Archives: Patients

Paul Franklin, 41, from Knutsford in Cheshire, was a spectator at a motorbike rally in Scarborough in September 2017, when one of the competitors accidentally ploughed into him at 60mph after the brakes failed on his motorbike.

Paul was airlifted to James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough by the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, where it was revealed that he had fractured his fibula and damaged his liver, kidney and spleen. He also had a deep wound to his the abdomen, a cut to the back of the head and had a collapsed lung and 11 broken ribs, which meant that he couldn’t breathe.

“When I came round, I couldn’t breathe and I thought, this is it. I started thinking about my wife and daughter and it was them who gave me the determination to live”, said Paul.

In his younger years, Paul was a marathon runner and Doctors told him his love of fitness probably saved his life. “Doctors said to me that if I was a little bit younger or older, and if I wasn’t in such good health, I wouldn’t be here today”, said Paul.

On September 1^st 2018, just under a year after his accident and whilst still receiving physio for a number of his injuries, Paul walked the Yorkshire Three Peaks to raise funds for the crew who gave him the vital initial treatment that saved his life. Paul raised an incredible £16,407.17 for the charity.

Commenting on the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, Paul said: “I find it staggering that such a vital service, that covers all of Yorkshire including the Dales, requires public support to maintain its operations. Without them there is a good chance I wouldn’t be here; without them hundreds of others would also be at great risk. They are an amazing service and I’ll be forever in their debt.”

On the 26^th July 2018, Graham Wilkinson from Ingleby Barwick, was on his way to Ravenswick Hall in Kirbymoorside for work when a car tried to overtake him and as he moved out of the way, his car spun out of control into a dry stone wall.

Luckily for Graham, passers-by who recognised him stopped to help, and a retired policeman who was in the area called the emergency services.

Unfortunately Graham was trapped in his car and Fire and Rescue Teams along with the Yorkshire Air Ambulance were dispatched to free Graham and assess & treat his injuries.

“I knew I’d done something to my back quite quickly when I couldn’t get out of the car. I was really thankful that someone stopped, it was quite early in the morning and it could have been awhile until someone came along”, said Graham.

Graham was stabilised on scene by the YAA crew and was subsequently flown to James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, where tests later revealed that he had an unstable vertebrae fracture and fractured wrist and elbows. He spent three weeks in hospital immobile.

“The Yorkshire Air Ambulance arrived on scene really quickly and it was a very smooth ride. The paramedics originally suspected a hemothorax and I’m sure that if I did have that, the quick transfer time would have saved my life”, said Graham.

Graham has now made a remarkable recovery.  While he does struggle from a weakened left leg, which he is undergoing physiotherapy for, Graham has been able to return to work.

Catherine Stevens, from Selby was planning on going into work one last time to complete handover process with her colleagues, but when she started experiencing pains at around 7 months pregnant, her mum decided it would be best to ring the hospital.

When Catherine’s mother rang the triage department at the maternity unit, she was advised to travel to York Hospital as soon as she could, but whilst travelling on the A19, the twins decided to make an arrival, two months earlier than planned.

When Catherine went into labour, she was asked to leave the car and lay by the side of the road. Passers-by who stopped to help, included a man with a van, a couple, a community nurse and a doctor.

The Yorkshire Air Ambulance were dispatched, along with two road ambulances from the Yorkshire Ambulance Service.

Yorkshire Air Ambulance HEMS paramedic Sammy Wills took the lead in delivering the twins. Baby Poppy arrived first and was handed to YAA paramedic Tyrone to assess her, Sammy then worked on delivering her baby brother Jake.

Jake was in the breech position and he was born in his amniotic sac. Sammy had to work against the clock to break the sac and get the youngster breathing.

Speaking of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, Catherine said: “Sammy was fantastic. I didn’t even fully process what had happened until I reached the hospital.”

Jake and poppy were born at 10.33am on the 21^st February 2019 and Catherine was taken to York Hospital by road ambulance. Both Yorkshire Air Ambulance paramedics accompanied the mother and babies to ensure their safe journey.

Catherine spent several nights in hospital as she adjusted to being a mum to twins.  Unfortunately, Jake had to be sent to Hull University Teaching Hospital to the neo-natal care unit where he received a blood transfusion. Thankfully, both babies were discharged at 36 weeks old and they are continuing to do well at home.

Experienced cyclist Andrew Grainger, 45, was cycling his mid-week track along the Yorkshire Wolds with his friend, when his bike skidded amongst a pile of gravel during a descent and he was thrown to the ground.

Unaware of what happened, his friend cycled back up to hill after Andrew failed to turn up and he found him lying on the side of the road in pain.

The Yorkshire Air Ambulance Critical Care Team were dispatched and assessed Andrew upon their arrival.  They were able to administer advanced pain relief to make Andrew comfortable and given his injuries, he was subsequently taken to hospital by road.

When Andrew arrived at the hospital, tests revealed that he had broken three ribs and he had smashed his collar bone.  He also sustained injuries to his knee and cuts and bruises across his body. Luckily for Andrew, his helmet protected him from any life threatening injuries.

The accident has not deterred from Andrew from cycling and he is now back on his bike, but very cautious of steep descents and travelling at high speeds.

Andrew, said: “The YAA is a fantastic organisation that provides such a great service.”

A community bus driver from York is to feature on this week’s Helicopter ER following dramatic crash which left him with life changing injuries.

Aaron, aged 22 who works for Reliance Motors, was driving to work in his vintage jaguar on York Road, when his car skidded in the wet weather and his car careered off the road into a ditch.

The impact of the crash immediately shattered both his thighs and trapped both of his legs and an array of emergency service personnel had to work against the clock to extract him, in fear that he would lose both his legs.

Both of the Yorkshire Air Ambulances were deployed to help Aaron, which included a team of of specialist medics.

After being trapped for several hours and extracted by the fire service, a decision was made to fly Aaron to Leeds General Infirmary.

Tests at the hospital revealed that Aaron had broken his thigh bone, a vertebrae in his spine and sustained neck and skull fractures. Doctors battled to save Aaron’s foot, but unfortunately it had to be amputated.

“I was told that I wouldn’t be able to get out of bed for a year due to my complex and comprehensive injuries”, said Aaron.

But Aaron defied medics and has now learned to walk again. His next goal is to focus on returning to work as a bus driver.

Speaking of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, Aaron said: “Easingwold was part of my bus route and I used to see bucket collections for the YAA and spare the change from my lunch.  Little did I know that I would need them in the near future.”

Experienced motorcyclist Al Plunkett, 52, was riding back from Scarborough when his motorbike was in a collision with a car which was turning into a farm entrance.  His bike hit the nearby drystone wall as he swerved and he was flung into the road.

Medics arrived on the scene within minutes, followed by the Yorkshire Air Ambulance with their Critical Care Team to assess & treat Al’s injuries.

The YAA flew Al to Middlesborough James Cook University Hospital, where tests revealed that he suffered severe damage to the bones and organs on the left hand side of his body, and had to have part of his left leg amputated.

Speaking of his injuries, Al said: “It changed everything. Going out with the kids, playing football with the kids – it was a massive of a life changing experience and I’m still going through it.”

Despite his ordeal, Al has remained positive and his recovery is going well.  He has not been deterred from his motorbike, having started fixing it as soon as he was able.

Al said: “The Yorkshire Air Ambulance is a fantastic service. The bike was a mess, the car was a mess, and I was a mess, so they did an amazing job getting me to hospital. Where I live, it would take longer to get to hospital by land ambulance, so I don’t think I’d be in the position I am now. The air ambulance got me to hospital quickly and got me fixed.”

Amy Horner, 20 and her boyfriend Josh, 21, were on their way back from a local supermarket on the 6^th May 2018, on the dual carriageway towards Hayton, when their car almost collided with an oncoming vehicle which was swerving.

Trying to avoid the other vehicle, Amy turned her wheel, but the car spun out of control and flipped on the side of the road into nearby trees, hidden from the sight of emergency services.

“If it wasn’t for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, Josh and I would have been trapped for much longer. They were able to see us in the trees from helicopter and inform the other emergency services”, said Amy.

Amy was taken to York Hospital, where tests revealed that she had fractured her spine. She spent one night in hospital, but she is still living with the after effects of her accident one year later.

Amy’s spine started to heal, but due to her spine being too weak from the fracture and going back to work too soon, her recovery was set back. Amy who works full time, isn’t allowed to return to work until she is properly healed.

Experienced climber, Luke Dowling, aged 28, was out climbing the Cow and Calf in Ilkley on his birthday, when he slipped and fell almost 30 feet from the cliff face.

“I was climbing with one of my friends, he was ahead of me and I remember being in an uncomfortable position and slipping. I can’t remember anything else until I came round on the ground, it seemed fairly fast until the helicopter landed”, said Luke.

The Yorkshire Air Ambulance’s Critical Care Team, comprising of two paramedics and a consultant were dispatched to Luke’s aid to assess his injuries, alongside the Yorkshire HART team and the Yorkshire Ambulance Service.

After initially being taken to Airdale Hospital for tests, Luke was later transfered to Leeds General Infirmary after it was confirmed that he had fractured two bones in his neck and one in his spine ,which required specialist surgery at the Major Trauma Centre

“Up until the point they gave me the results of the scan, I was ready to walk out of hospital the same day, I didn’t feel any pain. I told them that I had a table booked for my birthday!” said Luke.

He spent six days in hospital and had three months off work. Despite his injuries being serious, he knows that it could have been worse.

Since returning to work, Luke is using his experience to warn other climbers to keep wearing their helmets.

Speaking of his accident, Luke said: “It’s probably down to a bit of complacency and bad luck, I think that’s where it went wrong. It takes two seconds to put on a helmet, I had it there and it was in the van. You just need to make sure you grab it every time.”

On the 1^st September 2018, 17 year old Ellie Hargreaves experienced a life threatening motorcycle accident in Wath-upon-dearne, when her bike collided with a metal gate after it failed to stop.

Emergency services arrived on the scene within minutes and initial observations revealed that Ellie was in a critical condition.

The Yorkshire Air Ambulance flew Ellie to Sheffield Northern General Hospital, where she put into an induced coma.

Tests revealed that she had suffered two broken bones in her C1 and C2 neck region, a broken collar bone, broken ribs and a snapped jaw. Ellie was in hospital for over a month and had surgery to fix her injuries.

Ellie, said: “I had cuts and bruises all over my body and doctors didn’t know whether my head was attached to my body and didn’t know if I paralysed.  The work that the Yorkshire Air Ambulance paramedics did prevented any of that from happening to me.”

She continued: “Luckily I’m here today and able to tell my story.  My recovery has been a long one and I still have to wear a collar around my neck, but apart from that I’m doing amazing well and I’m also now pregnant!”

“If it wasn’t for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, my family would have lost a daughter, step daughter, sister, auntie, cousin, niece, granddaughter, friend and fiancée.  I’m forever grateful for the help of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.”

On the 4^th May 2019, nine year old Rhys Whyment was visiting the Doncaster Fat Cat Moto Park racecourse with his family on holiday from Edinburgh, when he was involved in a motocross accident.

Rhys accidentally crashed his motocross bike and was flung into the pathway of another driver. His helmet hit the wheel of the other bike.

“I was watching from the side-lines and as soon as I turned around, I saw it happened. I rushed over to see what was wrong”, said Lee Whyment, Rhys’ dad.

Emergency services at Doncaster provided initial first aid, but worrying about the extent of Rhys’ head injuries, the Yorkshire Air Ambulance were called.

Rhys was flown to Sheffield Children’s Hospital, accompanied by his father Lee in the passenger seat.

Lee said: “The helicopter arrived incredibly fast and the female doctor was amazing. Rhys cannot remember being in the helicopter and he was sick, but the crew were incredibly helpful and made us feel at ease.

Tests at Sheffield Children’s Hospital revealed that Rhys had severe concussion and chest injuries.  If he hadn’t been wearing a helmet, the injuries could have been much worse.

Rhys spent four days in hospital and he is currently resting at home, but doesn’t need any further hospital treatment -luckily he is set to make a full recovery.

Lee said: “I hadn’t heard of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance before and didn’t realize they are a charity. I would like to thank them for being incredibly fast and efficient and for helping Rhys.”

On May 11^th, 2017, Bluey Chandler, aged one from Weaverthorpe, North Yorkshire somehow managed to open the gate to the family pond and almost drowned. His mother and her partner found Bluey floating lifelessly on top of the water.

Cheryl started giving her son mouth to mouth resuscitation and her neighbours rushed to the family’s aid and started CPR until the emergency services arrived.

When the Yorkshire Air Ambulance arrived at the scene, Bluey suffered a cardiac arrest, but the team of paramedics managed to revive him. He was then flown to James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough.

Bluey’s time in hospital was touch and go. He suffered from another cardiac arrest and spent ten days in intensive care. However, the wonderful little boy has now made a miraculous recovery and still loves water.

Cheryl and Steve, said: “If it wasn’t for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, my little boy wouldn’t be here. I still can’t thank them enough, this service is so important to our rural area.”

The owners of The Star Inn, Weaverthorpe hold a quiz every two weeks where all money that is collected is donated to the Yorkshire air Ambulance.

On the 10^th September 2018, Andrew Woodcock, was involved in a head on collision with an oncoming vehicle on the A658 Poole Road outside the Riffa Services Petrol Station.

Andrew, said: “I can remember the fire crew cutting me out and I can remember the helicopter above me, but I can’t remember any of the helicopter crew or the journey to hospital and being in the major trauma unit.”

The Yorkshire Air Ambulance attended the incident and flew Andrew to Leeds General Infirmary, where the impact of his crash was revealed.

Tests showed that Andrew had multiple fractures to his right foot, a broken and bruised patella and a shattered right femur. He underwent surgery that evening to have an intramedullary nail inserted and had to stay in Leeds General Infirmary for nine days.

Speaking of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, Andrew, said: “My family and I are extremely grateful for the fast response of everyone who attended the scene on that day and cannot thank everyone enough.”

He continued: “Without the help of all services involved and the Yorkshire Air Ambulance I may not have been here now to tell my story.”