Episode 9 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 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 parts of Britain's biggest county,

they look to the skies for help.

Look on your left, Matt, that grass field on the left, 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 -

this chemical tanker could explode,

and the Helimed team is in the blast zone.

We're going to vacate the premises.

There's something in the wagon that the patient's gone into

that's a bit nasty.

A veteran jockey takes a tumble, and the paramedics must save him.

What we're going to do now is put you on a board

for the very small chance that you've damaged your back,

because with you having pain in your ankle, we can't rule it out 100%.

And a family holiday is wrecked by a spectacular crash.

It's difficult, there's bits of caravan everywhere.

These hills separate the two counties of Yorkshire

and Lancashire almost as much today as they did 100 years ago.

There's only one motorway across the Pennines, and that's the M62.

And when there's a major accident, chaos is just minutes away.

On a good day, the M62 is officially one of the UK's

most congested motorways.

Today, it's gridlocked.

The cause is this accident, and Helimed 99 is on its way.

It's an RTC involving four lorries apparently, a male trapped.

The M62 carries more than 200,000 vehicles a day,

and the tailbacks are already several miles long.

-There's an ambulance down there, mate.

-Oh, yeah, received.

-Look left.

-Yeah.

-I would go down there if I was you.

-Sure.

-RADIO JINGLE:

-'BBC Radio 2!'

NEWSREADER: 'OK, first of all to the M62, it's closed both ways between

'26 and 27, so shut between Chain Bar

'and Gildersome following an earlier accident, all sign diversion.

'There's still no reopening time and they are turning traffic around...'

The team's flying in a hired-in chopper.

The jams aren't a problem, but the motorway lampposts are.

Just keep it there, don't come any more to the left.

Think you're good this side, if we can come a little bit right,

it'll definitely clear the blades in the centre.

-That's good there, mate.

-Spot-on.

-Looks good to the rear.

-OK.

The driver of this truck is trapped...but his predicament

is even more serious than first appears.

The empty tanker he's hit is full of fumes

of a highly explosive chemical.

-He can't feel his left leg, he said.

-OK.

All he remembers is driving along, he doesn't remember anything else.

So clear loss of consciousness.

He's got some facial wounds, like a nosebleed

and a cut to the top of his head.

It looks like the radio has fallen out and hit him

on his head there.

We need to determine how badly hurt he is,

whether or not we need to get him out quick

or whether we can take our time with him.

If we can take our time, we need to

immobilise him correctly, and then

we're just looking at getting him to hospital.

The driver is Steve Shields.

He was driving behind a van when it suddenly changed lanes,

revealing the stationary tanker. He didn't have time to stop.

Can we move this lorry forwards or is it going to risk the tank?

I don't want to risk...

Cos the back of the lorry's on the ground,

it's highly flammable stuff that's in the lorry.

So I don't want to move it to cause any further sparks,

which in theory might escalate

the incident beyond the point we need to, all right?

If we can't move it, then we can't move it, that's fine.

Ey up, pal, you all right there? On your left leg,

-can you wiggle your toes at all?

-No.

Can you feel your toes?

No, and whereabouts is the worst pain at the moment?

My front shin on the left.

Your left shin, and can...?

There have already been many lucky escapes.

-Driving down the road, the wagon in front stopped, this guy...

-Stopped.

Yeah, this guy went into the back of me,

and the other guy went into the back of him.

I stopped... It must have been two foot away from him.

Fire officers are increasingly worried about the tanker.

Sam's briefing the ambulance service's

specialist rescue paramedics

in case they need to free Steve quickly.

He's gone into the one in front about 40mph,

he's been knocked on his head by something, may be the radio.

The seat will come back, so if we can just ease that out, give us

a bit of space to work in.

From the sounds of it, he might be able

to shuffle his seat back a bit,

so hopefully, if we can do that,

we'll give ourselves enough room to work and get him out.

On closer inspection, getting Steve out is

not going to be straightforward.

Right, mate, I've had a look at the bottom of your seat

and it doesn't look like we can move it back.

So we're going to have to get the fire lads

to stretch out that part of the cab, all right?

We'll try and get you comfortable and get you out as quick as we can.

It's a worrying delay, and now chemical experts have warned

fire officers the tanker's an even bigger risk than they thought.

Because of what's on this wagon, all nonessential staff

I want out of the area of the fire engine,

cos it's got a really low flash point.

-OK.

-So how many staff do you need treating him?

For the moment we'll be all right with two,

but we're going to need the fire guys to get him out.

Flying doctor Ben Wyatt - who often flies with the Helimed team -

has come from his nearby surgery to lend a hand.

-Looks like he's got an isolated lower leg injury.

-Right, OK.

His pain's about five out of ten,

his BP was up, but that's coming down.

So we're not too concerned at the moment.

Are your keys in your car?

Cos there's going to be a 50-metre cordon.

-Do you want me to move it so it's out the way?

-Yeah.

The fire brigade will painstakingly cut

Steve from his wagon.

Everyone else must retreat. The chemical's not only explosive,

it can't be put out by water and it attacks the lungs.

We've done a quick primary survey to make sure there's no

immediately life-threatening injuries, which he doesn't have.

Gained some IV access and given him some pain relief, just to make

the job of the fire service easier to extract him.

-RADIO JINGLE:

-'BBC Radio 2!'

NEWSREADER: 'Now the M62, completely shut. They're hoping to reopen

'the westbound side as soon as the air ambulance goes.

'At the moment it's stationary in both directions,

'you can imagine the congestion that's starting to build.

'Eastbound, by the way, it won't reopen before six o'clock.'

Incident commanders think Helimed 99

and its jet engines are another risk they don't need.

Steve will go to hospital by road,

and the helicopter will return to base.

We're going to vacate the premises.

There's something in the wagon that the patient's gone into

that's a bit nasty.

It's another half an hour before Steve is finally freed

and taken to hospital.

It's a day neither he nor 10,000 motorists

caught up in the tailbacks are likely to forget in a hurry.

NEWSREADER: 'Now, the latest on the M62,

'it's been closed for a number of hours now,

'the air ambulance has left.

'You can imagine...'

Two months on, the trans-Pennine motorway is back to normal.

But Steve's still off work.

It was a choice, really.

I either go left, right through the cone system and the tape

and maybe hit and injure some workmen who were there...

Slam the brakes on and probably jackknife me trailer,

or basically, for want of a better word,

take one for the boys and hit the back of the tanker.

Steve broke several ribs,

but he still feels guilty about the chaos he caused.

NEWSREADER: 'The really good news is the M62.

'Westbound has completely reopened, it is still very heavy,

'but now you can head through.'

There was some visitors in the hospital,

some middle-aged people, and they were sitting there watching the TV.

And I overheard the conversation, which basically said that

some "bleep" had closed the motorway down yesterday.

And they ended up missing their flight and everything.

I'm laughing now cos you've got to see the little funny side of it,

but totally unintentional.

Wensleydale is Yorkshire's most celebrated valley.

It's famous for its cheese, but it has one more claim to fame.

This is home to some of the UK's best racehorses and their trainers.

CONTROLLER: 'The call has come in, on the gallops, Sun Hill Farm,

'general area of Leyburn.'

'Patient's fallen off a horse, fractured leg.'

Helimed 98, roger, received, thank you.

The training gallops above the

market town of Leyburn are quiet this morning,

after a serious accident.

Retired jockey George Duffield -

the winner of thousands of races and an MBE -

was thrown by the horse he was exercising.

The Helimed team is flying to his rescue.

Got the ambulance. Where is...the person?

Right by the ambulance.

-Hello, George.

-Hi.

-My name is Dave.

-Hi, Dave.

I'm one of the paramedics on the helicopter.

So you're going to have to look at my ugly mug

until we get you to hospital, all right?

What we're going to do is put you on a board for the very small chance

you've damaged your back, because with the pain in the ankle,

we can't rule it out 100%. What's your pain like at the moment?

George's wife Ann is one of Britain's leading racing trainers.

George, my husband, had a fall off one of our

two-year-olds this morning. As two-year-olds often do,

and dumped him on the ground

rather unceremoniously, and has probably resulted in a broken ankle.

I'll talk to you nicer than the missus will, cos they all boss you about.

But paramedic Dave Appleby fears George's injury may not be

that simple. Hitting the ground at 40mph can

easily cause spinal injuries.

They're treating a racing legend, and they're taking no chances.

He's been retired from race riding for about ten years now,

but obviously rides out every day, and he's ridden about 3,000 winners.

I think he's the seventh most successful jockey

in the history of British racing, so he's quite well-known.

He's ridden a lot of winners.

One, two, three - whoa.

George was riding third, I was riding tenth,

and I just went past and saw him on the floor, crumpled up.

So I didn't see what happened.

-DAVE:

-Just open your eyes for me, George, wide.

He was galloping, travelling with a fair amount of speed,

so while it appears to be an isolated leg injury,

we've taken the precaution of immobilising his spine,

and with a distracting injury like a fractured leg,

you could be unaware of other injuries perhaps.

-All precautionary this, George.

-ANN:

-Don't fall out the helicopter!

THEY LAUGH

The air ambulance is a regular visitor to Wensleydale,

and the racing industry is a big supporter.

It's terribly important for anyone in the Dales,

because obviously farmers who may get hurt or have a heart attack,

you can't get an ambulance to them,

and out on the gallops it's not very easy either.

So it's a vital piece of equipment for anybody in the countryside,

but particularly for the horse-racing community.

The dangers of horse racing have never fazed George,

but there is one thing he is scared of - flying.

He's not very fond of travelling in helicopters.

Jockeys, they travel in the air quite a lot,

and he had a few near misses, and he's never very keen

on going in a helicopter, but I'm sure he's in good hands.

100 feet, and away we go.

George was a professional jockey for more than 40 years.

His career was ended by a serious fall,

and there's a real chance this injury

could end his life in the saddle for good.

OK, security's got the gates closed, helipad's clear.

Their patient has shrugged off injuries before,

but George is now in his mid-60s,

and the body's ability to heal broken bones diminishes with age.

In the next hour, X-rays and a scan

at Middlesbrough's James Cook Hospital

will determine how long George is away from the turf.

As the stables wait for news, George undergoes surgery.

His spine isn't damaged, but his ankle certainly is.

It's got a plate up there.

Which is screwed to the bone,

and it's got, like, little ripples in it to grip onto the bone.

And there's a screw goes through there to keep the foot in place.

He has clear memories of the fall.

I got about halfway up the canter and for whatever reason,

he must have spotted something and ducked out underneath me,

he went left and I went straight on.

The minute I hit the ground, I realised then it was

pretty serious, cos I could feel my ankle wobbling inside my boot.

Which I thought, "Well, that's not good!" I'd also got

four horses cantering behind me, so I had to drag myself off the gallop

so they didn't canter over the top of me.

So I dragged myself back up the grass bank, and just laid there.

Annie came across and said,

"What do you think?" I said, "I've probably bust my ankle and my leg."

I saw it happen, and at first thought,

"Oh, he'll be up in a second." And when he didn't get up and

dragged himself off, away from the path of the others,

I knew he was in trouble then.

Normally he would have stayed on, or jumped off running

and sworn a bit and carried on, but he just landed badly.

And it was a very simple fall, but often they're the worst.

George is out of the saddle for a month or two at least,

but it takes more than a minor tumble to keep

a legend of British racing away from the turf.

'I never had an injury as bad as this in the 38 years I was riding.

'Just minor breaks, like broken finger.

'To think, once you retire you can make a mess of yourself like this

'at home, it doesn't bear thinking about!'

You don't have to look good in Lycra to enjoy a ride in the country.

Cycling is a booming pastime, with millions of us

climbing into the saddle for fun.

And the charity bike ride is becoming

a major source of cash for charities like the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Today, hundreds of cyclists are gathering in Huddersfield

for a marathon ride across Yorkshire to raise money

for the Helimed team and another local charity.

The sun's shining today, so looking forward to the ride,

and hopefully it will stay nice and we'll raise lots of money

for the charities and for the Huddersfield Town Academy.

Even the team's medical director has hung up

his stethoscope for a few days to hit the road.

I've done a few 30/40 milers, but nothing more than that, really.

I've just not had the time. I'm a bit lazy.

Good morning, everyone.

-ALL:

-Good morning.

-Fantastic.

So let's get ourselves warmed up by giving everybody a round of applause.

I think it's a record number of cyclists.

There are also pilots and paramedics,

like serious cyclist John Baxter.

It's not about the bike, Andy, it's about who's on it.

ALL CHEER

John knows sponsored rides don't always have happy endings

from first-hand experience.

We're going for a mountain biker who has come off

right out in the middle of the Yorkshire Dales.

It's a beautiful day, out with a group of friends.

We've got reports he's got a head injury,

so we'll have to be wary of that. We've got mountain rescue coming

to see if we can get him off the hill safely.

Helimed 98's heading up to the wild moors above the town

of Barnard Castle on Yorkshire's rugged border with County Durham.

The accident's happened on a remote track.

The injured man is a member of a party raising money

for London's Great Ormond Street Hospital.

They were on a coast-to-coast ride.

Hello.

Their patient, 45-year-old Warren Clarke,

came off at 20 miles an hour and hit his head on a rock.

-Do you know what you've been up to today?

-Yeah.

Can you tell me what's happened?

The simplest way to find out

if Warren has a head injury is to check his memory.

-Cycling.

-Cycling. Whereabouts have you been cycling?

Erm...

Warren is suffering from concussion.

Have you got any pain anywhere, Warren?

No, just stiffness in my lower back.

A back pain can be anything from bruising to a more serious

broken vertebrae. Paramedics have to treat for the worst.

Just tell me if it hurts when I'm touching.

We're doing the coast to coast from Barrow...

Well, Walney Island to Wear.

We're on about 90 miles.

Just coming down the hill at about 20 miles an hour,

hit a divot and skidded along the gravel.

The bike has actually gone into the marsh and he's carried on.

He was unconscious for about two minutes.

He's a very lucky boy - very lucky.

If I take your head from the front...

The team must put Warren onto a spinal stretcher

extremely carefully.

You let us do it, mate. That's fine. Just go down.

-Is that hurting?

-Yeah.

-OK?

-Yeah.

Ready, steady, slide.

We did it last year as well.

But, yeah, this is the first one this route.

Sleightholme Moor is possibly the most remote part of Yorkshire.

The group were lucky to even be able to make the emergency call.

The guys, they've got a really good phone signal,

which surprises me cos there's lots and lots

of black spots around. And when you are in an area like this,

and you want to contact the emergency services, people can walk

for miles to get a signal.

So, they have been really lucky today.

And the ambulance crew have done fantastic to get down the track

to meet us here and assist.

Now that Warren is ready to fly, the rest of the group can

carry on with their charity bike ride.

There's still 95 miles to go.

There's a growing number of people that go off road

to enjoy the cycling. There's fantastic scenery to be doing that.

It's just unfortunate that there are out enjoying themselves,

raising money for good causes and then end up injuring themselves.

And John knows how his patient feels.

I came off my bike badly last year, actually,

and ended up in hospital myself.

You have to get back on the bike.

It is a bit of a worry,

but if you worry about things you don't do anything.

I enjoy the biking more than I enjoy worrying about falling off one.

Warren's being flown to the James Cook Hospital in Middlesbrough.

It's here doctors discover that the one piece of safety equipment

he was wearing has saved his life.

For John, it's good news.

He was concerned his patient may have had more serious head injuries.

The helmet's really important.

I've come off my bike a couple of times, landed on my head

and been fine cos I've got a helmet on.

Who knows what would have happened if I hadn't got one on cos...

Once you come off a bike, especially if you go over the handlebars,

you're out of control as to what you're going to hit.

The mill towns of the West Riding of Yorkshire

were the cradle of the Industrial Revolution.

Today, the woollen mills are full of loft apartments and the terrace

houses are often home to commuters working in Leeds or Manchester,

but one traditional way of life survives in these Pennines hills.

Moorland sheep farming is a tough, lonely way of life.

One man - or woman - and a dog.

And if you're hurt... you're on your own.

Well, it came in initially as being up on the road,

cos I looked at this and it said he were up and walking about.

Paramedics Pete Vallance and Tony Wilkes are confused.

They're on their way to a patient

with serious injuries at a remote farm.

He's landed on the back of his head, back of his neck.

The quad bike's then landed on top of his chest.

Farmer Duncan Halliday has a crushed pelvis

and is in severe pain,

but he still managed to drag himself

nearly a mile home to raise the alarm after his quad bike

rolled over and crushed him.

I see. To the right of this chap with the yellow jacket?

-Got the wires on the other side.

-OK.

99 on the ground.

We've got a gentleman who's been on a quad bike.

He's gone over the steering wheel

-and the bike's rolled over the top of him.

-Right.

He's complaining of shortness of breath.

His blood pressure has dropped a couple of times.

Initial reports suggest Duncan could well have

internal bleeding in the pelvic cavity.

This can be fatal if not operated on quickly.

Hi there. How we doing?

According to the paramedics,

the accident was more serious than first thought.

He's been on his quad bike and he's gone over a wall,

dropped forward onto a lane.

He's landed on the back of his head, back of his neck.

The quad bike's then landed on top of his chest as he's landed

on the floor. He thinks that's pretty much what happened.

He's a farmer. We've been trying to establish

what pain score he's at...

-Not very forthcoming.

-No.

The easiest way to examine you is going to be when we lay you flat.

You are going to need some more pain relief.

Farmers make up only 2% of the national workforce,

but they account for 20% of all deaths at work.

Quad bikes are often involved.

Duncan had been riding the bike at the edge of the field,

and he must have looked away and it just went over the edge.

He went through the fence and landed on his head and shoulders,

but the bike landed on top of him after that.

He must have somehow got the bike off him and walked to the top of the

lane where my friend's found him and fetched him into the house.

Do you think you could stand up for me, Duncan,

and just try and keep as still as you can?

Let my colleague come round and help you there,

so you're not pushing down on me while I hold your head.

All right? That's great.

The team's protecting Duncan's pelvis from further damage

by fastening a tight belt around his hips.

We just want to make sure that if you've damaged anything

it's not going to move any further.

It's just a splint for your pelvis, all right?

Pete fears Duncan may also have injured his back.

I know it's dead easy for us to say...

He'll be lowered onto a rigid spinal stretcher

for his flight to hospital.

He's complaining of midline thoracic tenderness,

and that's associated both sides at ribs and his back as well.

He's got no altered neurology, but he's also complaining of pain

both sides of his pelvis. When he's tried to move it's quite tender.

The lanes around Hebden Bridge follow the steep

contours of the high Pennines.

By road, the journey to hospital would be long,

slow and uncomfortable.

OK. And just try and feed up.

It's time to fly Duncan to Leeds General Infirmary.

Surgeons are on standby to operate on his pelvis,

but first, they'll be looking for the cause

of his falling blood pressure.

Duncan's determination and willpower

may well have saved his life once today,

but he'll need all his Pennine grit

to make a recovery from this injury.

It will be weeks before he's fit to return to his hillside home.

Life on the farm can be lonely

and it's only in the country show season

that many farmers get to meet the neighbours.

It's an opportunity to socialise, network

and compete with your rivals.

Can't run for a few months, so I'm going to see if it goes.

Ian Coates isn't one of the show crowd.

He loves solitude so much,

he left the farm to spend 14 years riding his bike

alone around the world.

Now that engine has done 250,000 miles...

250,000, and listen to that.

Now Ian and his bike are back at last on the family farm,

overlooking the town of Hebden Bridge,

but it's NOT a happy homecoming.

Someone's fallen, either through a barn roof or off a roof.

I believe it's quite an elderly gentleman.

Land crews on scene have called for back-up from Helimed 99

and paramedics Pete and Paul.

Ian has fallen from a hay loft inside one of his barns.

He's in severe pain.

It's like a mezzanine halfway up.

He's gone through, landed onto stone flooring.

A friend of Ian's called 999 after finding him

in agony on the concrete floor.

It's a fair way, like, ain't it?

Ian is complaining of severe pains in his pelvis.

He could also have internal bleeding.

The land crews have already packaged him up ready for a flight to the

major trauma unit at Leeds General Infirmary.

-At the moment, your pain's still quite severe?

-Yeah.

-Right. If you had to score it out of ten?

-Eight.

-It's still eight.

Do you guys mind giving us a lift here?

We might as well make use of you.

Despite riding a motorbike a quarter of a million miles

through 70 countries almost without mishap,

Ian's facing a flight in an air ambulance from his own doorstep.

How old are you?

-Ian, how old are you?

-70.

70. And you're climbing roofs still, eh?

Farms demand constant maintenance.

14 years can take its toll on a barn.

Hi, Ben. It's Pete Vallance from Helimed.

75-year-old gentleman has fallen through a barn roof

onto a concrete surface.

All his ABCs have been fine throughout.

He's complaining of severe pain around the pelvic area.

He's had 20 of morphine. He seems quite tolerant about the pain.

He's had his maximum dose of morphine,

so we're going to administer a drug called ketamine,

a very powerful analgesic with a rapid onset.

Hopefully that will settle the patient en route to hospital.

How we doing, Ian?

From the high Pennines,

Helimed 99 will have Ian in Leeds General Infirmary

in less than 20 minutes.

He's leaving behind the solitude he enjoys so much

for a bustling hospital in the big city.

Bear with us, Ian. We're just going to get you outside

where it's easier to manage you.

Is that a bit better now? Some fresh air.

In the next few minutes, Ian will undergo a full set of X-rays

to establish the extent of his pelvic injury.

It's the beginning of a long road to recovery

for the round-the-world biker of the Pennines.

A few weeks later, he's making a flying start.

This is where I fell through. Last time I were up there

were 14 years ago...

just before I set off on my ride around the world.

I was just going to go up and get some straw for bedding for a horse

and I fell straight through to the concrete floor below.

This is the longest time Ian has been at home

since he started his trip around the world in 1999.

It won't go fast.

He'd only popped back to get a new passport when the accident happened.

I asked the surgeon at the hospital, I said,

"How long for this?" He said, "Three months."

Well, that's three months for a normal person and I'm not normal.

So, after three months, I'll start exercising and getting fit.

And I should think six months, and I'll be as fit as I was,

because on that bike you need to be very fit and strong.

Ian will resume his tour of the world as soon as doctors allow.

The next leg is to Kazakhstan and then to Mongolia.

This hill farmer doesn't intend seeing another Pennine winter

for a few years at least.

Even in the Dales, you need to have the right technology to

make a living from farming these days.

From the humble tractor to a combine harvester

that can set you back £200,000,

it's no wonder many farmers share machinery

or hire it in from contractors.

Either way, it means farm traffic is an ever-present hazard

on country roads.

-Leyburn, isn't it?

-Yeah.

We've got a crew request to come and help out on a detail

just to the west of Leyburn.

It's a motorcyclist that's gone into a tractor.

It sounds like he's got some head injuries

and some chest injuries, so we'll go along and help out if we can.

These twisty county lanes are quite dangerous for bikers.

You don't often don't see the tractors until it's a bit too late,

which is probably what's happened to this chap.

The crash has blocked the A684.

There are two smashed up motorbikes and one badly injured rider.

We're landing in that field right next to the ambulance.

-No obstructions, no wires.

-No.

-All looks good.

The accident's happened in the entrance to a roadside field.

It's not a tractor.

It's an all-terrain buggy, often used by farmers in the Dales.

Paramedic Sam Burgess's patient is a biker like him.

You all right, guys?

This gentleman has collided with this lone motorcyclist.

He was found sitting here.

Hello, David. Whereabouts does it hurt at the moment?

-Just this left shoulder.

-Just your left shoulder.

You've not got any pain anywhere else?

A bit in my arm...and that's it.

Just a bit in your arm and your shoulder?

And you can't remember what's happened to you, can you?

I ain't got a clue.

Just wiggle your toes for us. Good lad.

The second biker is not injured - he's just dazed and confused.

The wife of the farmer is helping the police direct the traffic.

When I came down here I saw the bikes were over this side of the road.

Both of the bikers had got themselves in there,

but one of them was very dazed and...he didn't know what day it was.

-Have I broke my collarbone?

-Possibly.

Biker David Broadhead is becoming increasingly anxious,

a possible sign of a head injury.

He's also complaining of severe chest pains.

Paramedic Sam needs to make him comfortable before they can fly.

Pop a little needle into your arm, so we can give you some painkillers.

Because on the helicopter it might get a little bit bumpy, and if we

don't do it here, we can't do it in the air - there's not enough space.

Are you happy for us to put a little needle into your arm?

-Oh, I suppose.

-No worries. The worse part is done now.

That needle is in. It's just left a little plastic tube

so we can give you some morphine, all right?

It looks like you've gone into the side of a tractor,

so we need to take you up to hospital to get seen to.

Good to go, guys?

The Major Trauma Unit at James Cook Hospital in Middlesbrough

is already on standby to receive the injured rider.

The priority is to establish any brain injury,

then deal with any broken bones.

Don't worry, mate, we'll look after you

and we'll have you in James Cook fairly quickly.

It's a 15-minute flight to Middlesbrough.

Sam's keeping a close eye on his patient's condition.

He's still confused and needs reassurance.

He won't be the last casualty in the Dales today,

but in his case there's a good outcome.

His injuries are not as bad as first thought.

He's broken his wrist, his cheekbone and his collarbone,

but he's allowed home to Barnsley the next day.

Since the 1930s, the Yorkshire Dales has been a major tourist destination

for visitors on four wheels.

Even those who come for a more energetic holiday

tend to turn up and park first.

14 million people come every year to get away for a few days,

but some like to bring home with them.

What's your bearing, mate?

305's your bearing, straight over Ilkley town centre.

Today, one family's holiday has been cut short on the main road

through the Dales.

Helimed 99 is heading to Clapham on the border of Yorkshire

and Lancashire, where a car has collided with a caravan.

We're off to a road traffic collision.

It's just west of Ingleton

on the A65,

quite notorious for nasty accidents,

motorcyclists being knocked off.

We've got reports that there's a patient trapped.

Just an update for you.

We've just got one single responder on scene.

He's in an ambulance and he's a single responder.

We've got one patient with a head injury and then possibly

two other patients.

The accident's happened at a remote spot in the Three Peaks area,

a favourite for caravanners

and campers, looking for a pitch in the Dales.

OK, we're down.

Paramedics Andy Armitage

and Al Day know caravans are deceptively flimsy,

which today is a good thing.

The caravan's thin metal skin and polystyrene insulation

has limited the damage to the car and its elderly driver.

He could have been taken ill.

There could be some other reason which is why we'll have to do

a full investigation to find out the reason as to why he's come to collide with the other vehicle.

Fortunately, he's not struck the oncoming vehicle head-on,

he's gone down the side of the vehicle and struck the caravan.

The caravan's quite soft, fortunately,

so I think that's saved us some serious injuries,

but we'll see how he goes.

I've got you an elderly gentleman who's been involved in a collision

head-on with a caravan on the A65.

Veteran motorist Joseph Stevenson is 81.

His car's badly damaged, but the caravan has come off worst.

This car's been coming up this way, that caravan's been going that way,

they've connected, as you can see.

He's not physically trapped, but it has taken...

If you look at the back of his shoe, it's leather,

it's ripped straight through it and taken t'back off.

Elderly gentleman. He's got pain across his chest.

No other site, apparently. Pelvis is all right.

Joseph's head is being supported by a passer-by with medical training,

who came across the crash.

It's feared he may have injured his neck,

so as a precaution, fire crews have decided to take the roof off his car

so they can lift him out safely.

It's difficult. There's bits of caravan everywhere.

There's quite a big protrusion of the vehicle cab

on to the casualty, so space is very limited.

The injuries he sustained in the crash, possibly compounded by

an existing medical problem, which caused the crash in the first place,

so a little bit of a mixed bag

and a possibly confusing picture.

-Joseph?

-Yeah?

-Just stay still for us. We're going to move you, OK?

-My knee hurts.

-What's up?

-His knee's hurting.

-We're going to get you out in a minute.

-All right.

-I'm not bothered about that.

-All right. OK.

One, two, three...

Now Joseph is finally out of the car,

the team can properly assess his injuries.

Keep your arm out, Joseph.

-Take a big breath in. Does that feel OK?

-Yeah.

-Good.

Right, keep your arms just on there.

There's obviously significant force in the incident

cos it's taken the sole off of his shoe.

I think that's probably come from one of the pedals inside the car.

Everything looks all right.

We'll take him to hospital in five minutes.

Keep going, keep going.

The owners of the caravan have minor injuries

and are being looked after by land crews.

In ten minutes he'll be with surgeons

at Royal Preston Hospital, who will establish exactly what's wrong.

The reality of his accident is beginning to sink in.

Can you hold it for one minute?

Can I unbelt?

-We'll be on the ground in 30 seconds.

-All right.

In fact, probably quicker.

Do you feel better now we're down on the ground?

Do you get motion sickness?

Despite his age, Joseph will make a good recovery

from his injuries, and he returns home after a few days.

He's yet to get back behind the wheel.

It's showtime in Yorkshire

and the farming community is at war over the best beast,

the sweetest jam and the neatest needlework.

The country show season is a chance for neighbours to get together

in a tradition that's as old as the hills they farm.

-RADIO:

-'It's at the Farndale Show.

'Ambulance is going to be another 25 minutes before it gets there,

'so you should be first on the scene.'

Let them know we're actually coming.

It might be a little bit of a surprise

if there's lots of animals and that about. Over.

At a country show high on the North York Moors,

a woman is reported to have been trampled by a bullock.

It's not the sort of area where people dial 999 lightly.

Not normally.

I think most farmers are a fairly hardy

breed of people themselves.

They're hard workers and they're not the kind of people who take

time off or who think they need to be seen by a doctor.

So sometimes, when you go to these events,

they can be quite serious.

Helimed 99 is heading for Farndale, nicknamed Daffodil Valley,

an area famed for its spring flowers.

Paramedic Paul has dealt with animal attacks before.

If they decided to get angry and have a go at you,

then substantial injury can occur.

So we're getting to this patient quite quickly.

Again, initial assessment is important.

Airbase from 98.

-RADIO:

-'What's your message, 98?'

I wondered if you had any more updated information?

'I have asked somebody to go across

'from the pub to let them know you're coming.

'So, hopefully they should have the animals

'under control by the time you arrive, over.'

98, Roger. Thanks for that.

Looks like a paramedic. Is that a paramedic on a bike?

Oh, yeah, it does, doesn't it?

-ANNOUNCER:

-This year, our presidents are Jean and Doug Perry,

and they've been in Farndale for over 20 years.

For quite a number of years, Jean has dutifully...

Initially, we got someone knocked over by a bull.

Bridie Stabler is a retired nurse.

She was sitting with her family when a calf escaped

from its handler and knocked her over.

You've not been doing rodeo or something like that, have you?

It was quite a heavy one, as well.

Only small, but very strong.

He was a very strong young man, but he couldn't hold it.

It took him off his feet.

I haven't seen the beast since!

Bridie didn't want to call an ambulance,

but show organisers insisted.

A bit knocked about?

Oh, aye. Yeah. I feel as though I've been kicked by a horse.

Paramedic Dave's keen to rule out any serious injury.

Was it a bull or was it a calf, cos I've been told two different...

I've been told it was a calf.

Farndale is one of Yorkshire's most traditional shows.

There is a bouncy castle for the kids,

but terrier racing is the most popular event.

They've never needed an ambulance before.

Oh, it's a very traditional show, yeah. Very rural.

We try to keep it that way.

Accidents do happen. I didn't see it myself.

I think a bullock had gotten away,

or pulled away from its handler, you know?

And then dived maybe between the cars and barged into her.

But I think she's OK. She said she didn't want an ambulance.

She was adamant she didn't want an ambulance. She's quite a hardy type.

It's one of those things. That's life, isn't it?

But I think she's OK. I'm pretty sure she's OK.

Initial thoughts are, she's not too badly hurt.

A bit of bruising, we think.

Baseline obs all seem OK at the moment.

She's obviously walked to the ambulance.

She says herself she feels a little battered and bruised.

Just letting the crew check her over.

Could be a good chance she stays here.

I think, if she doesn't stay here,

probably the land crew will more than likely take her.

It doesn't look like she's got serious injuries at the moment.

It turns out Dave's assessment is right.

Bridie has suffered some bruising, but nothing more serious.

She's free to enjoy the rest of her day out,

and now Helimed 98's airborne,

the show that's one of the

North York Moors' proudest traditions can resume.