Archives: Patients

On 30^th January 2020, Loraine Greenwood from Halifax was collecting items for a church coffee morning when she was hit by a bus.

“I don’t remember the collision, I just remember seeing the bus wheels on top of me”, said Loraine.

Passers-by gathered to try help Loraine as they heard her screaming in pain and the driver manoeuvred the bus to free her legs from its wheels.

Due to the severity of the injury, the Yorkshire Air Ambulance was dispatched. As the aircraft requires a large landing space, the only place suitable in the town centre was the courtyard of Grade I listed 18th-century building, the Piece Hall.

The YAA Critical Care Team administered ketamine to help with Loraine’s pain and after assessing her injuries, a decision was made to fly her to Leeds General Infirmary, where orthopaedic surgeons would be waiting.

Loraine spent 10 hours in the operating theatre undergoing reconstructive surgery on her legs which were degloved and fractured. But thankfully, after skin grafts and implants, doctors were able to save Loraine’s leg and after spending six weeks in hospital and being under the care of district nurses, she is able to walk again.

Speaking of the incident, Loraine said: “I could have lost my leg or my life. I cannot thank the emergency services, the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and the doctors and nurses at the hospital enough for everything they have done for me. I’m so grateful that I have a life and I’ll do the best I can with it.”

On 23^rd January 2020 Isabelle (Issy) Munyard from Grantley, North Yorkshire, was catching her horse Harry when he bucked and kicked her kneecap. Issy used her mobile phone to call her friend, who is a midwife, for advice. When her friend arrived, she knew that Issy required immediate medical care.

Speaking of her incident, Issy said: “When my friend got there and found me on the floor, I said ‘don’t worry, I’ll be fine, just stick me in a wheelbarrow’, she said no and managed to get my wellie off and cut neatly the inside of my jeans and said that she saw the inside of my knee.”

“The pony kicked me between my kneecap and my wellie and I thought I had got away without any damage, but unfortunately the nail in his shoe went all the way down to my bone”, she continued.

Due to the land ambulance initially being unable to find their remote location and the fear that Issy had sustained a serious leg fracture, the Yorkshire Air Ambulance was dispatched. It took six minutes to arrive on the scene from their North Yorkshire Topcliffe airbase.

The Yorkshire Air Ambulance Critical Care Team gave Issy a thorough assessment and specialist analgesia and deemed her fit enough to travel by land ambulance to Harrogate Hospital.

Tests at the hospital revealed that Issy had a complex knee injury following her incident and after an MRI, she had surgery to fix severe tendon and cartilage damage.

“I was in a leg brace for a while, which masked the fact that some of the cartilage had fallen. So when the ligament mended itself, I was still in pain. The surgeon said that it’s the cartilage under the kneecap that needs sorting out”, Issy said.

Issy had a slow recovery and to begin with walking her dog was agonising, but following her operation, Issy is now back on her horse and able to take her poodle puppy on long walks again.

Speaking of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, Issy said: “When I saw the yellow helicopter it was a huge relief, I thought no-one would be able to find us otherwise. Without them, I think I would still be in the field or a wheelbarrow!”

She continued: “I know quite a lot of people who have had to take a trip in the air ambulance, they do a lot for the rural community, particularly where I live near Ripon. I cannot thank them enough.”

The wife of a patient responded to by the Yorkshire Air Ambulance has thanked the Charity for giving her a chance to say goodbye to her husband following a serious incident in Sherburn in Elmet on 18^th October 2018.

Ian Stewart was on his way to meet a friend at Squires Café near Sherburn-in-Elmet when a car travelling at 50mph collided with him, resulting in Ian’s motorcycle skidding over a verge and into a tree.

Ian was a very experienced motorcyclist, having been riding since he was 16 years old. “He never stopped riding, even when the children came along. He rode modern and old bikes, which he really loved going out on”, said Fiona Stewart, Ian’s wife.

As local emergency services arrived on scene Ian went into cardiac arrest. Due to the severity of his injuries and his life hanging in the balance, the Yorkshire Air Ambulance was dispatched.

Yorkshire Air Ambulance Critical Care Team (CCT) provided on-scene CPR and a thoracotomy to help inflate Ian’s lungs.  Ian sustained substantial injuries and Yorkshire Air Ambulance doctor, Jez Pinnell, had to decipher the cause of his incident by investigating the scene.

Once stabilised, Ian was flown to Leeds General Infirmary 20 minutes by air from where he had his incident. During the flight, the Yorkshire Air Ambulance CCT pumped blood into his body to keep his heart going. A full trauma team in RESUS took over as soon as he reached the hospital.

“I got the knock on the front door and was told we’ve been asked to get you to the LGI in Leeds as quickly as possible”, said Fiona, speaking of the first time she heard about Ian’s incident. Fiona was taken to Leeds General Infirmary, where she found Ian on life-support.

Sadly, despite the best efforts of those on-scene and at the hospital, Ian could not be saved and his life support machine was switched off. It was thanks to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance that his wife Fiona and their two children had the chance to say goodbye at his bedside.

Ian was a very active and outgoing person, who had not only a love for bikes, but also deep-sea diving, learning how to fly a plane and rugby. He was a semi-retired businessman who had been married to Fiona for more than 34 years.

“The doctors said there was no brain activity and asked for our permission to turn the machines off. In that moment I could have made a decision for him to live and for him to have been stuck in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.  But the decision to turn off the life-support was for him, not for me and his children and grandchildren”, said Fiona.

Fiona continued: “Myself and my two children were able to see him in the hospital and talk to him and share our last special moments with him. Which without the intervention of the medical team at the roadside, wouldn’t have been possible.”

Speaking of her husband, she said: “Ian lived life to the full. He certainly wasn’t a pipe and slippers man. He loved being out and about and his character was one everyone warmed to. He always had a smile on his face and made everyone laugh.”

Professor Ben Van Hout is a health economist who researches the cost effectiveness of the treatment given to patients. In May 2019 Ben was working from home, sitting at his desk, when he began experiencing chest pains.

Speaking of the warning signs, Ben said: “I had a strange pressure on my chest. At the beginning I thought was nothing, but after it persisted for a couple of minutes I realised that it could be a heart attack.”

Ben called the emergency services who quickly arrived on scene and performed an ECG, which showed signs of a major heart attack that could only be treated at a CATH Lab. With time being of the essence, the Yorkshire Air Ambulance were deployed to fly the patient to Leeds General Infirmary.

Within 10 minutes of arrival at the hospital, Ben was having the life-saving procedure that he has been researching -a coronary angioplasty, where consultants use a balloon to stretch open blocked arteries to remove a blood clot from a patient’s heart before a stent is inserted.

Ben spent one night in Leeds General Infirmary and was then transferred to York, where he spent a further four days. He has since had a good recovery and has been given the all-clear by doctors.

Speaking of his incident, Ben said: “The faster you are at hospital, the better the results are and of course going in the helicopter decreases the time between symptoms and having a stent placed.

I’m a Professor of Health Economics and I did research on the cost effectiveness of helicopters and the cost effectiveness of the stent procedure I was given. I have done research into most of the things that have happened to me and the medication I was on.

Given all the research I have done in this area, I feel like I may have taken my research a little bit too far. That was not a good idea. I can only be thankful to everyone doing such a good job. I can’t believe how lucky I am.”

On 18^th October 2019, Sonia and Stephen Staker were on their way back home after grabbing takeaway food when they were involved in a 135mph impact as their car, travelling at 45mph was hit by a Mercedes driving at 90mph on the A650. The driver of the other car fled the scene.

Speaking of the incident, Sonia said: “We went out to get a kebab. It was Friday night and we had gone out to get our usual takeaway and that’s all we had done. We were driving home and just chatting as usual when out of the blue came a white car on our side of the road, trying to overtake other cars. One minute he was there and the next minute we had crashed. My husband remembers the collision, it hit us so fast and hard that it pushed our car back by 30 yards before it eventually stopped and he didn’t have time to react.”

She continued: “I remember waking up and I thought the car was on fire as I could smell smoke. My husband kicked his door down and tried to come to my side of the car to get me out. Thankfully the smell was just the airbags. I was paralysed from the waist down, unable to get out of my seat and the fire brigade had to cut me out.”

Due to the severity of the incident, the Yorkshire Air Ambulance were dispatched. After they had administered analgesia and stablised her condition Sonia was taken to Leeds General Infirmary.

Tests at the hospital revealed that Sonia had broken her back in four places, her sternum, ribs, hands and a thumb, she also had a burst lumbar fracture. Sonia also sustained swelling to her heart and lungs. Stephen had a broken elbow.

Sonia spent thirteen nights in Leeds General Infirmary and still has regular appointments at the hospital. She is scheduled to have spinal surgery again this year.

“It’s hard for me to get my head round the fact that I have changed so much. I used to be outgoing and happy go lucky and always think on the positive side. I was also very active as I used to do karate and swim marathons. I’m now left with limited movement and life changing injuries, with only 50% of my vertabrae. I might be eventually fixed to some degree, but I know I’ll always be in pain”, said Sonia.

Speaking of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, she continued: “ The Yorkshire Air Ambulance really helped save my life. Although I wasn’t flown to hospital, they were able to stablise me on scene so that I was able to go by road ambulance. I can’t thank them enough.”

On 9^th September 2018, Keren Wheeler was on her regular Sunday cycle ride in Ripon with the Yorkshire Lass Cycle Club when she suddenly lost control of bike after it failed to brake and she slammed headfirst into the river bridge.

Speaking of the incident, Keren said: “I remember coming up a hill and going round a right hand bend, and as I got to the top of the corner I put my brakes on and couldn’t stop. I then started barrelling down the hill.”

She continued: “The descent seemed very short, but it was actually a very long drop. I think because I relaxed on the way down and thought to myself ‘this is it, there’s nothing I can do about it now’, it saved me from doing more damage. When I hit the wall I just dropped to the floor in the recovery position and couldn’t move thinking I was paralysed.”

The Yorkshire Air Ambulance were dispatched and assessed Keren on scene. Due to the severity of her injuries, the Yorkshire Air Ambulance also sent a second aircraft with a doctor on board to administer further complex analgesia. Keren was then taken to Harrogate hospital by land ambulance.

Tests at the hospital revealed that Keren had head trauma, had cracked two vertebrae in her neck and spine and broken her rib. She was also left with excruciating nerve damage in her arms and hands.

Keren has had a long recovery, but she is now back doing what she enjoys, swimming and cycling and her fitness levels are back on par with before her incident. Keren had a lucky escape and if it wasn’t for her helmet bearing the brunt of the impact, she might not have been here today to tell her story.

Speaking about the importance of wearing a helmet, Keren said: “It’s a case of taking responsibility for yourself and your actions. You have to have respect for yourself and if you value your life, you do as much as you can to keep yourself safe and wearing a helmet is part of that. You wouldn’t go on a ski slope without protective gear. A helmet is vital. The fact that I was going as fast as I was and to come out of it as well as I did, I am very lucky as it could have been a very different story.”

Matt Syrat, Clinical Operations Manager for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, said: “People often think that at lower speeds they don’t require a helmet, but any fall at any speed, hitting a wall or hitting tarmac could cause damage. A helmet can save your life, just like this one has done for Keren.”

Kristian Gibbons, a Motocross veteran, was riding at the Total MX track in Thirsk when he swerved to avoid another rider in his pathway and was catapulted over a jump, five metres in the air at 40mph.

Speaking of the incident, Kristian said, “It is a bit of a blurr. I saw a rider change direction in front of me and then I landed on my face at the side of the jump.”

Organisers at the event called the emergency services and his wife witnessed the terrifying crash. It wasn’t the first time Kristian had been involved in a motocross incident, in 2015 he was placed into a coma after a handlebar penetrated his thigh.

The Yorkshire Air Ambulance dispatched their aircraft and after being assessed by their Critical Care Team, Kristian was flown to James Cook University Teaching Hospital for further treatment, as they suspected spinal injury.

Luckily, Kristian left hospital the same day after doctors ruled out spinal issues. However, he did sustain shoulder and neck ligament injuries.

“I thought I had done more damage. I walked away quite well from hitting the floor at 40mph. I was quite lucky to be honest”, said Kristian.

His incidents have not deterred Kristian from being on his bike and shortly after his recovery he was back taking part in his favourite sport.

“I took six weeks off just for the fact I was still in shock after having a big accident and in 2015 I was in a coma for quite a long time. This is the first time my wife had seen me crash quite hard, so I took two months out from any competitive sports”, said Kristian.

He continued: “The accident was just one of those things, it comes with doing motorsport. The Yorkshire Air Ambulance crew do a fantastic job. Without them we couldn’t do our favourite sports to the full.”

On June 17^th  2019, James Gardiner, a motor engineer from Bradford was removing a tyre from a JCB when it burst, and fragments of rubber and wire exploded on his face.

Local paramedics were called to the scene and due to the severity of James’ injuries, the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, whose aircraft was temporarily out of action, dispatched their rapid response vehicle with their Critical Care Team consisting of an Emergency Consultant and two Paramedics. They were on scene within eight minutes of being dispatched.

Due to the explosion on scene, emergency services were forced to make a makeshift operating theatre at Golden Acre Park, where Yorkshire Air Ambulance crew assessed James and put him into an induced coma.

He was taken to hospital by land ambulance accompanied by the Critical Care Team to Leeds General Infirmary. Once he arrived, he was rushed straight into a 21-hour emergency operation.

Speaking of his injuries James, said: “I broke 31 bones in face including both sides of jaw, both cheek bones, half my nose and I had a very big hole in the top of my head. I have a 16 inch scar from bottom of my left lip all the way through to my left ear and I broke my left arm. I also lost four teeth and I can’t see out of my left eye. During my stay in hospital I received 72 units of blood.”

James spent seven months in hospital. He started out in intensive care and on a high dependency unit at Leeds General Infirmary then was transferred to Chapel Allerton hospital and did his rehabilitation at Daniel Yorath House.

It was the thought of being reunited with his wife and two young children, including a new-born baby that pulled him through.

“I could have died multiple times. My family were told that I wouldn’t be able to come home unless they had a bed and the house modified and they were warned that I might not remember my children or how to do my job. I’m very lucky that with the Paramedics and Doctors support that they were able to push me out of a hole and with determination I was able to get better”, said James.

Speaking of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, he said: “I was blown away with their service. From the customer making the phone call to the air ambulance crew arriving was eight minutes. I’m amazed by them.”

Stephen Whitehead 73, known as ‘Rocky’ to his friends and family, was on a short break in January 2020 in Middleham where he had rented a large cottage with his wife and 17 members of his family to celebrate his 73^rd birthday. When he nipped to the shops for essentials, he began experiencing chest pain.

Stephen commented: “I had just walked 10 minutes to the local shop for a paper and that’s when I felt it coming on. On my way home I knew something was seriously wrong.”

Local Paramedics arrived on scene to assess Stephen and they called the Yorkshire Air Ambulance for assistance. After checking Stephen over, it was clear that he was having a heart attack and he was flown to Leeds General Infirmary to their cardiac unit for further tests.

“We were staying in Middleham close to where they train the horses and the Paramedics took me out of the house we had rented to the nearby gallops where the YAA had landed their helicopter. The surgeons said that the fact that they got me to the hospital in 15 minutes from North Yorkshire was very beneficial to my recovery”, said Stephen.

Stephen spent eight days in hospital at Leeds General Infirmary and had a small operation to fix his aortic value. Although he may require more surgery in the future, Stephen has recovered well.

Stephen continued: “When the consultant came along he confirmed what I already knew, that I had suffered a heart attack and that I have an enlarged heart. My aortic valve isn’t working as well as it should do. I had a small operation and surgeons are currently trying to figure out whether I need further surgery in 2021.”

Speaking of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, he said: “I have supported the Yorkshire Air Ambulance for many years, they are a very good cause and all the team are professional and great at what they do. I cannot thank them enough for their help.”

On 21^st December 2018, Janet Jessop was driving to her friend’s house to drop off Christmas presents when her car collided with a petrol tanker five minutes away from her home. The tankers steel body work sliced into Janet’s car and it was feared that her head may have taken some the impact.

The Yorkshire Air Ambulance were dispatched and their Critical Care Team assessed Janet. Due to the severity of her injuries, the team put Janet into an induced coma and she was flown to Hull Royal Infirmary, a journey that would have taken half an hour by road, but took just 10 minutes by helicopter.

Tests at the hospital revealed that Janet had broken her back, spine and sternum and punctured a lung. She spent 8 months in hospital, for five days of which she was in a coma and was given only a 20% chance of survival by doctors.

Speaking of her injuries and recovery, Janet said: “They said that I might not make it because my injuries were that bad. Luckily I pulled through, but it was a very bad time for my daughter and her husband. I knew nothing until I woke up, I was on life support and my daughter had decisions to make that she should never have to make.”

She continued: “I’ve had to learn to walk again, I can’t walk properly. I can walk side to side more than straight. I’m back at work, something I never thought I’d be able to do and this month I was finally back in a car learning to drive again. If it wasn’t for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, I wouldn’t be here.”

A man who was left paralysed below his right knee after he was thrown off his motorbike at 60mph is set to appear on Helicopter ER.

John Rae 27, from Newcastle was riding his motorbike down the A167 in North Yorkshire with a friend, looking for somewhere to go to have breakfast, when his motorbike collided with a car towing a caravan on a stretch of winding road. He was catapulted into the air at 60mph.

Speaking of his incident, John said: “We went to Richmond for a spot of breakfast, but it was too busy. I remember leaving Richmond and going over the zebra crossing towards Reeth and then I crashed seven miles further down and I don’t remember how I got there. I lost 20 minutes before the accident and the next thing I remember I was waking up in resus.”

A first aid trained teacher on board a school mini bus stopped at the scene to help and called emergency services. She removed part of John’s helmet to help him breathe, which is not normally advised in incidents like this, but it subsequently helped to save his life.

The Yorkshire Air Ambulance were dispatched and due to John’s critical condition, he was flown to James Cook University Hospital in Middlesborough for treatment.

Tests revealed that John had broken his femur and vertebrae and nerve damage left him paralysed from below his right knee. He spent three weeks in hospital being operated on and a further three weeks in rehab.

John was newly married and had to postpone his honeymoon to learn to walk again. He gave up his job as a taxi driver to focus on his recovery but has since started a new job in January.

“The air ambulance did a fantastic job, they were very professional and I couldn’t have asked for a better team to help me. It’s remarkable what they do”, said John.

Jordan Porter was walking down Chapel Hill on his way home from the pub when he was thrown 10ft into the air after he bounced off the windscreen of an oncoming car. He was left unconscious as his body landed on the pavement.

The Yorkshire Air Ambulance were immediately dispatched and due to the incident being late at night, the mission was flown using Night Vision technology.

Pilots and navigational crew on board of Yorkshire’s Air Ambulance wear Night Vision goggles to enable them to identify hazards and obstacles late at night when approaching landing sites.

Night Vision status was granted to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance back in September 2017 and has enabled the lifesaving rapid response service the ability to extend their operational hours into darkness.

The Yorkshire Air Ambulance helicopter landed in the town centre, surrounded by rush hour traffic and guided by the police. Their Critical Care Team then assessed Jordan and due the complexity of his injuries and his agitation, which is common in those suffering from a bleed on the brain, Jordan was put into an induced coma for the flight. He was then airlifted to Leeds General Infirmary for further treatment.

Tests at the hospital revealed that Jordan had suffered three bleeds on the brain and a fractured skull and he was in a coma for 17 days.

Jordan doesn’t remember any of his incident or the days leading up to it and he has been left with permanent deafness in one ear and he also suffers from seizures. Despite these issues Jordan has been able to go back to work as a bin man and enjoys playing football again.

The episode, which airs at 10pm on Channel Really on 31st August 2020 also features a cardiac arrest in Ilkley and a 20ft fall in the Yorkshire Dales.