Episode 5 Helicopter Heroes

When the people of rural Yorkshire dial 999,

help can be a long time coming.

The Yorkshire Dales are as beautiful as they as they are big,

but if you're seriously injured in a landscape as gigantic as this,

your life is on the line.

But in the remotest part of Britain's biggest county,

they look to the skies for help.

Look on your left. Can you get in that grass field on the left?

-Yes, mate.

-Go for that.

From high drama in the peaks to high waters in the Dales,

the Helimed team's at the heart of almost every rescue,

bringing 21st-century medicine

to some of Britain's most isolated communities

and saving lives against the odds.

Today on Helicopter Heroes...

What's the last thing you can remember?

..a teenage biker is attacked in a country lane.

His injuries aren't concurrent with a bike accident.

His helmet's intact. Looks like he's been assaulted.

Helimed 98 drops into a moorland pub after a dog diagnoses

its owner's heart problem.

They knew something was wrong with him.

And a student climber sparks a mountain rescue operation

and Darren decides laughter's the best medicine.

Don't hyperventilate, cos if you fill up with this gas you'll just

float over the top of this thing and we'll not be able to catch you.

It's a never-ending repertoire of one-liners!

You don't have to be Sherlock Holmes to work out this is not

one of the UK's crime hot spots.

In fact, people who live in this part of Yorkshire

are statistically less likely to become a victim than people

living anywhere else in England.

But occasionally, even in sleepy backwaters like this,

my old colleagues have a violent incident to investigate.

When crimes are committed in rural Yorkshire,

the cops often have to travel miles to reach the scene.

Today, they're heading to the remote village of Spaldington where

a teenager's badly hurt.

Helimed 98 is also on the case.

It is...you know, a kind of little back road.

It's an unusual place to get assaulted.

-Yeah, unless it's been a road rage thing or summat.

-That's possible.

-Now, what's down here in the trees?

-Yeah, there you go.

-It's his bike.

Just going behind us now, Sammy.

That's when I'm going to make an approach.

The incident has happened in a country lane

more than a mile from the nearest village.

It's an unusual crime scene.

Hello, sir. Hello, Dominic.

So, you think he's been knocked off of his bike?

-And then assaulted afterwards.

-He's not sure what's occurred.

You're not sure, bud? No, you don't.

No-one on scene knows how he's sustained what appear to be

severe facial injuries. He's told his dad he's been beaten up.

He thinks he's been assaulted.

At this stage, we don't know. It's up to the police.

They've set up a crime scene, so I'll leave it to them,

but his injuries aren't concurrent with a bike accident.

His helmet's intact. His goggles, there's no blood on them.

'You can see his injuries.

'It looks like he's been assaulted.'

Dominic has been agitated on the scene, so before they can fly,

Sammy needs to be sure he won't cause problems during flight.

Dad, what I'd like you to do is take Dom...

-Dom, is it all right if I take you to hospital?

-(Yeah.)

Yeah, I'll take you in the helicopter cos it'll be quicker

and smoother for you, bud, but I need you to stay calm, OK?

One of Dominic's mates had been looking for him.

I thought he might have had an accident or something, really,

and then when I came up here, I saw everyone, and I just knew.

It was down there, I saw his bike.

He thought he saw somebody that he knew

and then that's all he can remember, really.

His head's all over the place.

I think he thinks that he's been assaulted rather than him

having a road traffic accident.

The bike has got smashed at the back and at the front,

but it looks quite extensive facial injuries for lack of damage

to his helmet, so the police will sort all that out.

Without knowing what happened to Dominic,

paramedics Sammy and Lee need to check him over thoroughly.

So, cos he's been weight-bearing we're not clear...

-We'll pop that on.

-Has he got any lower-leg injuries?

-Not that we know of.

-Ease that down there...

As well as his facial injuries, Dominic has a badly broken arm.

-Just relax back with it.

-Relax and let your arm relax as well.

-That's it.

-Good lad.

-Doing well.

-Good lad.

-Doing really well.

-Good lad.

That's it. That's it, pal.

THEY ALL SPEAK TOGETHER

-Have you what on your face?

-Can you get that off my face?

All right, pal, we'll just leave it there. It's doing you good.

I know you don't think it is, but it is doing you good.

It'll make you feel as good as gold.

On my count then - one, two, three...

DOMINIC MOANS

There we are. We'll go feet first towards that gate there.

Then we're going to go over the top of the gate

cos we can't get through it.

So, just front end on, that'll be great.

And then we can go through the gate and take him through the other side.

With so much blood and bruising,

it's hard to judge the extent of his facial injuries.

We would like to bring in to you a 17-year-old male, normally fit

and well, who has been, uh...come off a motorcycle.

Doctors and surgeons at Hull Royal Infirmary are preparing

-for his arrival in about 15 minutes.

-Keep coming, that's it. Keep coming.

We're in. That's great, thank you.

-That's great...

-Welcome back. How you doing, bud?

-Not very well.

Not so good. All right.

Dominic's in a lot of pain, but Sammy and Lee know that often

the worst effects of an assault aren't physical.

Victims often suffer psychological symptoms long

after their injuries have healed.

-Your right arm, just straighten it...

-Good lad.

-Can't you just inject me?

-No.

No, we aren't going to inject you with anything.

Did that morphine help?

HE GROANS No.

Dominic is being flown 30 miles to Hull Royal Infirmary where

police will want to question him further.

It seems he's been the victim of a very serious assault.

SIRENS WAIL

40 miles away, in picturesque Ryedale,

paramedics are on their way to a very different emergency.

It's right on the edge of the map. Is it the Lion Inn? Yeah.

Right on the edge of the map.

It's not often the Helimed team is asked to drop in at the local,

but high on the North York moors, nearly 1,400ft above sea level,

is the Lion Inn, a pub with a view and a poorly customer.

We're heading out to a remote location for a gentleman who's

having chest pains.

The ambulance is quite a long way away, as is the fast response car.

So, we've been tasked out here,

because we're a couple of minutes away.

What do you think to putting it in the stone bit this side of the wall?

-Out the way of the car park.

-There's a gate there, isn't there?

-Yeah.

-All right, is he a relative?

-No, he's just one of the guests...

Paramedic Matt Syrat is being taken to tourist Ted Dobbs from Grimsby.

He was staying at the inn

when he ill in the bedroom he was sharing with his wife, Margaret.

Hello, there. How are we doing?

What's happening?

-I've got pains in me chest.

-Yeah?

'Ted has had a heart attack in the past.

'Now, it looks like it's happening again.'

What time did your pain start?

'Matt wants the aircraft's defibrillator, the Shock Box,

-'just in case.'

-Yeah, can you bring the defib up, please?

All right, try not to worry. Just try to describe how you're feeling.

Is this pain still here?

-The pain's going down.

-Right, OK. Did it go anywhere else?

In your arms or in your neck?

The couple's pets first hinted that something wasn't right.

The dogs were sat at sort of at the edge of the bed

and they...I know my dogs and I knew they sensed something was wrong.

What I'll do is I'll give you an aspirin to chew.

-Is that all right?

-Yes.

They wouldn't go near my husband and they went all quiet and subdued.

Don't mind me, I'm just going to stick loads of sticky things on you.

Connect you up to some equipment.

He started with chest pain about two hours ago.

Central chest pain, not radiating.

It felt similar to his last heart attack.

-Feeling stinging?

-Pop it in. Just chew it for me, OK. Crunch it up.

That way it soaks in pretty well. Hello, there.

'The problem with a heart attack is, they can have one'

and then, not long after that, they can have another one.

-You've been all right since that's cleared up.

-Yeah.

I knew he needed an ambulance and I think with the last experience,

it was better that he was checked out

'but I think by the time they got here,

'and having two sprays, things had calmed down a bit.'

Just open and close this hand a few times like you're

pulling fivers out your wife's purse.

But the trace from the ECG machine is not suggesting a heart attack.

Something else is wrong.

Yeah, have you got an ETA for the DMA, over?

Yeah, the ambulance is showing as 11, one-one minutes, over.

Yeah, Roger, thanks. There's nothing on this chap's ECG at present, over.

The team decide it's not necessary to subject Ted

to the stress of a helicopter flight.

He'll travel by road.

The pain seems to have gone, so, um, he probably still needs to go

to hospital to be checked over and have some further tests.

Erm...but in the absence of any pain,

he probably doesn't need to travel by air,

so we've got a paramedic ambulance here

so they're going to bob him in and drive him up to James Cook.

He may not be in immediate danger,

but everyone knows something is wrong with Ted's heart.

Only hospital tests will show what.

The Yorkshire Dales were carved out of rock by water and ice

millions of years ago and the crags and cliffs

they left behind are now a major attraction

for the National Park's more adventurous visitors.

Yorkshire's National Parks cover 1,200 square miles.

20% of the county is protected from development,

its landscape covered by tough planning laws

and conservation rules, but some of its most unspoilt scenery

is on its windswept border with County Durham.

It's a summer's day, and high in Swaledale,

the local mountain rescue team's been scrambled

to a climber in trouble.

I take it this is an access problem, is it?

Yeah. 400 or 500 yards away from...

either crew or the roadside.

'Paramedics Daz Axe and Matt Syrat have been called to

'a group of students from Newcastle University.

'One of them has a suspected broken leg after falling down a rock face.'

I would suggest it's probably these

that's at this crag behind this, Chris.

If you can get level with them on Matt's side or my side,

we'll have a little peep.

In a remote place like this, it's not possible to get a precise

location of where the accident happened.

We've got more people further along.

Is it that guy in a green shirt above? Is that them?

Or are they just sunbathing? Take a look.

They're sunbathing.

If you get level with them, Chris, I'll open the door and just see

if I can indicate to them whether or not we're required.

Sure.

This is a tricky place for pilot Chris Atrill to land.

The safest place to touch down is at the top of the cliff 40ft

above their patient.

-I bet you wish you'd put your make-up on now.

-I do?!

The patient is Lucy Finch.

Lucy, how many years young are you?

-I'm 19.

-OK.

Just bouldering on this bit of rock and fell off, missed the mat,

hit the floor.

Ankle hurts now. I don't know, there's not really much to it.

Just a bit of an idiot and fell off.

Lucy was climbing up there...

I've got a bit of a sticky hold, I knew she was coming off,

jumped backwards almost,

so, one foot landed on the boulder mat, and her other foot was

probably that much off it, I think she just hit a rock wrong.

Ankle went.

It's too far to carry Lucy to the land ambulance, but reaching

Helimed 98 means hauling her up the cliff face she was trying to climb.

They need the Swaledale Mountain Rescue team now.

We're going to either transfer her from here to the top

with their expertise.

It's only 40ft, but we don't want to make more casualties.

We don't have the equipment to sort of, you know,

to carbine her up to the top,

so we'll let them do it and then we'll transfer her to the ground

vehicle which is at the bottom of the hill in the distance behind me.

-Keep going, keep going.

-It's suspected Lucy has broken her ankle.

She needs gas and air to take the edge off the pain.

-It's not called laughing gas for nothing.

-Slowly, Lucy, if you can.

-Don't hyperventilate.

-Just breathe normal.

Cos if you fill up with this gas, you'll just float over the top of

this thing and we'll not be able to catch you.

-SHE LAUGHS

-That's why it's called laughing gas.

It's a never-ending repertoire of one-liners!

THEY LAUGH

The Swaledale Mountain Rescue team

has had to climb 1,000ft or more to reach the scene.

I'm Daz. Pleased to meet you.

-I've got a car...

-Oh, that's fun.

We'll go up and we can transfer from here to that ambulance that's

over there and that's it.

Yeah, it's what you do best. Not what we do.

The UK's Mountain Rescue teams are all volunteers

and Lucy's accident couldn't have been handier for this group.

We're actually training dogs at the moment, search dogs,

so we'd been out just sort of doing a bit of a...

taking the dogs for a walk, a little bit of training.

And there's a nice little wood, just to the side, we often go and use.

Lucy needs to be carefully strapped in using proper lifting gear

before she can be taken up the rock face.

The plan is to get her to the chopper,

then fly her to the nearby land ambulance.

Lucy, who's been on gas and air for a while, is now quite relaxed.

I'm excited to go on a helicopter! Ha, ha!

We're just going to put a safety rope on and we're just going

to take her back up through this gap...to the helicopter.

This is a dangerous manoeuvre.

Lucy has to be lifted vertically back up 40 feet,

-not that she seems worried.

-SHE LAUGHS

The Swaledale Team trains for rescues like this all the time.

It's routine.

But for Lucy's mates,

this is an event that demands a souvenir picture.

So, please, please wait...

Good teamwork, everyone working together.

It's a big effort for us having to carry her

all the way down to the road, so, yeah, it's really good.

Cheers, fellas.

It's like being in a pram cos it's got that little shade

like the babies have, but it was all right, actually.

It just felt like...I don't know. It felt like I was in bed.

-But a bit wobbly.

-SHE LAUGHS

She'll go to hospital by road.

The Helimed 98 is airlifting her a mile to the land ambulance.

Lucy's ankle is badly broken

and it's weeks before she can walk properly,

let alone climb again, but back home in Newcastle where she's

at university, her injury hasn't put her off training for the peaks.

It was what it was. It was an accident, like...

Nothing was wrong, particularly.

Maybe I pushed away from the wall a little too much, I need to make

sure I just fall, cos I thought I was going to hit the outer rock.

'We did everything right, like...

'the two guys spotting me made sure that everything from the waist up

'made sure it hit the mat, which is what matters, really.'

As much as I'd like not to have a broken ankle,

I'd much rather have a broken ankle than a fractured, like, pelvis

or, like, hit my head or something like that.

And she's determined to get back to the Dales.

I'm hoping I'll be able to start climbing

and stuff with ropes again...quite soon.

On the banks of the Humber Estuary, at his home in Grimsby,

another of the Helimed team's patients is making another

rather faster recovery.

Ted Dobbs believes his pet dogs, Katie and Millie, recognised

his life-threatening heart condition almost before he did.

The dogs were totally ignoring him,

they knew something was wrong with him.

Well, they say dogs do sense things

and they definitely sensed that there was something wrong.

Normally, they're lively as anything. When I went back to

the breakfast room, they're usually jumping all over you,

but they just went and laid down, they went all docile.

They knew there was something wrong, somehow.

'The ambulance people, I can't praise them enough and

'they were so good to me and thoughtful.

'You could see they were worried about me as well as Edward.'

'Hospital doctors finally confirmed what Ted's dogs

'might have known all along.'

I found that I had a problem with my heart

and I had to have it triple bypassed.

'The arteries were filling up,

'that's what they said at the hospital and he had to have'

the three replaced, which they have done,

and now, hopefully, he'll get better.

Ted and Margaret are now planning another stay at the Lion Inn,

with Katie and Millie of course,

but this time they hope their break won't end in a trip to hospital.

Yorkshire's country estates boast some of the UK's

most luxurious homes.

From stately piles like Harewood to the majestic Castle Howard,

only the paying public or aristocratic guests

get to look around many of them.

But, today, Helimed 98 has an urgent house call

to a very desirable address in the Dales.

We're being dispatched off to a detail in the Dales

up in North Yorkshire to a place just west of Leyburn.

A crew request to help them with a patient

that's fallen from a horse, suspected spinal injuries.

We do come out to this area quite a bit because of the distances that

they have to travel to hospital from where this quite remote location is.

It's one of our areas where our furthest ambulance station

is in North Yorkshire.

So, the helicopter comes into its own and helps them with that.

Helimed 98 is heading for Bolton Hall in Wensleydale.

The present hall was built for a Victorian baron.

Now, it's home to some equally aristocratic racehorses

under training in its stables.

15-year-old Lauren Might was riding in the yard when she was thrown.

She's in pain from a broken ankle,

but the team fear she may have worse injuries.

-You were not travelling at speed? Just...

-Yeah, she was.

-You were galloping?

-Did it?

She went out on a hack and the horse has spooked at something

as it's come round the corner,

and just run straight into a wall.

Unfortunately, she's come off and...

..the horse is no longer with us as a result,

but at least she's all right.

SHE CRIES

We'll come out, feet first.

Paramedic Lee wants to examine his patient more carefully.

Lauren's strapped to a rigid spinal stretcher.

He isn't taking any chances.

The incident's completely out of character for the horse

Lauren was riding.

Normally...he's one of the best in the world, you know,

you take all the younger horses out with him,

so that he calms them down cos he's...

How old? He's about 16 or 17.

He's quite an old boy.

He's really good with the young ones, looking after them,

and yet, he's done this.

I wouldn't ever have expected it.

So, whether we'll find out whether she can remember it later,

I don't know. A bit of a weird one, to say the least.

-Do it from here.

-Yeah, I'll do it from there. I'll do it from here.

OK, have you got that? I'm just going to hold on to your collar...

Right, I've got you there. Just keep nice and still, all right?

SHE WHIMPERS AND CRIES

Lauren's an experienced rider and this was a real shock.

Most country houses now have to work for a living

and Bolton Hall is no exception.

It's home to several businesses

and now Yorkshire's most elegant helipad.

GIRL CRIES Everybody happy, yeah?

OK, you come clear, Nick.

Great, cheers. Sliding across. All yours.

Got her, got her. Wait a second.

Do you want a little bit more pain relief,

some gas and air that you can have on the way across?

-No.

-Are you sure?

-No, it makes me feel dizzy.

-It makes you feel dizzy?

-You don't have to have it.

-I'm OK.

-Are you sure?

Lauren's being flown direct to James Cook Hospital in Middlesbrough.

Her mum will be travelling with her.

-If you feel sick, I need you to let me know, all right?

-OK.

Now, you have a headset on cos you have these blocks at the side of

your head, so what I want you to do is I want you to raise this arm

-if you start to feel sick, all right?

-Yes.

The doctors are waiting for Lauren's arrival.

She's X-rayed and scanned and tests show she's been lucky.

Apart from a broken ankle,

she's well enough to go home within 24 hours.

Time heals most of the Helimed team's patients,

but sometimes the mental trauma of an injury lasts longer.

It's three weeks since teenager Dominic Evans was

attacked near his home in the quiet village of Spaldington.

Police are investigating and Dominic has regained some

memories of the attack that left him with serious facial injuries.

'I was just minding my own business,

'I were off to see my friend as a normal person does at my age.'

And I saw...

these lads at the side of the road when I went past

and they stood in the middle of the road

and tried chucking something at me,

and I turned around and saw who it were and carried on riding

and I started making my way back and they were waiting for me

behind an hedge with a piece of wood.

Hello, Dominic.

-He can't remember...

-So, you think he's been knocked...

At the time of the incident, no-one was clear how it happened.

You're not sure, bud?

They tried to make the incident look like an accident,

like I'd come off my motorbike by putting me in a ditch,

bleeding to death, they just left me at the bottom of the dyke.

My bike at the side of the road and my helmet at the side

of the road, they made it look like I'd come off.

But that's what the police and my dad

and everybody thought as soon as they first got there,

until they started realising my facial injuries, my arm,

there were no damage to my bike or my helmet or anything,

so it's obvious that it was them guys that had done this to me.

-My arms and face are killing me.

-All right, mate. Got you.

This should help with it.

'I remember waking up at the side of the road'

and the...

ambulance had already come there. You know, the paramedics in the cars?

'They were the first ones on the scene, I think,

'and then the police came after those and I remember, like,

'kind of coming around to them helping me and they were

'trying to put needles and morphine and stuff in me

'like that and I didn't know what they were trying to do,

'I didn't know who they were or anything.

'I was trying to fight my way out.

'I just wanted to get away from everybody.

'I feel sorry for the nurses there.'

I were horrible.

Dominic had sustained serious facial injuries.

'I thought it were going to stay like that.'

I looked horrible, I had two black eyes, my lip were out here,

my face, my jaw, my arm, all my body was just bruised. I looked horrible.

'I didn't want anybody seeing me. Everybody wanted to come and see me,

'and I was telling everyone to go away.'

Dominic's cuts and bruises will slowly heal,

but he may need more facial surgery.

My arm, it might need pinning, this is...

when they put my first cast on,

they said it had pulled itself into an all right position,

so they're going to leave it and X-ray it every so often

and see if it does need pinning, after a while.

So I need to go for my X-ray and see if it needs pinning.

If it does, then it'll have to be done. I'll have to have an operation.

Just going to support your arm.

Despite being agitated and hostile to the paramedics,

Dominic says he's grateful for their help.

No, I ain't going to inject you with anything.

Did that morphine help?

-HE GROANS

-No.

I'd like to say thanks to the paramedics on the helicopter

and all the police and everybody as well. They were excellent.

It turns out that Dominic was indeed assaulted,

and two men have since been questioned and bailed by police.

Bikers sometimes get a bad press,

but beneath the leathers, these days you're more likely to find

a family man in his 40s than a boy racer.

There are few keener bikers than Helimed paramedic Darren Axe,

a rider for 30 years

and a regular at Yorkshire's most popular biking cafe.

The scenery's fantastic. The roads are great.

For bikes, they're just a massive experience

and a massive grin every time you ride them.

We've got thousands of bikers in Yorkshire

and thousands from around the area

that come into Yorkshire to experience that.

Darren sees the same accidents occurring over and over again,

many involving motorists, with bikers usually the casualties.

In the main, it'll be vehicles pulling out a junction

that haven't looked for a bike, they've not seen it.

They'll lift the head, make the manoeuvre

and, unfortunately, the bike's on top of them, then

and the rider's gone flying

down the road for about 30 metres after impact.

It's the roads of north Yorkshire

that claim most of the Helimed team's biking patients.

In the last five years, 68 riders have died here and 540 have been

seriously injured, more than half were, like Darren, men in their 40s.

Some were themselves to blame, others definitely not.

The other one we tend to see, cars will be running along the road.

They'll indicate right, the bike will already be level with them,

they'll turn and the bike strikes the side of the car.

Back at work, it's not long before a call comes in of a biker

-with a serious leg injury.

-It's a crew request to a motorcycle and car.

This, believe it or not, is the first sunny Sunday we've had.

Not unbelievably, the motorcyclists are out

and we've got one of our first motorcycle incidents of the year.

If I was off today, I'd be out on my bike too.

On the ground, their patient is 37-year-old Steve Tong.

His leg is badly broken and his pain score is high,

despite already having had the maximum dose of morphine.

So, Steve, my mates have explained to me

that obviously you're in a lot of pain with your leg.

Initially, it would have been of a ten.

So do we think it's about a seven now, do we?

Seven. With the best intent in the world, Steve,

we can't leave that leg where it is, mate.

It'll be out in the cold

and we won't be able to shut the door cos it's sticking out

a bit to the side where it's broken at the top.

We don't need an X-ray eye to see it,

and I'm not going to fib to you, it's broken.

So, we're going to try and give you something else for the pain,

which'll try and ease that off for you a little bit.

Before he administers the more powerful painkiller,

Darren seeks more expert medical advice from a doctor.

Hi, sorry to bother you.

I've got a 37-year-old male, road traffic collision, motorcyclist.

Front onside impact into a car turning right in front of him.

Obvious left femur, angulated

and rotated out laterally away from his body.

He's had 20 of morphine, Jez,

which has only reduced his pain to seven out of ten.

We're unable to straighten his leg or traction it in any way to

transfer him. It's more or less out at right angles.

Steve has had a nasty break.

His femur has snapped and twisted 90 degrees.

Both vehicles have been travelling south towards Beverley.

The car has started to turn right,

the motorbike has overtaken and the two have collided.

Obviously, the motorcycle has come off a lot worse.

Darren is going to give Steve ketamine - a painkiller

and anaesthetic that is more powerful than morphine

but lasts only a few minutes.

It'll allow them to examine Steve's broken leg

without too much discomfort.

What's your pain like now?

What number is it?

-Pain's gone.

-That's good. That's good.

Off your head. That's good.

They're straightening Steve's leg.

It'll be painful, but the broken pieces of his thighbone

could damage blood vessels if they don't.

It's now minute six, yeah?

-He's getting his third one.

-Pain what's it like now, pal?

Weird. I like weird.

Steve, lights on, yeah? You won't remember anything about this, mate.

No.

Only tip I'm going to give you is get some proper gear

to ride with next time.

Yeah? Get some proper boots, proper trousers, yeah?

Body armour. Trust me, I'm an ambulance man.

On impact, Steve landed 30 feet from the crash scene

and he's lucky to be alive.

Right. No head injury. Not complaining of any neck pain.

GCS has been 15 throughout. Chest clear, bilateral.

Abdomen soft, no guarding, no distension.

We're querying that pelvis and left leg. Right leg's fully intact.

He's been with us throughout

and we're going to take his helmet with us, yeah?

Smashing.

Keep that leg nice and still, mate, there.

Brilliant.

Steve's broken leg is now straight but has serious swelling

under the knee, which suggests internal bleeding.

-While the ketamine is still having an effect...

-Steve, are you with us?

..the next step is to strap his legs up and get him onto a spinal board.

We're going to roll him onto... Good leg first.

Super. So that board in from your side then.

STEVE SCREAMS

Chris, will you take all that fluid for us?

Steve's pain score is starting to climb.

He needs more ketamine if he's going to make the flight to hospital,

but Daz needs to get clearance to be able to administer even more.

It did. It reduced his pain significantly,

so we've got him strapped onto a board now.

His pain level's coming back up again.

It's eight minutes since he had the last ten milligrams.

Steve... OK, mate?

Two, three, lift.

-Go ahead, we can hear you.

-Sorry to bother you.

Just wondering how long before extract

and put a second in transfer in for you.

Today was the first sunny Sunday of the year

and it ended in a terrible injury for Steve -

a broken femur can take many months to heal.

Left side's hurting you. OK.

Before take off, Darren administers yet another dose of ketamine.

As well as killing pain, it gives temporary amnesia to patients.

OK.

The accident has happened on the Yorkshire Wolds

near the historic town of Beverley,

but thanks to ketamine, Steve will have no memory of this flight.

It's had quite a significant effect on his pain.

He's not aware of what's happened to him.

He's not feeling nay pain at the moment

and he's quite comfortable and settled.

We've been able to affect treatment on him,

which will be better for him down the line

because we've brought his leg back into a position

where there's blood flow and everything where it should be.

Darren's patient is being flown direct to Hull Royal Infirmary,

where X-rays show he needs surgery.

His recovery takes months.

Paramedic Darren is fanatical about bikes.

When he's not on duty,

he loves spreading the message about motorcycle safety.

I'm an air ambulance paramedic and I've been riding a bike all my life.

But what I really want to talk to you about is...

He, like most bikers, knows the importance of good safety gear.

Now and again, especially when it's really hot,

you'll come across bikers who are riding, you know,

the latest 1,000 plus CC bike, and they're wearing a T-shirt and shorts

and a pair of deck shoes.

It's just not acceptable. You know, it's completely irresponsible.

The injuries that they'll sustain, they'll be significant.

Life-changing injuries if they have a big off.

The kit they're wearing will give them that protection.

If you're wearing a jacket that's right, with a back protector in it,

that'll protect your arms and obviously your spine,

which is really, really important.

You want to be walking around the rest of your life.

You don't want to be sat in a chair.

Wearing the right gear might seem like common sense,

but Darren sees it all, especially when the sun shines.

On Rishworth Moor in the Pennines,

a young rider has lost control of his bike and come off.

He's dressed for the weather but not for the road.

This is Sean. He's...he's come down here. Roughly about 30mph, he thinks.

Bike's gone from under him. We think bike's done damage.

He's more or less landed here, but sort of head down where he is,

but he's just moved over.

-What's your name, buddy.

-Sean.

-Sean.

So us a favour, mate.

Just relax your head back. What we're going to do...

You probably haven't hurt your neck or back,

but just because you've got that nasty bit of leg there,

you might have some back pain that you might feel later on.

Just keep your head nice and still.

21-year-old Sean Morrissey from Manchester was out

with his friend Declan Crossley when he took the corner too fast.

We were just driving about.

We just had a little walk down at the lake at the top,

then just drove back down. I was in front.

I couldn't see him in my rear mirror,

so I turned round and then saw him on the verge.

I asked him what he wanted me to do, and he wanted me to turn him over,

but hold his leg while he turned over.

Then I turned him over and then I phoned the ambulance.

So what's happened? You've just lost it.

Well, I think I was... I was just slowing down a bit,

but I think I just slowed down a bit too late.

I didn't want to go around the corner and sort of...

You can see immediately that he's only wearing a pair of shorts

and some pumps, so it's not, probably not suitable clothing.

He did have a coat on at least.

A helmet. But that's about it.

Sean's leg is very badly broken -

an injury paramedic Daz thinks could have been easily avoided.

These protective shorts you're wearing,

that's what you've been wearing. So, you hadn't had any leathers on?

-I've had a biker jacket on.

-But not on your legs.

-No.

-OK.

That's interesting. And a bit daft, really, don't you think?

A jacket, it won't save you, will it? Obviously.

Those shoes... I'm surprised your feet are still attached.

Sean is not used to riding on country roads, in fact,

he's only just passed his test and got his provisional driving licence.

You only have to do a one-day course to get the CBT

and then you can be on the road on a 125.

I think you should do more tests.

-Do your hips feel all right?

-Yeah.

Just messing with your leg again. Sorry, mate.

You keep sucking on that gas and air.

So we're just applying a Kendrick traction splint.

We've got a fractured femur. Quite deformed, really.

So if you can put some traction on it and reduce the fracture,

A, you can stop any internal bleeding to quite a big extent.

Reduce the spasm in the surrounding muscle,

which in turn reduces pain, so it's quite a good bit of kit.

Getting his leg straightened is going to really hurt.

Right, Sean, nice deep breaths, mate.

We're just going to straighten your leg for you, OK?

Nice deep breaths, mate.

-OK, well done, mate.

-Keep breathing, Sean.

-Well done.

Sean is being incredibly brave.

Gas and air only helps to take the edge of pain

and doesn't get rid of it all together, but he's now ready to fly.

Just lift his feet up.

Bring the board up.

All done, pal.

How's your pain doing, matey, out of ten?

It's all right, actually.

Sean's mum has already warned him of the dangers of getting a bike.

It seems he's learnt his lesson the hard way.

I've had a friend die from biking

and know other people that have died through motorbikes.

I've always loved one, and then he's got one not long ago,

and his mum didn't want him to get one.

So she's not going to be letting him drive that again.

She won't want him to get back on that bike.

He's a young lad, he's 21.

Hopefully, him and his mate will learn from this.

And in future they'll don the leathers and proper protective kit.

To me, it's as important as wearing a helmet.

DARREN: I know you think I had a go at you,

but I'm obviously concerned for you.

If we're having to go back and tell your mum

that you're ripped to bits

because you've not been wearing your gear, it's difficult for us,

because we see hundreds of bikers. Do you know what I mean?

For the sake of a nice pair of leathers, some nice boots,

there'd have been some padding here at your flanks,

it might have saved you.

Daz's telling off will probably not be as harsh as the one

he is going to get when he calls his mum later on.

He's also got a long few months on crutches ahead of him

until his broken bone heals.

Paramedic Darren is passionate about bike safety

because he's learnt about it the hard way.

He's been a casualty himself,

but escaped injury each time thanks to wearing the right gear.

Fortunately for me, I'm still stood up and walking around.

Every time I've dropped the bike,

I've been wearing all the right kit - helmet, gloves, massively important.

You go sliding down the road,

the first thing that's going to wear out

is the skin on the palms of your hands. Wear your gloves.

Good jacket, back protector built into it, and even better

if you can get a proprietary one, which is what I'm wearing today.

He loves seeing bikers being as lucky as him.

We've hit the blue stuff, mate. We've gone too far right.

Today, Darren's off to the seaside.

Well, once again I'm straight from one detail

and back on to another one.

Lo and behold, a lovely sunny day and motorcyclist again.

This one's in a ditch on the east coast.

Having some problems, can't move his legs.

Got traffic stopped.

Some vehicles. White vehicles.

Oh, yeah.

You should be able to go straight across 12 o'clock.

Ay-up, mate. Right, then. What do we call you again?

-Steve.

-Steve, what day is it, Steve?

-Sunday.

Their patient is 44-year-old Steven Jones.

OK. I'm just going to put my hands onto your chest here.

Take a deep breath for me again. OK.

Just let me have a little feel at your sides. Take a deep breath.

Super. Let's have a little feel at your hips. That hurt at all?

-No, it's all right.

-Good. Good.

So he was coming round the corner here, probably about 20, 30...

Well, not ever 20 mile an hour.

Then he skidded. The bike flipped over and landed,

and he just went over and landed there.

When he first came over, he said he couldn't feel that leg at all.

It all feels intact to me,

and he'd know if it were going to be any worse than that.

Yeah, well, fortunately for you, mate,

you've got good gear on, which is always a bonus for me.

I'm always pleased.

OK. At least you had a soft landing.

Steven was taking this bend

when his bike slid from beneath him -

a common type of accident for motorcyclists,

but getting him out of this ditch is going to be tricky.

Board in from the back.

Take him up the board and that'll just take this...

Somebody take his legs and that'll take this bend out of him

as we take him out.

Yeah? What we're going to do is we're just going to ease him forward,

drop the board in behind him, then take him up.

Somebody's just going to have to watch this ankle.

If he can't stand it we'll supplement him with a bit of Nox.

With numbness in his leg, he could well have a serious back injury.

Moving from this position could hurt.

I'm just going to bend you in the middle, Steve.

Just do what you need to, lads.

Super.

It'll be ready, steady, move. Ready, steady, move.

That's it.

It's quite typical.

Nice day, the bikes have been away in the garages.

Bit of sunshine comes out, and of course, they want to get out.

Most bikers know it's vital not to remove a rider's helmet after

an accident.

It must be done with extreme care.

Well, that were relatively painless.

I found your other headlight cover.

Not much good, though.

Steve's condition is not life-threatening,

and as getting him to hospital is not time-critical,

he'll be taken to Hull Royal Infirmary by road.

-You take care.

-Cheers, mate.

-Our mates are going to look after you.

You did a marvellous job, you boys.

All of us. It's a team effort, mate. It's always a team effort.

Daz's initial assessment is that he's escaped serious injury.

This chap's had a quite a significant off,

as you can see from the state of his bike,

but he's landed in some nice soft mud at the bottom of a ditch...

in a really good position.

He's got very, very minor injuries.

I think above all else,

he's got absolutely top-rate motorcycle gear on.

He's got, you know, armour-plated trousers, good boots, good jacket.

Lots of protection built into them. Quality helmet and gloves.

I never ride my bike without it.

Later in hospital, X-rays show that Steve had no broken bones,

and within a few days

he was back on his bike,

just a bit battered and bruised.

Darren, despite the risks,

he says he's determined to carry on biking.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd