Rebecca Selkirk

During his fifth visit to the woodland, Bob began working on a large conifer tree that had been torn from the ground and was laid across the forest floor with its roots fully exposed. Resting on top of the pine was a large silver birch tree, which had also fallen during the severe winds. Bob cut several logs from the fallen conifer to clear a path to the birch. Once clear, he made a partial cut into the base of the birch, stopping short of cutting all the way through.

Bob explained, “I made a cut into the base of the birch, then walked away to set my chainsaw down safely before finishing the cut with a hand tool. That’s when I heard a loud crack.”

Bob returned to investigate the click, but before he could react, the tree snapped. As the conifer straightened, it pushed the silver birch downwards, catching it on his helmet. The movement knocked him two and a half metres into another fallen tree, where he came to rest against a stump. As he landed, the birch slid down the left side of his body, striking his shoulder and pelvis, and pinning him in a seated position on the frozen ground.

The impact left Bob concussed, but remarkably, his helmet had not broken. He said, “I didn’t feel any pain at first, but I knew I couldn’t move, and I was in serious trouble.”

Bob attempted to call for help using his mobile phone but had no signal in the dense woodland. With no way of alerting anyone and no one nearby to hear his calls for help, Bob remained trapped.

Over the next few hours, he drifted in and out of consciousness, unable to tell how much time was passing. After nearly five hours alone, Bob was finally discovered when his friend returned to the site to pick him up as planned. Recognising the severity of the situation, he raced to find phone signal and called 999 for help.

Yorkshire Air Ambulance’s Nostell based critical care team was dispatched alongside the local Fell Rescue Team. Upon arrival, YAA doctor David Driver was immediately concerned by Bob’s pale, clammy appearance and feared he may be suffering from internal bleeding into his pelvis.  

Due to the complexity of both his injuries and the location, it took some time to safely free him. A total of seven people were needed to carefully carry his stretcher through the woodland, over fencing, and to the waiting helicopter. Bob was then flown to Leeds General Infirmary, arriving at around 6pm, nearly seven hours after the accident occurred.

Scans revealed Bob had suffered a fractured pelvis in four places, five broken ribs, a cracked shoulder blade, hypothermia, pneumonia, and significant internal bleeding. He was stabilised in hospital for two days before undergoing surgery to repair his pelvis.

After initial treatment in Leeds, Bob was transferred to Airedale General Hospital and later to Castleberg Hospital in Settle for rehabilitation. His recovery was far from straightforward. Within five weeks, he required a second operation after screws in his pelvis came loose, followed by a third due to a post-surgical infection. He spent five months unable to bear weight and had to relearn simple tasks like getting dressed.

Yorkshire Air Ambulance’s Nostell-based Critical Care Team, comprised of Paramedics Terri-Ann Lonie and Dr Dan Slane, were immediately dispatched 13 miles to the village of Burn in North Yorkshire.

Upon arrival, the crew joined land ambulance paramedics to assess Beth’s injuries. Thankfully, she had remained conscious and was wearing both a helmet and back protector at the time of the fall, helping to limit further injuries. However, after assessing her injuries, Dr Dan confirmed she had sustained a suspected femur fracture, an injury that, due to the size and strength of the bone, can cause significant internal bleeding.

Terri-Ann said, “She was in a lot of pain when we got there. With a femur fracture, the broken bone can damage nearby blood vessels, so we work quickly to manage pain, assess circulation, and realign the leg.”

To keep Beth as comfortable as possible, the YAA critical care team administered a carefully controlled combination of morphine and ketamine, along with gas and air, all commonly used in emergency medicine. Ketamine is particularly effective as it induces a dissociative state, helping to reduce both the patient’s awareness of their injuries and their stress response. Throughout the process, the crew remained calm and reassuring, speaking gently to help keep Beth relaxed. This approach is an essential part of care when using ketamine, as the drug can cause sensations of dizziness or disorientation

With Beth comfortable, the team applied a traction splint to straighten and stabilise her leg. The device uses metal rods and straps to gently pull the leg into alignment and relieve pressure on the fracture. Once complete, Dr checked for a distal pulse to ensure blood flow had been restored.

With CPR already underway and a defibrillator shock having been delivered at the scene, Yorkshire Air Ambulance’s dispatcher quickly recognised the seriousness of the incident and dispatched one of their Critical Care Team’s to the scene, comprising of Paramedics Terri-ann Lonie and Tom Chatwyn in the charity’s Rapid Response Vehicle (RRV), which carries the same advanced medical kit as the helicopters.

Tom said, “The RRV can sometimes reach incidents in built-up areas more quickly than the aircraft. Cardiac arrests are incredibly serious, if the heart isn’t beating and the patient isn’t breathing, they will die without rapid intervention. Immediate CPR and early defibrillation can make all the difference.”

Arriving at the leisure centre, the YAA team were escorted to the indoor pitch, where Regan was already receiving treatment from a local land ambulance crew. Paramedics explained that Regan had gone into cardiac arrest moments after collapsing, but thanks to the quick actions of his teammates and staff at the centre, who used a nearby defibrillator, had successfully restarted his heart. Regan now had a pulse and was beginning to breathe for himself, but he remained unconscious and in a highly unstable condition.

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.

Yorkshire Air Ambulance’s Nostell-based Critical Care Team, comprised of Dr Tim Moll and Paramedic Tammy Williams, were dispatched and arrived on scene in just five minutes. En route, the team discussed the possibility of a serious head injury and began preparing for which advanced medical interventions could be required.

When they reached Tyler, the signs were immediately concerning. Dr Tim recalled, “When you have a brain injury, patients can show certain characteristic postures. When we saw Tyler, his arms were extended in a way that indicated potential severe brain damage, and I was really concerned. There’s a type of head injury where someone can seem okay at first, but inside there’s bleeding or swelling putting pressure on the brain and if it’s not treated quickly, it can become fatal. That’s what we suspected had happened to Tyler.”

With time critical, the crew began preparing for a Rapid Sequence Induction (RSI), a procedure where the patient is anaesthetised and intubated so the crew can take control of their breathing. This is especially important in cases of traumatic brain injury, where managing oxygen and carbon dioxide levels can help prevent further brain damage.

With the help of a local land ambulance crew, Tyler was carefully moved on a scoop stretcher from the ground onto a trolley at waist height, giving Dr Tim and the YAA medical team space to perform the complex procedure.

Yorkshire Air Ambulance’s Nostell-based Critical Care Team, comprised of Paramedic Tom Chatwyn and Dr David Driver, were immediately dispatched. They arrived on scene within eight minutes, landing in a safe area behind the school to avoid distressing other pupils on the playground. The team were escorted to Esme’s side, where she was being supported by a rapid response paramedic and her mum, Sophie.

Upon arrival, Esme was still actively seizing, unconscious and experiencing violent muscle contractions consistent with a tonic-clonic seizure. Paramedic Tom explained, “When a patient is having a seizure, they’re not oxygenating themselves properly. They’re not taking much air in, and there’s a risk that prolonged seizures could cause brain damage. The quicker we can stop it, the better the outcome.”

With time critical, the team attempted to administer diazepam, a medication that helps suppress seizures. But Esme’s small veins, combined with the physical effects of her seizure, made intravenous access extremely difficult.

Dr Dave commented, “Children’s veins are really small and incredibly tricky to access in situations like this. You’ve also got a distressed parent, a busy environment and a child who’s actively fitting, it can be technically very challenging.”

To avoid wasting time trying to insert a cannula at the scene, the crew quickly moved Esme into the back of a land ambulance and began the journey to hospital. While en route, Dr Dave and paramedic Tom made the decision to administer the medication via intraosseous access, by drilling directly into Esme’s bone to deliver life-saving medication into her bloodstream.

Speaking of the procedure, paramedic Tom said, “When you can’t get access to a vein, we use a technique called intraosseous access. It involves drilling a needle into the bone, which contains blood vessels that link back to the circulatory system. It works really well in cases like this. It looks worse than it is, and while it sounds dramatic, it’s not as painful as people might imagine.”

Once the medication was safely administered, Esme was transferred by land ambulance to Bradford Royal Infirmary, where she stayed overnight for monitoring by the paediatric team. Incredibly, just three days later, she was back at school.

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.