Patients

Gill and Dave Horn were riding to the Lake District when their bike collided with a car turning into a right junction. The incident was caught on dashcam, and the couple were catapulted from their saddles onto a grass verge.

Speaking of the incident, Dave said: “I have no memory of it at all. The only memory I have is waking up in the hospital and wondering why am I there? I was lucky that I had a camera on my bike because I don’t remember it, and I don’t relate it to my accident. It was only when I saw Gill being thrown off the back of the bike on the footage that I realised it was us.”

Due to the remote area of the incident, Yorkshire Air Ambulance was dispatched. The crew treated both Dave and Gill and as Gill’s injuries were less severe, a decision was made for her to be transported to the hospital via land ambulance and Dave was flown to the Royal Preston Hospital for further treatment.

Tests at the hospital revealed that Dave had suffered a catalogue of serious injuries including a bleed on the brain, a punctured lung, a ruptured spleen, a broken ankle and several broken ribs. Gill had broken two ribs and suffered severe bruising.

Dave and Gill are still recovering from their injuries and the impact of the collision has weighed heavily on their finances as they both had to take considerable time off work.

“I’m here now, what does it matter? Money isn’t everything”, said Gill.  When asked about his wife and how it feels since the incident, Dave said: “Gill is very precious to me and sometimes I still come over to give her a hug just because I can. You don’t realise how much you are loved until something like this happens.”

Speaking of Yorkshire Air Ambulance, Dave said: “I’m sat here today because of their expertise. They are a fantastic charity.”

Gill and Dave’s incident will be broadcast on the Yorkshire Air Ambulance reality television show on Tuesday 11^th October at 9 pm. The episode also features a farmer crushed by an overturned tractor and a car crash with a drystone wall.

A veteran motorcyclist left fighting for his life after a serious crash on his way home from visiting family is to appear on Helicopter ER this week.

Eric Scaife, who was 74 at the time, was riding home on a country road from visiting his son in Castleford when he lost control of his vintage motorbike going at speed and was thrown 20ft down the road into a parked car.

Speaking of his incident, Eric said: “I was on my way home between Castleford and Leeds, but for some reason, I had turned off on another road that I don’t usually go on. Apparently, I had what was called a vacant episode and I wasn’t fully aware of what was going on when the incident happened.”

His body absorbed the impact of the crash and landing on the road, and he was left with multiple, serious injuries. A passer-by stopped to help and call the emergency services.

Due to the seriousness of his injuries, Yorkshire Air Ambulance was dispatched. On scene, they noticed that Eric’s blood pressure was alarmingly low and worked as fast as they could, giving him a blood transfusion on the scene to stabilise him.

As Eric was at risk of going into cardiac arrest, Yorkshire Air Ambulance crew decided to take Eric to the hospital via land ambulance and accompanied him on the journey to Leeds General Infirmary.

During the journey to the hospital, Eric went into cardiac arrest and YAA Paramedics worked hard to restart his heart. He was rushed into Resus in the A&E department where hospital staff took over the fight to save his life. It was a very close call.

“My son had been told it was best to have another 10 minutes with me as I wouldn’t last until morning. When you are told that, it was more serious than what I realised”, said Eric.

Tests revealed that Eric had broken his back, several ribs, and a knee and punctured his lung when he crashed his vintage bike. He spent two weeks in hospital and another 8 weeks in a care home.

Speaking of his recovery, Eric said: “It took me quite a few weeks to recover, I had difficulty getting up and down stairs.”

It wasn’t until after the incident that it was revealed that Eric had a serious bike incident four years prior and also ended up in Yorkshire Air Ambulance’s care. It was the second time that YAA came to Eric’s rescue.

Eric has since given up his motorbike and has taken up archery, walking and cycling which has helped with his rehabilitation.

“I only want to drive on the road if I consider myself to be safe on the road, I wouldn’t want to risk injuring anyone else through an incident caused by me”, he said.

Speaking of Yorkshire Air Ambulance, Eric said: “They are amazing and one of my favourite charities. I cannot thank them enough for their help.”

Eric’s incident will be broadcast on the Yorkshire Air Ambulance reality television show on Tuesday 4^th October at 9pm. The episode also features a road traffic incident involving two children in Dewsbury and a motocross crash in Goole.

A hill walker who collapsed due to a rare heart condition on the North Yorkshire Moors is set to appear on this week’s Helicopter ER.

Barry Burns, a seasoned walker from Stokesley, was walking the first stretch of the Dales Way last July with friends when he collapsed seven miles in.

The medical episode was very out of character for Barry, who is an experienced walker and very fit for his age.

Speaking of his incident, Barry said: “It all happened very suddenly. I was walking into a small valley when I had strong light-headedness. My friends both went ahead of me, but I couldn’t walk any further and called them back. I had a chocolate bar for energy, but after 500 yards Barry stopped and they realised something was wrong.”

Barry’s friends noticed his pale complexion and decided to call an ambulance. They had no signal, so they had to climb to the top of the hill to call for help.

Due to the seriousness of his condition and the remote area where Barry collapsed, Yorkshire Air Ambulance dispatched their helicopter from RAF Topcliffe.

When their team of medics arrived, initial observations revealed that Barry’s blood pressure was critically low, and he was on the verge of cardiac arrest. The air ambulance crew kept Barry alert to ensure he didn’t deteriorate any further.

Cyclists passing by stopped to help the Paramedics carry the stretcher uphill to the aircraft and Barry was flown to James Cook University Hospital for tests.

Heart specialists found that Barry has a rare condition called Super Ventricular Tachycardia which causes the heart to race erratically, which in serious medical episodes could trigger a lethal heart attack.

Barry recalled having two very similar previous episodes, but he was in areas where he could get himself to safety. Doctors were unable to give a cause to his medical episodes as Super Ventricular Tachycardia can only be detected at the time it is happening by an ECG.

Nine months later, Barry is recovering well but has been advised to take it steady when it comes to long-distance walks. “It was a good ending, it could have been so much worse”, said Barry.

He continued: “Doctors have told me what to look out for and I’m now able to recognise the symptoms prior to an attack. I’m back walking, but I won’t walk anywhere too remote.”

Barry said of Yorkshire Air Ambulance: “They were incredible and could have saved my life. I couldn’t have gotten out of the situation I was in without them, and I don’t know what would have happened. They are brilliant, I can’t praise them enough.”

Barry’s incident will be broadcast on the Yorkshire Air Ambulance reality television show on Tuesday 27th September at 9 pm. The episode also features a footballer with a near-fatal cardiac arrest in Wakefield and a serious road traffic collision.

A horrific cow attack in Masham, North Yorkshire that saw a woman left with serious injuries is set to appear on the new series of Helicopter ER, which starts on Tuesday 20^th September.

Janicke Tvedt, 55 was walking her Labrador Goose when she was attacked and trampled by cows.

She was out walking with her partner David to take her mind off her impending cancer surgery which was scheduled for a few days later.  It is thought the cows attacked as a form of protection for their young calves.

Janicke said of her incident: “As soon as we entered the field, I could see that there were cows up ahead. So, I grabbed the dog and put him on a lead. We initially thought we had managed to walk around the herd, but then realised there was another cow on the other side of the hedge with a calf which got spooked by the dog. We were a bit shaken and scared so we regrouped and carried on walking, but the next thing we knew, half of the herd had come back after us.

Three initially pinned us against the hedge with the rest of the herd behind. I thought if we keep still, they will get bored and go away, but after 10 minutes I got headbutted in the knees as a cow went for the dog, and I was knocked to the floor. As I was lying on the ground and another cow raised his front half up and stamp down his front hooves on me at least four times on my legs, abdomen and chest.”

Cattle can weigh more than a tonne and over the last few years, several people have died in North Yorkshire due to dangerous cow encounters.

Janicke continued: “After that, one of the cows rolled on top of me and then everything went quiet. I was lying there, and my partner came back and helped me. He helped me over to a nearby tree as the cows had blocked the exit and I put my head between my knees as I felt like I was going to pass out.

Cows surrounded us near the tree. I knew something serious was wrong. I was telling my partner where to find my will and what my wishes were, then luckily the cows left.”

Having lost their phones in the attack, her partner ran to nearby Masham Golf Club and managed to get one of the golfers to phone the emergency services. A passer-by wrapped Janicke in his t-shirt to keep her warm while waiting for help.

Yorkshire Air Ambulance was dispatched and after an on-scene assessment, she was flown to Leeds General Infirmary for further treatment.

Tests at the hospital revealed that Janicke had broken several ribs and damaged part of her bowel. Janicke had surgery where she had a colon resection and a colostomy bag fitted. Unfortunately, this delayed her cancer treatment.

“It was worrying that it had been put back”, said Janicke. “But I managed to get the surgery in October and thankfully I was then given all clear.”

The cow attack has left lasting physical and emotional harm to Janicke, but she is slowly rebuilding her confidence on walks and has since had the colostomy bag retracted. As part of her rehabilitation, she is walking 1,000 miles to raise funds for Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Speaking of the Charity, she said: “I’ve always believed Yorkshire Air Ambulance do an amazing job and I have supported them for a very long time. It was such a shock to then need to call on them, but I knew when they arrived, I was in safe hands. I feel indebted to their service.”

Janicke’s incident will be broadcast on the Yorkshire Air Ambulance reality television show Helicopter ER on Tuesday 20^th September at 9pm. The episode also features a cycling incident in the North Yorkshire Moors and a heart attack in the dales.

A former Yorkshire Air Ambulance patient who suffered a cardiac arrest in 2015 has given back to helicopter heroes by raising £4,000 for the life-saving charity.

Robert Gunn, owner of Grange Moor garage in Huddersfield was walking the Pennine Way near Saddleworth Moor when he began feeling sick and suddenly collapsed on his way back to the car park.

Speaking of his incident, Robert said: “I didn’t feel any pain like you usually associate with heart attacks. I didn’t even know I was having a heart attack. I was feeling sick and we had been out the night before having seafood, so I thought it might have been a touch of food poisoning.”

He continued: “We carried on walking for another hour until we reached the main Saddleworth Road and luckily a couple called Steve and Angie were discussing where they were going to go for their dinner and they saw me keel over. I climbed over a sty, sat down on a boulder, and went into arrest.”

Bystanders Steve and Angie, who coincidentally also worked at a local hospital, ran over to Robert and immediately began CPR.  They worked on him for nearly twenty minutes until the land crew arrived who were able to use their defibrillator to restart his heart.

Due to the seriousness of his condition, Yorkshire Air Ambulance dispatched their aircraft and he was flown to Leeds General Infirmary where he was subsequently fitted with a stent.

Over the last few years, Robert has generously donated £4,000 to Yorkshire Air Ambulance from his personal savings, and donations from small jobs he had carried out at his garage.

“We have a garage and if someone comes in for a small job such as a rattle on their car, we will have a look at it and rather than charge, we ask for a donation in the air ambulance box. We slowly built up the funds from a few quid here and there”, said Robert.

Stephanie Maynard, West Yorkshire Community Fundraiser for Yorkshire Air Ambulance, said: “We would like to thank Robert for his continuous support and generosity.

It costs £12,000 a day to keep both of Yorkshire’s air ambulances airborne and the money raised by Robert will help significantly towards our vital funding and enable us to save more lives like Robert’s. We’re so glad we were able to help and it’s great to hear how well he is doing.”

To find out more about Yorkshire Air Ambulance, please visit: https://www.yorkshireairambulance.org.uk/

A cyclist who suffered a near-fatal heart attack whilst cycling in Birkin has thanked Yorkshire Air Ambulance for coming to his rescue.

On 22^nd May, Stephen Curran (62) from Hillam, North Yorkshire was cycling from Birkin to Gateforth when he started experiencing shoulder pain.

Speaking of when he began noticing symptoms of a heart attack, Stephen said: “When I was cycling in Birkin I began experiencing pain in my left shoulder. At first, I thought it was just muscle pain so I carried on for a few more miles, but it began to get worse and I had chest pain and shortness of breath. Around four or five miles away from home, I decided to stop on the grass verge and rest. It was then I realised it wasn’t normal muscle pain as I noticed that I was getting confused, so I decided to call for an ambulance.”

He continued: “Luckily, when I called the emergency services an ambulance was already in the area and it didn’t take long to arrive. The Paramedic carried out an ECG and said that it was quite serious. The air ambulance followed shortly after.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance dispatched one of their helicopters and after an assessment on-scene, Stephen was flown to Leeds General Infirmary where he had an emergency stent fitted and spent a few days in coronary care. He was discharged from the hospital three days later and currently receives outpatient care.

“The consultant said that if I wasn’t physically fit and the emergency services didn’t respond as effectively as they did, it could have been fatal because the artery was completely blocked”, said Stephen.

Speaking of Yorkshire Air Ambulance, Stephen said: “I just want to express my sincere thanks to the air ambulance crew on the day. Their speed of response both to the scene of the incident and to the LGI combined with their skill and professionalism not only helped to save my life but also massively reduced the complications associated with my blocked coronary artery. I now more fully understand how serious my situation was at the time.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) serves 5 million people across Yorkshire and carries out over 1,300 missions every year. The Charity operates two, state-of-the-art Airbus H145 helicopters and needs to raise £12,000 every day to keep saving lives.

The new campaign from the YAA aims to raise awareness that a serious incident could happen to anyone, at any time anywhere, and express the importance of the life-saving charity across the region.

Every year, YAA treats a diverse mix of patients. In 2021 alone, Yorkshire Air Ambulance responded to 1,712 incidents, and over the last 20 years, they have flown more than 8,300 patients to major trauma centres across the region, often for life-saving treatment.

Here are just a small example of people the YAA have helped over the years:

On 10^th April 2019, Kayanna Nicol from Doncaster, who was seven at the time, accidentally walked into the pathway of an ongoing vehicle. The back wheel of the car caught her leg and split it from side to side causing massive trauma. Kayanna was flown to Sheffield Children’s Hospital, where she was rushed into a five-hour surgery to save her leg. Kayanna’s father Keith, said: “She received excellent attention, and treatment that Kayanna received was second to none. I couldn’t fault anyone; they are all brilliant people.”

Caroline Shepherd from Helmsley, North Yorkshire, was out hunting on her horse at Lockton near Pickering in 2018 when she suddenly collapsed and fell from it. Caroline was airlifted to James Cook University Hospital, where brain scans revealed that she had suffered from a subarachnoid haemorrhage.  Doctors told her that she was lucky to be alive as she had technically died at the scene before being resuscitated. Caroline is now a registered volunteer for Yorkshire Air Ambulance. “I owe them my life and I cannot thank them enough for everything they have done”, said Caroline.

Anthony Burman was involved in a serious motorcycle racing incident in Elvington race track near York in 2009.  He said: ‘Without the Yorkshire Air Ambulance I would not be where I am today, you just never know when you or your family may need these heroes’

Professor Ben von Hout suffered a near-fatal cardiac arrest in York in May 2019. Speaking of his incident, Ben said: “The faster you are at the hospital, the better the results are and of course going in the helicopter decreases the time between symptoms and having a stent placed.  I can only be thankful to everyone doing such a good job. I can’t believe how lucky I am.”

Robert Wood was doing some maintenance work on the 106-year-old bells at Middleham Parish Church in Wensleydale, when he slipped and fell several feet onto part of the mechanism, impaling his chin on a metal peg. YAA crews flew Robert to James Cook University Hospital in Middlesborough for an urgent four-hour operation on his jaw. “The land and then air ambulance were there very quickly, and I was just so grateful to be flown to the hospital within minutes. They saved me from what would have been a long and painful journey of over an hour on winding roads”, said Robert.

Imran Choudhry from Oldham featured in a one-hour special episode ‘Critical Hour’ of the award-winning television show, Helicopter ER.  His accident which saw him fall around 100ft down a steep ravine from the Trinnacle Point at Saddleworth Moor was one of the YAA’s most complex rescues in their 22 years of operations.  He said: “They are my angels who saved me. I’m so grateful for their help. It was a very challenging rescue and it’s amazing what they did to save me.”

Hayley Delaney from Bradford was only five weeks away from completing her midwifery course when she was involved in a serious road traffic collision when a car ran a red light at a crossroads near Cleckheaton back in 2013. She was left with significant brain injuries and had to learn to walk again. “The air ambulance is my angels in the sky. I wouldn’t be here without them. They have saved my life and changed my life, and they will always hold a special place in my heart”, said Hayley.

On the 26^th of September 2019, Nigel Atkinson was riding his motorcycle on the M18 motorway near Thorne. As he was passing an articulated goods vehicle, the prop shaft from that wagon flew off into the front wheel of his bike resulting in Nigel coming off his bike at 70 mph causing him serious damage.  A passer-by named Matthew who was driving his van, positioned his vehicle to protect Nigel as he was airborne, so no further damage came to him on the busy motorway and then started immediate CPR until the emergency services arrived. Yorkshire Air Ambulance dispatched their helicopter and Nigel was flown to the hospital for further treatment. “I’m eternally grateful to the YAA and Matthew’s heroic efforts”, said Nigel.

Abby Barmby, Director of Marketing and Communications added: “These are just a few of the remarkable people we have been able to help and save over our 22 years of operations.  All of them highlight the vital work we do, and how our crews really do help to save lives.  We are so grateful to each of them for allowing us to share their stories and help us educate people about the work our charity does.  As an independent charity which receives no direct government funding, we rely solely on charitable donations so having previous patients share their stories really do help us spread the word.”

Read a little more about each of their stories HERE.

A former patient has thanked the Yorkshire Air Ambulance heroes who saved his life, after a horrific crash on A64 last year.

On November 22^nd 2021, James Eastwood, 38, an Operations Director for a food company from Wakefield, was travelling to work in Malton on the A64 when his car collided with another vehicle. He has no memory of the incident, apart from a Paramedic saying ‘let’s give him morphine’.

Yorkshire Air Ambulance dispatched their aircraft and due to the extent of James’ injuries, he was flown to the nearest major trauma centre, Leeds General Infirmary.

Tests at the hospital revealed that James had broken his spine in four places, suffered internal bleeding and seriously damaged his bowels. He spent 21 days in the hospital and has endured four surgeries.

James is still recovering from a lot of his injuries but is now able to walk again, he still experiences pain. He has now registered to become a volunteer for the charity, and providing his recovery goes well, he is planning on running 8 miles from his home in Wakefield to Leeds General Infirmary to raise money for the charity later this year. He will be joined by 10 of his friends, family and co-workers.

Speaking of the air ambulance, James said: “I had heard of Yorkshire Air Ambulance, but I had no idea that they are a charity. If it wasn’t for them, I would not have made it to the hospital in time by land ambulance due to massive internal bleeding. I’m really grateful for all they did and want to give back to them by doing all I can.”

Yorkshire Air Ambulance is an independent charity that needs to raise £12,000 a day to keep both of Yorkshire’s air ambulances maintained and in the air. The donations they receive are the life-blood of the charity. To find out more about the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, please visit: https://www.yorkshireairambulance.org.uk/

Catch up on other YAA news HERE.