:15:01when his hand became caught in the cutters.
0:15:01 > 0:15:02I'll just get some gloves on,
0:15:02 > 0:15:05we'll have a look at that and get a dressing on, yeah?
0:15:05 > 0:15:06How's the pain at the moment?
0:15:06 > 0:15:09- Not bad. It's just numb, not doing a lot.- Numb?
0:15:09 > 0:15:12To prevent bleeding, Paul's hand has been raised.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16A simple precaution that's surprisingly effective
0:15:16 > 0:15:18if the blood loss is not too severe.
0:15:18 > 0:15:20Do you want to just look away, Paul, while I...?
0:15:22 > 0:15:25You just carry on supporting him there.
0:15:25 > 0:15:29Surgeons can sometimes reattach severed fingers
0:15:29 > 0:15:31if they've been cut cleanly.
0:15:31 > 0:15:35But the machine Paul was using has left his too badly damaged.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38How you feeling now you've sat up there?
0:15:38 > 0:15:39Not feeling dizzy at all?
0:15:39 > 0:15:40No.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45Workmates have dressed the wound but he's in great pain.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52Paul has lost the tips of several fingers.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55He'll need reconstructive surgery.
0:15:55 > 0:16:00Injury wise, actually from sort of knuckle all along so it's not...
0:16:00 > 0:16:02- Not clean?- No, and the tissue -
0:16:02 > 0:16:04there's nothing viable cos it's gone into machinery
0:16:04 > 0:16:06it's been extracted.
0:16:06 > 0:16:07So there's three fingers gone
0:16:07 > 0:16:11and it's from sort of the knuckle across, yeah.
0:16:11 > 0:16:13There's some soft tissue there as well.
0:16:13 > 0:16:16There has been some bone gone from it.
0:16:16 > 0:16:18Like I say, there's nothing viable at all.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21Can you manage round to the ambulance with us, just a nice,
0:16:21 > 0:16:23steady walk?
0:16:23 > 0:16:26The team decides that now Paul's pain is under control,
0:16:26 > 0:16:29it's safe for ground paramedics to take him to hospital.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33The guy had been working on a plane and for whatever reason his
0:16:33 > 0:16:38hand had gone into the plane rather than the wood and he'd sliced off
0:16:38 > 0:16:43from his sort of knuckles, he'd taken off the ends of three fingers.
0:16:43 > 0:16:47Unfortunately, there's no viable tissue remaining.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50Cos of the nature of the machine, it's just extracted away with
0:16:50 > 0:16:56the board shavings and from his point of view it's a clean cut.
0:16:56 > 0:17:00But obviously, there's nothing to reattach so he's going to
0:17:00 > 0:17:03have that disfigurement for the rest of his life.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12In the market town of Malton, people are preparing for Christmas.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16But for one family, this festive season won't be as happy as usual.
0:17:16 > 0:17:20A week after he collapsed in the street, pensioner Ken Ellison
0:17:20 > 0:17:23passed away in York Hospital.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26It was thanks to local pool lifeguard George Neacsu
0:17:26 > 0:17:29and his skilled CPR that his relatives were able to
0:17:29 > 0:17:32say their farewells at his bedside.
0:17:32 > 0:17:36And today, Ken's niece Lorraine has come to thank the man
0:17:36 > 0:17:40who gave her the chance to see her uncle one last time.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43- Hello there, George.- Hi. - Pleased to meet you. Hello there.
0:17:43 > 0:17:45- Nice to meet you. How are you? - Thank you.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47So what actually happened then? Did he just...?
0:17:47 > 0:17:50As we were crossing the street here,
0:17:50 > 0:17:53he just basically walked towards us and just fell.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56As soon as we've realised that he's going slowly,
0:17:56 > 0:17:58that's a heart attack sort of fall.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01I mean we've put a defib machine on him four times which...
0:18:01 > 0:18:03- Did you?- Yes.
0:18:03 > 0:18:05Three times it engaged and it actually give him the shock,
0:18:05 > 0:18:08- you could see.- He was trying.- Even the colour of his face, he was like,
0:18:08 > 0:18:10he was getting better and better every time.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13We're like, carrying on doing the whole thing.
0:18:13 > 0:18:15Well, that's an amazing testament to your skill
0:18:15 > 0:18:19but also your determination because when he reached the hospital
0:18:19 > 0:18:22he went into intensive care quite quickly.
0:18:22 > 0:18:26They cooled him down to help him with his recovery
0:18:26 > 0:18:29because the issue was really with the brain, with the starvation of oxygen.
0:18:29 > 0:18:33That was really 20, possibly 25 minutes without oxygen
0:18:33 > 0:18:35was really the issue.
0:18:35 > 0:18:39For the Helimed team, people like George are the real heroes.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42Without his work, paramedics Tony and Darren
0:18:42 > 0:18:45wouldn't have stood a chance of saving their patient.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48You would be surprised how many people would walk past
0:18:48 > 0:18:51someone in the street in that dire situation
0:18:51 > 0:18:55and it takes a certain kind of human being to put themselves forward,
0:18:55 > 0:18:58step up to the plate and give assistance where they can.
0:18:59 > 0:19:03This is um, a photograph and this is what he loved.
0:19:03 > 0:19:07He had a great love of vintage tractors. That is the man.
0:19:07 > 0:19:09I mean, that is absolutely everything.
0:19:09 > 0:19:11He lived and breathed for his tractors.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14- And his personality shines through, I think, with that photograph...- Yes.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17..because he was never happier than when he was sitting on a tractor.
0:19:17 > 0:19:21- Yeah...- If they have a cardiac arrest in the street and you can
0:19:21 > 0:19:26give CPR very, very quickly, the potential that they can, you know,
0:19:26 > 0:19:30get their heart started, give them a chance to live is massive
0:19:30 > 0:19:32and more people should do it.
0:19:32 > 0:19:34We'd like to thank you for kind of helping him
0:19:34 > 0:19:37to end his life in a way that, you know, he wasn't on his own.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40He had people there that cared and fought for him
0:19:40 > 0:19:44- and you know, that's the thing that we...- Thank you very much.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47I really appreciate that. It's really like...
0:19:47 > 0:19:50Yeah, thank you very much. I can't really find my words but...
0:19:50 > 0:19:52- Well, can I give you a hug now? - Of course.- Sorry. Thank you.
0:19:52 > 0:19:56- Thank you very much.- Thank you so much. That's really fantastic.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59What you've done, George. Thank you.
0:19:59 > 0:20:01To meet George today is an absolute privilege.
0:20:01 > 0:20:05To meet a young man as well, who has been so dedicated.
0:20:05 > 0:20:10That team of staff from here didn't give up. They just didn't give up.
0:20:10 > 0:20:15And that to me is a fantastic example of how as communities
0:20:15 > 0:20:18we just look after each other. And I think when we're going through
0:20:18 > 0:20:21tough times which everybody is at the moment, I think to know that
0:20:21 > 0:20:26people are like that, is incredibly gratifying to know, really.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40A holiday at home has a lot going for it.
0:20:40 > 0:20:45But very few ads for a break on the British post feature the sea fret.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47It's ruined many a break by the beach
0:20:47 > 0:20:50and it's spoiling a few more today.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53From Whitby to Bridlington,
0:20:53 > 0:20:56trippers are enduring a traditional pea souper.
0:20:56 > 0:21:01The next thing we've got is a child that's sustained a head injury.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04Don't know if the child's fallen off a bed or whether the
0:21:04 > 0:21:06bed's actually fallen onto him.
0:21:07 > 0:21:11But the reports we've got is that he or she is unconscious and the
0:21:11 > 0:21:17crew on-scene have asked for us to attend with a view to taking him down
0:21:17 > 0:21:20to Hull, but at the moment as you probably can see,
0:21:20 > 0:21:24the weather's not great so we're not able
0:21:24 > 0:21:27to progress to the incident as we'd have liked.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30Pilot Ian Mousette and paramedic Al Day
0:21:30 > 0:21:32aren't enjoying it much either.
0:21:32 > 0:21:36Inland, it's just mist and low cloud.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38But it still makes navigation difficult.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41Do we think it's worth telling Sammy that we're going to be grubbing
0:21:41 > 0:21:44about through this weather?
0:21:44 > 0:21:46And it might be worth advising the crew to set off
0:21:46 > 0:21:48and we could always try and catch up with them.
0:21:49 > 0:21:53- OVER RADIO: - Yeah, 98, we still got over 20 minutes to run.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56We're having to take a bit of a diversion round the weather.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59Can you liaise with the crew and ask them perhaps if they set off,
0:21:59 > 0:22:04we perhaps can meet up with them en route if we can make it there?
0:22:04 > 0:22:05RADIO BEEPS
0:22:05 > 0:22:07That's received likewise, thank you.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12The team is trying to reach the seaside resort
0:22:12 > 0:22:15of Bridlington where a child has fallen at home.
0:22:15 > 0:22:19It's feared he may have a spinal injury.
0:22:19 > 0:22:20Hi, fella.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23- He's a little gem. His name is Sean.- Hiya, Sean.
0:22:23 > 0:22:24How you doing?
0:22:24 > 0:22:25SEAN MUMBLES
0:22:25 > 0:22:28Talk to me. Don't pull that off. All right.
0:22:28 > 0:22:32Tell me, where's hurting most? Is it this strap that's hurting?
0:22:33 > 0:22:37Sean Green was playing upstairs when the accident happened.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40His mum, Veronica, is understandably concerned.
0:22:41 > 0:22:45He were just upstairs, playing with Nathan and Emma
0:22:45 > 0:22:49and these two came downstairs but he didn't and I thought it's was a bit
0:22:49 > 0:22:54too quiet so I went up and checked on him and...
0:22:54 > 0:22:56he was laid there.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59He's got a little bump on his head, he's got no other injuries.
0:22:59 > 0:23:01All he says to me when I went in the back was he's bored
0:23:01 > 0:23:03and he wants to go out and play.
0:23:03 > 0:23:04That was it.
0:23:04 > 0:23:05HE LAUGHS
0:23:05 > 0:23:08Sean's condition doesn't appear serious.
0:23:08 > 0:23:12He may be well enough to go to hospital in Hull by road after all.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14How we doing?
0:23:14 > 0:23:17He's just, compared to two minutes ago when he were on here,
0:23:17 > 0:23:19he was chatting away, wasn't he?
0:23:19 > 0:23:22But we've just... We've completely subdued.
0:23:22 > 0:23:23How are you feeling now?
0:23:23 > 0:23:25SEAN MAKES A NOISE
0:23:25 > 0:23:26You what?
0:23:26 > 0:23:29- Feeling dizzy now.- Feeling dizzy?
0:23:29 > 0:23:30Yeah?
0:23:30 > 0:23:32But Sean takes a turn for the worse.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37Drowsiness is a worrying symptom in children.
0:23:37 > 0:23:39They're wanting us to take him now.
0:23:39 > 0:23:41He says he's not happy with him, he thinks he's subdued.
0:23:41 > 0:23:46With fog still shrouding the coast especially to the south,
0:23:46 > 0:23:49instead of taking Sean 30 miles to Hull,
0:23:49 > 0:23:52the team will fly him north to Scarborough.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55Bridlington's a long way from the nearest A&E unit.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59We do get this bad weather come through with no warning.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02So it just cut us off little bit.
0:24:02 > 0:24:08Each hospital is a good what? An hour away to each hospital by car.
0:24:08 > 0:24:10Let's go, mate. Let's start up.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16Al's navigation skills will still be needed
0:24:16 > 0:24:19but at least this time they can follow the coastline.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24The crew said that he had a period of unconsciousness
0:24:24 > 0:24:26or semi-consciousness.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29So they stopped and asked us to transport him to Scarborough.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33We would normally have liked to have taken him over to Hull but with
0:24:33 > 0:24:36the weather being as it is, it's unlikely that we'd have got there.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39But Scarborough's just up the road so we're just going to take him
0:24:39 > 0:24:41for assessment there first.
0:24:44 > 0:24:46And it's got to be over there somewhere, hasn't it?
0:24:46 > 0:24:47Somewhere over there, yeah.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50It's just in the shadow of that next ridge, isn't it?
0:24:51 > 0:24:52Sea fret.
0:24:52 > 0:24:54Sean's still subdued.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57Doctors at Scarborough are waiting to examine him
0:24:57 > 0:25:01and he's already scheduled for a series of x-rays.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03Only then will he be allowed off the uncomfortable
0:25:03 > 0:25:07stretcher that's keeping his neck and spine rigid.
0:25:07 > 0:25:08Sean?
0:25:08 > 0:25:09How you doing?
0:25:11 > 0:25:12OK?
0:25:12 > 0:25:14Is that all right?
0:25:14 > 0:25:17You enjoy that? You didn't see much of it, did you?
0:25:17 > 0:25:19You see any birds flying around?
0:25:19 > 0:25:20- Yeah.- No... Yeah?
0:25:20 > 0:25:22Oh, did you? Oh, good.
0:25:22 > 0:25:24Right, just going to move you then...
0:25:24 > 0:25:28The team knows most of this is just a precaution and so it proves.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31Sean's injury turns out to be minor
0:25:31 > 0:25:34and he's soon allowed home to Bridlington.
0:25:41 > 0:25:45The rolling hills of the North York Moors are an exclusive
0:25:45 > 0:25:49playground for sportsmen and women in pursuit of game birds.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52From billionaires to weekend marksman,
0:25:52 > 0:25:55this is a popular pastime.
0:25:55 > 0:25:57Even at £200 a day.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03OVER RADIO: You are reaching out to the Upton
0:26:03 > 0:26:04area which is just south of Pontefract...
0:26:07 > 0:26:10The Helimed team covers an area where more than
0:26:10 > 0:26:13100,000 guns are legally registered.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16But every year, the paramedics are called to deal with
0:26:16 > 0:26:19the victims of accidents involving firearms.
0:26:20 > 0:26:24- OVER RADIO: Just briefly, what are we going to again?- Gunshot.- Gunshot wound.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29There's lots of shotgun wounds to...
0:26:29 > 0:26:33All over, everywhere, apart from his head by the sounds of it.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37Obviously it's going to be quite a big incident
0:26:37 > 0:26:38of the emergency service.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41We assume the police will be on scene and involved,
0:26:41 > 0:26:43probably the ambulance service, their HART team
0:26:43 > 0:26:47that has a response team and obviously they called us in
0:26:47 > 0:26:50for the critical side-effect of his injuries.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54Got the wires on the right-hand side, the end there.
0:26:54 > 0:26:56- Got them visual.- OK.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59Got those wires over there as well.
0:27:00 > 0:27:02OK, I'm happy with that.
0:27:03 > 0:27:08The team's patient is bleeding from wounds to his chest and arm.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11Ground paramedics have already put him on an intravenous drip.
0:27:12 > 0:27:16He has had a drink of rum today. Couldn't get out of him how much.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19The victim says he was walking his dog behind a hedge row
0:27:19 > 0:27:23when a man shooting rabbits nearby accidentally hit him.
0:27:24 > 0:27:26As far as I know, he were walking down usually where
0:27:26 > 0:27:29loads of kids are walking down as well and they've shot him
0:27:29 > 0:27:31with farmer's gun.
0:27:31 > 0:27:32Are you all right, buddy?
0:27:32 > 0:27:34You've probably gathered we've come from air ambulance.
0:27:34 > 0:27:36Come to check you...
0:27:36 > 0:27:37You got a helicopter?
0:27:37 > 0:27:40Aye. Going to take you down to Leeds. Are you all right with that, bud?
0:27:40 > 0:27:41- Yeah, go for it.- All right.
0:27:41 > 0:27:42I'm quite lucky as I've come down
0:27:42 > 0:27:45I've dropped behind armed response vehicle
0:27:45 > 0:27:49so I've sort of parked up back there and then they've waved us down
0:27:49 > 0:27:52but could have been a lot worse than what it were to be fair.
0:27:52 > 0:27:54With it being a shotgun injury,
0:27:54 > 0:27:57he's basically got little pellets that have gone everywhere.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00All in his arm and all down the back of him.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03There's no major sort of bullet wound that's there, or entry, or exit.
0:28:06 > 0:28:08He's basically got a lot of pain.
0:28:08 > 0:28:10We've given him some ketamine which has settled him right down.
0:28:13 > 0:28:15I've got to itch my arm, I can feel...
0:28:15 > 0:28:17We don't know what underlying injuries he's got cos there's
0:28:17 > 0:28:20so many gunshot wounds all over him really.
0:28:20 > 0:28:22With shotgun wounds from a distance they're more likely to be
0:28:22 > 0:28:25superficial but you never know. He's obviously stable but
0:28:25 > 0:28:28he's got so many wounds he's just got such a lot of pain.
0:28:28 > 0:28:30A police investigation is under way.
0:28:30 > 0:28:34Officers know that this incident could so easily have been fatal.
0:28:34 > 0:28:36It's getting sorted, I promise.
0:28:36 > 0:28:40The victim's being accompanied by a cop on his flight to hospital.
0:28:40 > 0:28:43He'll want a statement as soon as possible.
0:28:44 > 0:28:49OK, we're going to go backwards, out, we'll reach it back in here
0:28:49 > 0:28:50and then we'll be away, OK?
0:28:50 > 0:28:53- OK, mate.- Quickly. - House coming up.- Quickly.
0:28:57 > 0:29:00OK, that's where were going to go behind. I've got the wires behind.
0:29:00 > 0:29:02Car coming in.
0:29:04 > 0:29:08The patient is in good hands and his vital signs are good,
0:29:08 > 0:29:12but gunshot wounds are difficult to treat and the removal of pellets
0:29:12 > 0:29:15that peppered his arm and body could take hours.
0:29:15 > 0:29:17Helimed 98, Arthurs.
0:29:17 > 0:29:19OVER RADIO: Right arm. Shooting...
0:29:20 > 0:29:23It's a few days later that the good news reaches the Helimed
0:29:23 > 0:29:25team's North Yorkshire airbase.
0:29:26 > 0:29:28- Morning, chaps. How's it going? - All right, Tony?
0:29:28 > 0:29:34It's confirmed that the patient has had a very lucky escape.
0:29:34 > 0:29:38In a way, it was lucky that he was shot by a shotgun not at too close
0:29:38 > 0:29:42a range, so the pellets had had time to sort of spread out
0:29:42 > 0:29:43but the impact wasn't that severe
0:29:43 > 0:29:47that actually was it powerful enough to kill him as such.
0:29:47 > 0:29:50Because he was turned side on it obviously missed his vital
0:29:50 > 0:29:53organs - his heart, et cetera, so, in a way, he was really lucky
0:29:53 > 0:29:56the position he was in and the distance away.
0:29:56 > 0:29:59The victim has now been released from the Leeds General Infirmary
0:29:59 > 0:30:02and is making a good recovery.
0:30:02 > 0:30:05Police have charged a man with firearms offences.
0:30:08 > 0:30:11When the summer holidays arrive in Yorkshire,
0:30:11 > 0:30:16the local emergency services know their workload is about to increase.
0:30:16 > 0:30:20The end of term means thousands of young pedestrians on the roads.
0:30:20 > 0:30:25And today, Helimed 99 is on its way to one of them.
0:30:25 > 0:30:27We're off down to Thurnscoe which is near to Rotherham.
0:30:28 > 0:30:32We've got a road traffic knock down there. Child knocked down.
0:30:32 > 0:30:35We are coming up towards the end of the kids' school holidays
0:30:35 > 0:30:37so there's lots of them running around.
0:30:37 > 0:30:39And one of them's managed to get knocked down.
0:30:39 > 0:30:41There's been a high-speed impact
0:30:41 > 0:30:43potentially with some head injury involved.
0:30:43 > 0:30:46We'll need to transfer this patient rapidly
0:30:46 > 0:30:49to Sheffield Children's Hospital once we've got on scene
0:30:49 > 0:30:51and made an assessment.
0:30:51 > 0:30:56Five children a day are killed or seriously injured on the UK's roads.
0:30:56 > 0:30:59And it's outside school term times that they are more likely to
0:30:59 > 0:31:01be involved in a road accident.
0:31:01 > 0:31:02Anywhere around here.
0:31:02 > 0:31:05Got the ambulance crew down here. Got the green patch.
0:31:05 > 0:31:07We're going to come round and land just north of this football pitch
0:31:07 > 0:31:09at one o'clock.
0:31:09 > 0:31:11There's a little head thing there which we can carry them
0:31:11 > 0:31:13over that if it's a little kiddie, so we can go...
0:31:13 > 0:31:17Yeah, over to that field... To that green...
0:31:19 > 0:31:21Let's get the aircraft down, get you off, and then
0:31:21 > 0:31:22I can always reposition.
0:31:23 > 0:31:26A land ambulance crew is already treating 11-year-old
0:31:26 > 0:31:28Tiffany Greenfield.
0:31:28 > 0:31:30All I can say is although she's got some scrapes and bruises.
0:31:30 > 0:31:33they're doing a full second secondary survey right now.
0:31:35 > 0:31:38The extent of her injuries is as yet unknown.
0:31:38 > 0:31:41But a bleed from the ear is giving the team cause for concern.
0:31:41 > 0:31:45This can indicate significant head trauma and they know that
0:31:45 > 0:31:48although Tiffany is conscious and talking to them now,
0:31:48 > 0:31:50that could all change very quickly.
0:31:50 > 0:31:53Her left ear has been filling with blood.
0:31:53 > 0:31:56They damped it out but it's filled up again.
0:31:56 > 0:31:59Tiffany, what we're going to do is, I'm not going to do anything to you.
0:31:59 > 0:32:01I'm not going to poke you, prod you,
0:32:01 > 0:32:02I'm not going to stick you in anything, OK?
0:32:02 > 0:32:05But I'm just going to take you to hospital
0:32:05 > 0:32:07so they can give you a bit of a checkup.
0:32:07 > 0:32:10Yeah, let's carry it. There's enough of us and she doesn't weigh very much.
0:32:10 > 0:32:13Can we get some police officers to clear the deck out there because
0:32:13 > 0:32:15there's every Tom, Dick and Harry and their grandad.
0:32:15 > 0:32:18- Are we going to Sheffield? - Yes.- Great.
0:32:18 > 0:32:19Definitely taking her, yeah?
0:32:21 > 0:32:23The decision is made to fly Tiffany
0:32:23 > 0:32:27to Sheffield Children's Hospital, a 40-minute drive away.
0:32:27 > 0:32:30But a journey Helimed 99 can make in four minutes.
0:32:30 > 0:32:32Turn her round, feet first...
0:32:32 > 0:32:35Tiffany's mother has been comforting her daughter.
0:32:35 > 0:32:38Now the reality of the accident is hitting her.
0:32:38 > 0:32:41Well done, Tiffany. You're doing really well, sweetheart.
0:32:41 > 0:32:43Quite superficial injuries we can find although she is
0:32:43 > 0:32:46bleeding from one of her ears which is causing some concern.
0:32:46 > 0:32:49First crew on scene decided that it was maybe a pertinent job
0:32:49 > 0:32:52to call for the air ambulance so I've got the air ambulance on scene now.
0:32:52 > 0:32:55She's all ready to go to Sheffield Children's Hospital.
0:32:55 > 0:32:57Tiffany's understandably upset.
0:32:57 > 0:33:02Paramedic Darren's a dad and he's dispensing his best bedside manner.
0:33:02 > 0:33:06You can't move because we've strapped you down, so you can't move, OK?
0:33:06 > 0:33:07TIFFANY CRIES
0:33:07 > 0:33:08Wait, wait a minute.
0:33:08 > 0:33:11Until they've taken some pictures, we don't know what you've done.
0:33:11 > 0:33:14So we need to be sure, don't we? Yeah?
0:33:14 > 0:33:17So nobody's going to touch you, nobody's going to prod you
0:33:17 > 0:33:19or poke you. We're just going to go for a little ride.
0:33:19 > 0:33:21Do you understand?
0:33:21 > 0:33:23TIFFANY GROANS
0:33:23 > 0:33:25- OVER RADIO: - OK, then. Doors.
0:33:28 > 0:33:30Sheffield is the regional children's hospital.
0:33:30 > 0:33:32Its A&E department specialises
0:33:32 > 0:33:35in treating the young victims of accidents.
0:33:40 > 0:33:43The main thing we were concerned about is that she had some
0:33:43 > 0:33:47form of head injury which she might have. She was crying, she was alert.
0:33:47 > 0:33:50They're all good things normally, for me.
0:33:50 > 0:33:55I prefer that to a child who's very quiet and not alert
0:33:55 > 0:33:57everyday of the week.
0:33:57 > 0:34:00It's the start of a traumatic few weeks for Tiffany.
0:34:00 > 0:34:04Doctors at the Children's Hospital identify several broken bones
0:34:04 > 0:34:06including her jaw and pelvis.
0:34:06 > 0:34:09But a few days after she returns home,
0:34:09 > 0:34:14a fire destroys the family's semidetached house.
0:34:14 > 0:34:17But children are very resilient and she's soon out
0:34:17 > 0:34:19playing again with her brother.
0:34:19 > 0:34:24I went to ASDA. My mum and dad trusted me to go.
0:34:25 > 0:34:31I put my foot out to cross over and as I put my other foot out it,
0:34:31 > 0:34:32I were on the floor.
0:34:33 > 0:34:37She was screaming her head off, wanted to get up.
0:34:37 > 0:34:39But she weren't bothered about her face.
0:34:39 > 0:34:41She were bothered about a little graze she got on her knee.
0:34:41 > 0:34:43I'd stay here all day.
0:34:45 > 0:34:48Tiffany's a nervous flyer but Darren's patter
0:34:48 > 0:34:51meant she barely noticed her short flight.
0:34:52 > 0:34:54She doesn't like loud noises to start with
0:34:54 > 0:34:56but he were talking to her. They were talking to her
0:34:56 > 0:35:00all the time and you know, trying to make a feel comfortable.
0:35:01 > 0:35:03By the time she barely noticed it, we were there.
0:35:04 > 0:35:06We were at Sheffield.
0:35:06 > 0:35:11The family's home was beyond repair, and they've now been rehoused.
0:35:11 > 0:35:13My sister Sarah phoned me
0:35:13 > 0:35:16while I were on my way to hospital to have her jaw checked.
0:35:16 > 0:35:20She just says, "Your house has burnt down." I were like, "You what?"
0:35:20 > 0:35:22She says, "Your house has burnt down."
0:35:22 > 0:35:24It were the electric socket on the wall.
0:35:24 > 0:35:27Mum hopes their luck will now improve.
0:35:28 > 0:35:32It can only get better, can't it? It can't get any worse.
0:35:35 > 0:35:38Keeping an eye on the weather is second nature for most of us.
0:35:38 > 0:35:41For these guys, it's a matter of life and death.
0:35:41 > 0:35:44Even in the age of sat nav and radar, pilots must be
0:35:44 > 0:35:49able to SEE the ground to fly safely in country like this.
0:35:54 > 0:35:58It never rains but it pours in most parts of North Yorkshire.
0:35:58 > 0:36:02The peaks of the Pennines encourage clouds sweeping in
0:36:02 > 0:36:06from the Atlantic to empty themselves on the Moors and Fells.
0:36:06 > 0:36:08And that's a constant problem for the pilots
0:36:08 > 0:36:13and paramedics who must navigate these squally skies.
0:36:13 > 0:36:14SPEAKS OVER RADIO
0:36:14 > 0:36:1898 Alpha lifting, departing to the south, towards...
0:36:18 > 0:36:21It's another misty, wet and miserable day
0:36:21 > 0:36:26and the crew of Helimed 98 is off on a short flight to a serious call.
0:36:26 > 0:36:29- Whereabouts is it?- Just come left a little bit for us, Ian.
0:36:29 > 0:36:31Pretty much looking it's probably this farmhouse,
0:36:31 > 0:36:34right on the nose where these green silos are, I'm guessing.
0:36:34 > 0:36:35Roger that.
0:36:35 > 0:36:38On a remote farm, just a few miles from base,
0:36:38 > 0:36:40a builder has fallen, landing on his head.
0:36:40 > 0:36:43He was just reaching up and that timber just came off.
0:36:43 > 0:36:45It just knocked him off the scaffolding.
0:36:45 > 0:36:47It just came round and knocked him off.
0:36:47 > 0:36:48He couldn't have his breath.
0:36:48 > 0:36:50I was just worried about him not breathing.
0:36:50 > 0:36:54So I was saying, "Breathe, breathe, breathe." You know.
0:36:54 > 0:36:57The grid's taking us towards that farm I think on the right.
0:36:57 > 0:36:59- This one here?- Yeah.
0:36:59 > 0:37:03Right, there's an ambulance low right, three o'clock.
0:37:03 > 0:37:06The heavy rain makes flying difficult
0:37:06 > 0:37:09but it also means landing becomes trickier too.
0:37:09 > 0:37:10- It's well boggy.- Yeah.
0:37:10 > 0:37:14And if you can come bit further left, Ian, we've got massive
0:37:14 > 0:37:18puddles and stuff, there's a bit harder surface just here.
0:37:18 > 0:37:20Sam, just look out your side please, mate,
0:37:20 > 0:37:21see what we're looking like.
0:37:21 > 0:37:24- Have we sunk?- No worries, mate.
0:37:24 > 0:37:26Feels like we have.
0:37:26 > 0:37:28No, looks pretty good, mate. It's...
0:37:28 > 0:37:31- OK.- It's not encompassed the skids. - All right.
0:37:33 > 0:37:35LS98 Land and Sea.
0:37:40 > 0:37:42All right, Darrell.
0:37:43 > 0:37:44He's gone over backwards,
0:37:44 > 0:37:49banged his head on that as he's come down and landed on his bottom.
0:37:51 > 0:37:54He's got a bit of swelling, it's a bit soft round that area.
0:37:54 > 0:37:57And he's got bony tenderness here.
0:37:57 > 0:37:58OK.
0:37:58 > 0:38:01Darrell Lawson had been replacing the timbers on this barn roof
0:38:01 > 0:38:05but his tumble onto concrete has left him with a serious head injury.
0:38:05 > 0:38:09- He's hit his head on... - On the scaffolding pole, yeah.
0:38:09 > 0:38:12- The one where that came down. - That's come down from there.
0:38:12 > 0:38:15- All right, so he's hit it on... - Yeah.- He's hit his head on that.
0:38:15 > 0:38:18This feels a bit soft and...
0:38:18 > 0:38:21- Round here.- Soft and boggy. It's only a...
0:38:21 > 0:38:22- It's only a small mark but... - Yeah, it's...
0:38:22 > 0:38:25- Were you wearing a helmet, mate, when you fallen?- I wasn't, no.
0:38:25 > 0:38:26You weren't, no? OK.
0:38:26 > 0:38:31This type of wet, boggy swelling can be a sign of a fractured skull.
0:38:31 > 0:38:35And bits of bone could be pressing against Darrell's brain.
0:38:35 > 0:38:37Yeah, mate I think we're going to take this.
0:38:37 > 0:38:40- OVER RADIO: - He's fallen about 12ft,
0:38:40 > 0:38:45he's hit his head on some woodwork on the way down.
0:38:45 > 0:38:49He's got quite a small, boggy area just to his occiput
0:38:49 > 0:38:51so from a query fractured point of view
0:38:51 > 0:38:54I think he's going to be best there rather than Friary.
0:38:55 > 0:38:56Yeah, no worries.
0:38:56 > 0:38:58- Get out there and get muddy. - That's me committed.
0:38:58 > 0:39:01That's you committed. Get out there and get muddy.
0:39:01 > 0:39:04You got any pain in your chest or in your tummy, mate?
0:39:04 > 0:39:05- No.- Just having a quick feel.
0:39:05 > 0:39:08Take a deep breath in for me.
0:39:08 > 0:39:09Just give your toes a wiggle.
0:39:09 > 0:39:11Darrell's workmates saw him fall
0:39:11 > 0:39:15but were just too far away to be able to do anything about it.
0:39:15 > 0:39:18I could have caught him, do you know what I mean? But it just...
0:39:18 > 0:39:19HE SIGHS
0:39:19 > 0:39:24I just wanted to go over but I don't know what it was with me.
0:39:24 > 0:39:26I just should have gone over and broke his fall.
0:39:26 > 0:39:28He's not been knocked out.
0:39:28 > 0:39:30He can remember everything that happened but...
0:39:30 > 0:39:32Just with the mechanism of this boggy swelling, I think
0:39:32 > 0:39:34up to James Cook for a CT.
0:39:34 > 0:39:38People with head injuries like this can quickly deteriorate,
0:39:38 > 0:39:41but the paramedics can't move too fast.
0:39:41 > 0:39:43Darrell could also have fractured his spine.
0:39:43 > 0:39:45We don't want you to move at all,
0:39:45 > 0:39:47- I'm going to keep my hands either side of your head.- OK.
0:39:47 > 0:39:50My colleagues and your mates are going to gently roll you back onto a
0:39:50 > 0:39:52bit of a hard board that's behind you.
0:39:52 > 0:39:54Might be a bit uncomfortable, bear with us whilst we do it.
0:39:54 > 0:39:57- OK.- OK? Ready, steady, roll.
0:39:59 > 0:40:01Keep your head nice and still for me. Perfect.
0:40:01 > 0:40:03Right, you can relax it back.
0:40:04 > 0:40:05With the weather getting worse,
0:40:05 > 0:40:08it leaves just one option for the paramedics.
0:40:08 > 0:40:12We've got a northern weather front moving down the country
0:40:12 > 0:40:14at the moment. North to south, so...
0:40:14 > 0:40:16Although LGI's a little closer, we're going to fly to
0:40:16 > 0:40:20James Cook just so we don't hit any of the low cloud.
0:40:20 > 0:40:22So we're going to lift then, guys. Ready, steady, lift.
0:40:27 > 0:40:29You're not going to be able to speak to us in flight
0:40:29 > 0:40:31but I will keep a close eye on you.
0:40:31 > 0:40:36Any problems just wave, grab me and we'll get you sorted. OK?
0:40:36 > 0:40:38Especially if you start to feel sick.
0:40:38 > 0:40:41This wet weather's going to make the flight trickier than
0:40:41 > 0:40:44normal including a sticky take-off.
0:40:44 > 0:40:46It will plop out.
0:40:46 > 0:40:48It won't be a smooth take-off, it will plop.
0:40:49 > 0:40:51And then it'll jump up.
0:40:51 > 0:40:54Here's the plop coming.
0:40:54 > 0:40:56- There you go. - Beautiful, Ian, beautiful.
0:40:56 > 0:40:58Silky smooth.
0:40:58 > 0:41:01LS9 we've left the scene. En route to James Cook.
0:41:01 > 0:41:02BEEP
0:41:02 > 0:41:05He's got a number of lacerations to the right-hand side
0:41:05 > 0:41:07of his head which we're not too concerned about.
0:41:07 > 0:41:11But there is an area of quite a soft swelling to the occiput
0:41:11 > 0:41:13which is the bone at the rear of his skull.
0:41:13 > 0:41:14There's always a risk with these
0:41:14 > 0:41:17that he could have fractured the bone underneath.
0:41:17 > 0:41:19That'd cause a slow-bleeding head injury
0:41:19 > 0:41:21that we wouldn't be able to detect for a while.
0:41:21 > 0:41:23So that's my main concern.
0:41:23 > 0:41:27But upfront, pilot Ian has other things on his mind.
0:41:27 > 0:41:32OK, things to worry about up here is the wind farm, but we'll be fine.
0:41:32 > 0:41:34Yeah.
0:41:34 > 0:41:38- Wind farm's all over to our two o'clock.- Yeah.- Clearing it.
0:41:38 > 0:41:41- Just got the masts. - At the pylons I'd turn left.
0:41:41 > 0:41:44Closer to the hospital, the weather starts to improve.
0:41:44 > 0:41:46- OVER RADIO: - Helimed 98...
0:41:47 > 0:41:51Darrell will soon be able to get the emergency check over he needs.
0:41:51 > 0:41:53Priority is to get the pain he's in under control
0:41:53 > 0:41:55and then taking him round to scan.
0:41:55 > 0:41:57And then if that looks clear, hopefully it shouldn't
0:41:57 > 0:41:58be too long hospital.
0:41:58 > 0:42:00And hopefully, the scan will be a positive result.
0:42:01 > 0:42:03Raise...
0:42:03 > 0:42:04Right.
0:42:06 > 0:42:13Darrell's scans prove he does have fractures but not to his skull.
0:42:13 > 0:42:16The fall broke three vertebrae down his back
0:42:16 > 0:42:20while his head injury turned out to be nothing more than a flesh wound.
0:42:20 > 0:42:24After five days in hospital he's able to return home.
0:42:24 > 0:42:28But it's many weeks later before he's back on the building site.