Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) is set to return to TV screens this spring as Yorkshire Air 999 launches its much-anticipated second season on Friday 30th May on the Really channel and Discovery+.
Following the success of season one, which aired 10 episodes between November 2024 and March 2025 on Warner Bros. Discovery’s Really channel, the new series continues to follow YAA’s skilled paramedics, doctors, technical crew members and pilots as they respond to life-threatening incidents across the region. The new season will air in two parts, with the first eight episodes running weekly from 30th May at 9PM, and the remaining eight returning later this year.
49-year-old Ben Collins from Nottinghamshire was on holiday in the North York Moors with his wife Helen when he set off for a solo ride in Dalby Forest, one of the UK’s most popular biking destinations, with more than 40 miles of challenging climbs and descents.
Ben was partway through his ride on the forest’s red route when fellow cyclists spotted him lying injured on the track. He appeared to have gone over his handlebars and hit his head, suffering facial injuries and struggling to open one of his eyes. He was confused, dizzy and bleeding, with limited awareness of what had happened. Realising the severity of the situation, the concerned riders immediately called 999.
Yorkshire Air Ambulance’s Topcliffe crew reached the scene within seven minutes. The dense woodland made it difficult to spot Ben from the air, but members of the group who found him helped flag the aircraft down. While on route to the scene, Paramedics Sam Berridge and Andy Watson reviewed the limited information available and began considering possible treatment plans ahead of arrival.
Sam explained, “The details we had were quite limited at the time, but when you hear someone has a head injury with noisy breathing, you start to worry that this could be a devastating head injury. Dalby Forest is a huge area, with thick trees. Even though we fly there quite regularly, there are some parts of those bike trails we’ve never been to before, so finding the exact location can be a challenge, even for us.”
After landing in a nearby field, it was a short walk to reach Ben, who was conscious but extremely confused. He reported no pain but had little memory of what had happened.
Andy conducted a primary assessment for any internal injuries and monitored Ben’s vital signs, but no treatment was required at the scene. Sam added, “He had a really nasty head injury. The swelling to his face and eye told us he’d taken a big hit. We needed to get him to hospital quickly before his condition potentially deteriorated.”
As the team prepared Ben for transfer, they found his phone at the scene and attempted to contact his wife, Helen, but were unable to reach her. Concerned she may also have been injured elsewhere on the trail, the crew began piecing together the puzzle while keeping Ben stable.
The group of riders who had found Ben reported the incident to staff at the Dalby Forest Cycle Hub, who then coordinated a search of the trails to locate Helen and inform her of what had happened.
With no immediate medical interventions needed, the team carefully escorted Ben, who was able to walk, to the helicopter and flew him to Scarborough Hospital for further assessment and urgent scans.
Fortunately, Helen was later located safe and well. She had been out running in another part of the forest and had lost signal. She said, “It was a beautiful day, and I was out running in a different part of the forest when I noticed the air ambulance flying overhead. You never think it’s going to be for someone you love. I remember joking to a forestry worker that I should check in with Ben, just in case, and when I told her my name, she said, ‘Oh no, it is for your husband. He’s in the helicopter.’ I was so relieved to hear his injuries weren’t life-threatening.”
Ben was treated for a serious concussion, a trapped nerve down his left side and back pain. After weeks of rest and rehabilitation, he’s now recovering well and has been given the green light to start training again.
Reflecting on the incident, he said, “I can’t remember the crash, or much about that day at all, but I’ll always be grateful to the people who found me and to Yorkshire Air Ambulance for getting me to hospital so quickly. I’ve always loved biking – it’s what stops me from being a grumpy old man! I’m lucky to be getting back out on the saddle and easing into some gentle rides again. Hopefully I’ll be back trail racing before the end of the year.”
Alongside Ben’s story, this episode features a motocross accident, a serious road traffic collision on a motorway near Bradford, and a man who fell ten feet while climbing one of the Yorkshire Three Peaks.