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 man who collapsed on a narrowboat during a holiday on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal near Silsden.
66-year-old Stuart Hill was enjoying a peaceful trip with his wife Tracey when he suddenly fell unwell inside the canal boat. Witnessing the frightening scene unfold, Tracey dialled 999, explaining that Stuart’s mouth had started to tremble as he lost consciousness twice, each episode lasting around two minutes. Although now awake, he was confused, agitated and vomiting.
Yorkshire Air Ambulance’s Topcliffe-based Critical Care Team, Paramedics Tammy Williams and Andy Armitage, were immediately dispatched to the scene, flying approximately 30 miles, to reach the remote stretch of canal near Silsden.
Andy said, “We didn’t have much information, only that this patient was really poorly and on a barge in the middle of nowhere. We had to be ready for anything.”
The crew landed in a field beside the canal and made their way to the boat, where Stuart was being cared for by a local first responder and his wife. Still inside the narrow corridor of the boat, Stuart was visibly shaking and sweating, prompting immediate concern.
Andy explained, “It’s a massive red flag when someone has a seizure, especially if they don’t normally suffer with epilepsy and aren’t on any medication. Stuart looked really unwell, and the space inside the boat was so tight that if he’d had another seizure, we would have struggled to treat him effectively.”
To ensure better access, the crew carefully moved Stuart outside onto a chair on the riverbank. This gave them more space to carry out vital assessments, to determine the cause of his seizures, including an ECG to look for any signs of abnormal heart rhythms or cardiac issues. When the ECG results came back clear, the team began considering other possible causes for his symptoms, such as a brain bleed or underlying infection.
Andy added, “Stuart didn’t show the typical FAST symptoms we associate with stroke such as facial drooping, arm weakness or speech problems, but the way he was presenting was still very concerning.”
Unable to determine the exact cause on scene, the crew accompanied Stuart in a land ambulance to Airedale Hospital to allow for ongoing monitoring and further tests.
Scans later revealed Stuart had suffered a life-threatening brain haemorrhage and a mass bleed. He underwent emergency open brain surgery to clip the haemorrhage and remove the bleed. He spent nine days in an induced coma in intensive care and developed pneumonia and fluid on the brain. Stuart also developed a serious infection at the surgical site, which caused concern for doctors. He remained in Leeds General Infirmary for eight weeks.
Stuart does not remember the first three weeks of his hospital stay and is continuing to receive weekly outpatient rehabilitation. Doctors expect his recovery to take a year, and he says he may never fully feel like his old self.
Speaking about the incident, Stuart said, “I don’t remember much about what happened, it’s all a bit of a blur, but I know I gave my wife quite a fright. I’m so grateful to everyone who helped me that day. The air ambulance team were incredible. I dread to think what could have happened if they hadn’t got me to hospital so quickly.”
Alongside Stuart’s story, the episode also features a motocross accident in Kirkdale Woods, a six-year-old girl experiencing a prolonged seizure at a school in Bradford, and a mountain biker who sustained multiple injuries after crashing in Middleton Park.