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07
Nov
Nidderdale teen's dramatic moorland rescue to feature on TV tonight
A Nidderdale teenager who lay unconscious overnight after falling off his quad bike will feature on TV tonight (November 7).
Edward Suttill, 18, will appear on the latest episode of Yorkshire Air 999.
Edward was riding home in the early hours of the morning when his quad bike flipped on a remote track near Scar House Reservoir.
He lay injured, unconscious and alone throughout the night, with no witnesses around.
It was only when Edward’s parents woke up the following morning that they realised their son hadn’t returned home.
His parent set out looking for him before calling 999, which is when the YAA’s critical care team based in Topcliffe was deployed.
Paramedics Andy Armitage and Stewart Ashburner-McManus arrived at the scene, which was 20 miles from the base, within 10 minutes.
Mr Armitage said:
When we flew overhead to try and locate the patient, we spotted a very large overturned quad bike. Seeing the size of it immediately raised concerns about the force involved and the injuries that could follow, from head and chest trauma to pelvic fractures or internal bleeding.
When the paramedics arrived, Edward’s parents said he had stopped talking around 20 minutes prior.
The outside temperature had dropped to around nine degrees, which put him at risk of hypothermia, YAA said today.
Mr Armitage added:
I was really concerned because his level of consciousness was low, he had blood around his head, and we knew he’d been there all night. When someone’s been exposed to the cold for that long, you’re thinking: 'is he unconscious because of hypothermia, because of a head injury, or both? Either way, we needed to move quickly'.
Edward was given an oxygen mask to help his breathing whilst the paramedics carried out an urgent primary assessment, including cutting his clothes to check for injuries.
YAA said Edward’s Glasgow coma scale - a method used to assess someone's consciousness after a head injury – score was 11, which indicated he had suffered a moderate head injury. His his skin was also cold to the touch.
Mr Armitage, who said he and Mr Ashburner-McManus knew they had to move Edward quickly, also said:
We didn’t want to spend any more time on the moor than necessary. He needed scans, warmth and a specialist trauma team, and the only way to get all of that fast was by air.
Edward is now back on his quad bike.
Edward was lifted onto a scoop stretcher and placed in a thermal sleeping bag to regain heat.
He was carried to the helicopter for the 12-minute flight to Leeds General Infirmary, where trauma teams were standing by.
Edward was treated for hypothermia and scans soon revealed two bleeds on his brain and a fractured shoulder blade.
He spent four weeks at Leeds General Infirmary and a further two at James Cook Hospital before being discharged and returning home.
Edward, who is now back on his quad bike, said:
We’d had a good night, and I set off home on the quad, but I didn’t quite make it. The next thing I remember properly was being in hospital. I had two bleeds on the brain, but luckily they didn’t have to operate. They told me my short-term memory had taken a hit, but the only thing I’ve forgotten is the accident, so I think I’ve done quite well.
Tonight’s episode will air on Really and discovery+ at 9pm.
It will also feature a 55-year-old man who suffered a heart attack after collapsing at home and a sailor who was knocked unconscious by his boat’s hull.
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