The latest episode of Yorkshire Air 999, airing on Really and discovery+ this Friday 11 July at 9PM, follows the Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) team as they respond to a motocross incident in West Yorkshire involving a young boy who sustained a serious leg injury during his first race of the day.
12-year-old Ben Whitehead was taking part in a track day at a motocross circuit in Flockton, Wakefield, when the accident occurred. As the race began, Ben was one of around 40 riders to launch from the gate. Just moments into the first corner, several bikes came together, and Ben was caught in the collision. His leg became trapped under the rear wheel of another bike, resulting in a painful femur fracture.
Ben’s mum, Leanne, who was watching from the sidelines, recalled, “There was loads of dust, you couldn’t see a thing. I was counting the bikes to see if Ben had come around the first corner and he hadn’t. I looked across and saw my husband waving. I ran over and when I saw Ben’s leg, I just knew it was broken. It was completely deformed. It was horrible seeing my child in that much pain.”
Yorkshire Air Ambulance’s Critical Care Team, comprised of Critical Care Paramedics Fiona Blaylock and Tammy Williams, were dispatched in the Charity’s helicopter and landed at the scene within minutes.
Whilst en route, Tammy explained, “Motocross events carry a high risk of serious injury because of the speed and terrain. Our primary concern is always whether the patient is conscious and whether they have a head injury, chest trauma, or a fracture to one of the major long bones, like the femur.”
Fortunately, Ben had remained conscious throughout and had already been treated by the trackside medics who had immobilised his leg with a splint before handing over to the YAA team when they arrived.
Speaking about the benefits of early intervention, Fiona said, “Large events often have their own medical cover, which is hugely beneficial. They can begin to carry out a primary assessment before we arrive and give us a really clear picture of what’s happened and how the injury has occurred, saving valuable time.”
After completing a full secondary assessment to check for internal injuries, the team administered a carefully controlled dose of ketamine, precisely calculated based on Ben’s age, size, and weight. The powerful drug is widely used by critical care teams in trauma cases for its rapid pain-relieving and dissociative effects. It helps to ease physical discomfort while also reducing psychological distress, particularly useful when moving patients with broken limbs, as they often won’t remember the pain afterwards.
Once Ben had been stabilised, he was carefully placed into a thermal sleeping bag to help maintain his body temperature and protect against shock. He was then carried to the waiting helicopter, where his mum joined him for the short 12-minute flight to Leeds General Infirmary, a journey that would have taken more than 30 minutes by road.
Ben was taken straight into surgery to repair the fracture to his femur and spent five days in hospital recovering. Now back home, he’s healing well and already looking forward to getting back on the bike.
Reflecting on the crash, Ben said, “I remember going into the first corner and then just falling. Someone came across in front of me and then there were bikes everywhere. I saw my mum and dad and they looked really worried. I couldn’t believe it had happened exactly a year since I broke my back at the same event. It feels like every year I end up breaking something! I know it sounds a bit crazy, but I really want to get back on my bike. I just love riding. I’m really thankful to Tammy, Fiona and the medics at the track for helping me.”
This week’s episode also features a 32-year-old man who suffered a cardiac arrest while playing football with friends, a man who severely injured his leg with an angle grinder while working in his garden, and a motorcyclist who was thrown 50 feet after colliding with a car.