The latest episode of Yorkshire Air 999, airing on Really and discovery+ this Friday 27th June at 9PM, follows the Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) team as they respond to a mountain biker who suffered multiple traumatic injuries after crashing on a secluded bike trail in Middleton Park, Leeds.
51-year-old Darren Steel was out enjoying a bike ride with friends at Leeds Urban Bike Park when his front wheel caught in a ditch. Thrown from his bike, Darren crashed into a wooden post, sustaining multiple traumatic injuries that made it painful and difficult to breathe. Darren’s injuries were quickly spotted by a passer-by, who was walking with her family and called 999. His friends arrived shortly afterwards and assisted him until emergency services arrived.
Yorkshire Air Ambulance’s Nostell-based Critical Care Team, comprised of Paramedic Stew Ashburner-Mcmanus and Dr Alex Bell were immediately dispatched, arriving at the busy scene within five minutes. While on route, the Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) were also dispatched to assist with Darren’s extraction due to the steep and challenging terrain.
Stew said, “Leeds Urban Bike Park is somewhere we do attend often. It’s set back from the road and doesn’t have great vehicle access. It’s hard to get patients out of these types of locations, so that’s where a big team effort comes in with some of the other specialist teams. We asked for support from the Hazardous Area Response Team because they’re experts at getting people out of these places quickly.”
Upon landing the crew were guided through the woods by land ambulance paramedics to where Darren was lying on the ground, struggling to breathe.
Dr Alex began to conduct a primary assessment of Darren’s injuries and quickly identified signs of serious chest trauma, including rapid breathing and chest crepitus, a crunching sensation caused by broken ribs.
Commenting on the injuries, Dr Alex said, “Darren was in considerable pain and demonstrating classic signs of blunt chest trauma. The presence of crepitus over the sternum raised concerns about multiple rib fractures and possible sternal injury. This area of the chest plays a vital role in protecting the heart and lungs, and when compromised, can severely affect a patient’s ability to breathe effectively. It’s a painful and potentially dangerous injury pattern that requires quick intervention.”
To safely move Darren, the team gave strong pain relief including intravenous fentanyl and ketamine, which has dissociative properties, commonly used in emergency medicine, to help make the transfer less distressing. Some of Darren’s friends were also on hand to help, assisting the crew in carefully moving him onto the scoop stretcher under Dr Alex’s careful instruction.
With help from the HART team, Darren was carried up the steep woodland slope using a specialist brand carrier, a stretcher design originally developed in WWI to transport patients across rough terrain.
He was flown to Leeds General Infirmary in a vertical take-off manoeuvre, with the flight taking just two minutes, where trauma teams were standing by. Darren was found to have a punctured and collapsed lung, seven broken ribs, a broken collarbone and significant bruising.
Darren spent a week in hospital recovering from his injuries and has since returned to work, although he is still managing the long-term effects of the crash.
Reflecting on the incident, Darren said, “It all happened so fast. One moment I was riding with friends, the next I was on the ground in agony, unable to catch my breath. I had no idea how badly I was hurt, but I knew it was serious. The pain in my chest was like nothing I’ve ever felt.
I’m so grateful to everyone who helped me that day, the woman who found me and called 999, my friends who supported me, and the emergency crews, especially the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and HART team. They worked together so smoothly, kept me calm, and got me to hospital far quicker than would have been possible otherwise. I’m beyond grateful, they made all the difference that day.”
Alongside Darren’s story, the episode also features a motocross accident in Kirkdale Woods, a man who suffered a seizure on a canal boat during a narrowboat holiday in Silsden, and a six-year-old girl who suffered a seizure at school in Bradford.