Patients

The dramatic efforts of Club Doncaster Foundation gym staff and users to save the life of a grandfather is featured in the next episode of Helicopter ER – the reality TV series featuring the work of Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

When the 69-year-old suffered a massive heart attack during a Fit Rovers session at the Eco-Power Stadium, gym staff, and bystanders used a defibrillator and performed CPR for more than 10 minutes before emergency services arrived.

Their actions saved the life of the critically ill man who was placed in a medically induced coma at the scene by a Yorkshire Air Ambulance doctor before being rushed to hospital where he was fitted with a pacemaker.

Club Doncaster Foundation members have since raised money to buy a fourth defibrillator which can be used when visiting the charity’s community venues.

Foundation CEO John Davis said: “I was there and was incredibly proud of the way the team responded and dealt with what was a very dramatic event afterwards.

“I’d also like to thank the quick response and professional work of the emergency services, including Yorkshire Air Ambulance, which meant our Fit Rovers user got the vital care he needed on the scene.

“It really brought home the value of CPR training and having accessible, life-saving equipment. We were delighted that as a result of what happened the Foundation raised enough funds to buy another mobile defibrillator which our teams are now using in community venues across Doncaster.

The dramatic story features in Friday’s episode of Helicopter ER, made by Air TV for Warner Brothers Discovery, which follows the life-saving work of Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA).

The programme, which airs on Quest at 9 pm, also features a man who was struck on the head by a falling tree, a pensioner who fell off a ladder, and a cyclist who came off his bike at speed.

Photo: Emergency services work to save the life of a pensioner who suffered a massive heart attack during a gym session at the Eco-Popwer Stadium, Doncaster.

Read more news from Yorkshire Air Ambulance HERE.

A Humberside father of four who lost part of his leg in a fork-lift truck accident is planning to raise money for the air ambulance charity that helped to save his life.

Rob Smith’s life changed in an instant last April when he was pinned against a wall by a forklift truck while delivering chipboard to a company in Batley.

The corner of the rig went through the 37-year-old’s right knee, severing his leg. “I had managed to jump out the way but my leg was caught between the back of the forklift and the corner of the wall,” said Rob.

“When the truck pulled back and I looked down I knew it was bad. I was laid on the floor and put my head back and even though there was lots of noise around everything went quiet and black and all I could see like a little candlelight.

“That scared me and that was when I woke myself up and looking again I knew I had to do something to stop the bleeding. I was losing so much.”

Rob, who is first aid trained, did what he could to stem the blood flow himself and got horrified workers to get him a tourniquet before the emergency services arrived including Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

The accident features on this week’s episode of Helicopter ER – the reality TV series featuring the work of rapid response emergency service.

Rob’s efforts and those of the medics saved his life but could not save his leg which was amputated just above the knee. After nine days in hospital and intensive occupational and physiotherapy, he has learned to walk with a mechanical leg.

He has returned to an office-based role as head of transport and health and safety for Yorkshire Plywood and is now planning to fundraise for Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

“I know it is me who has experienced this but it really has hit my family big time and it’s not been until the last couple of months that I’ve realised just how much,” said Rob.

“I wanted to get back some kind of normality as soon as possible. It has been a challenge, and there’s still a long way to go but the main thing is I’m just so grateful to be here, that the kids still have their Dad.

“I can’t thank the air ambulance enough. You don’t realise just how much amazing work they do until you need them yourself and I would really like to do something to raise some money for them in the New Year.”

Photo: Rob Smith from Hessle whose leg was amputated after a forklift truck accident with two of his children Poppy and Ollie.

Read more news from YAA HERE.

A North Yorkshire pensioner had a lucky escape after being felled by a flying log in a wood-cutting accident that features in this week’s episode of Helicopter ER – the reality TV series featuring the work of Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Forester and landscape gardener Trevor Dawson was cutting sycamore using a high-pressure log splitter machine when he was hit in the chest by a 20kg lump of wood.

The force of the impact threw the 74-year-old backward causing severe internal and external bruising.

Fortunately, the father-of-three had his mobile phone and could call a farmer friend who found him in agony on the ground and rang the emergency services. Yorkshire Air Ambulance was dispatched to the remote location near Skipton and flew Trevor to the nearest major trauma centre in Preston.

“It happened so suddenly – one moment everything was great and then the machine spat out this log and the next thing I know I am on the floor. I really thought it was the end of me because the pain in my chest was terrible,” said Trevor from Bank Newton, near Skipton.

It’s not the first time that Trevor has reason to be grateful to the rapid response charity – his wife Elaine was also airlifted a few years ago following a bad horse-riding accident. He added: “I’ve had a few accidents before but nothing as horrendous as this, and it was such a relief to see the air ambulance land.

“There was no way a road ambulance could have got to me and they were just fantastic.”

It took Trevor over a month to recover from his injuries. His accident features in tomorrow night’s episode of Helicopter ER, the award-winning Really TV series which follows the life-saving work of Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

This week’s episode also features the story of a boy who broke his leg after falling from hay bales, a man seriously injured in a high-speed road accident, and a farming accident involving a cattle feeder.

Photo: Trevor Dawson who was felled in a log-splitting accident at a remote North Yorkshire location

Read more news from Yorkshire Air Ambulance HERE.

A Hull caravanning couple’s lucky escape will feature in the next episode of Helicopter ER – the reality TV series featuring the work of Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Paul and Christine Johnson were inside their caravan at a farm site near Pickering when a freak wind during the tail-end of Storm Aurora flipped it over with the shocked pensioners still inside.

Christine banged her head but was able to crawl out of a smashed window to get help from other family members on site. But, 66-year-old Paul was trapped inside, wedged painfully between the seats and kitchen units which emptied their contents on top of him.

“When the caravan was blown over there was no warning,” said the retired engineer. “One minute, I was drinking a cup of tea and the next, I was just tossed around and everything just seemed to fall on top of me.

“I was pinned down, just couldn’t move. It was so disorientating as my glasses had been knocked off and my first thought was Christine. Thankfully she was OK, and I feel very lucky to be alive too as there was a vertical knife sticking up just six inches away from me.”

Paul, who has osteoarthritis in his spine making him vulnerable to spinal fractures, was only freed when firefighters cut through the roof of the overturned caravan.

The caravan – known as the ‘Love Shack’ – was propped up against the tail bar of Paul’s car which he believes stopped it from rolling over again and miraculously he only sustained minor injuries.

And, the drama has not stopped the couple’s love of caravanning – they are just wary of travelling and pitching in windy conditions.

Their story features in Tuesday night’s episode of Helicopter ER, the award-winning Really channel programme which follows the life-saving work of Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

The programme also features a three-vehicle road accident which saw two people airlifted to major trauma centres, including a motorcyclist who was carrying his dog in a sidecar, and a man who suffered major leg injuries after slipping off the edge of a home renovation project.

Photo: Paul Johnson was trapped in his caravan after a freak wind flipped it over.

Read more news from Yorkshire Air Ambulance HERE.