Hiker airlifted to hospital after horrifying ankle break while puffin-watching at Bempton Cliffs

Gillian Whiteford, who is from Paisley in Scotland, had made the trip down the coast to try to catch puffins at the popular bird-watching spot.

The 66-year-old was navigating the narrow and muddy clifftop path when she lost her footing and slipped.

Gillian heard a horrifying crunch as she severely fractured her ankle, leaving her lying on the ground, unable to move and exposed to the elements.

Her ordeal is captured on camera as part of the latest episode of Yorkshire Air 999, which is being shown on Really at 9pm tonight (Feb 21).

Yorkshire Air Ambulance’s critical care team, comprised of Paramedics Andy Armitage and Tom Chatwyn, were quickly dispatched from their base at RAF Topcliffe in Thirsk, flying at speeds of 160mph to race to Gillian’s aid.

The paramedics have Gillian ketamine and gas to provide some pain relief as they had to urgently realign her ankle to prevent her from further complications.

As they rolled her onto a stretcher, Andy expertly realigned her ankle in one swift motion - a critical but painful procedure. She was also placed in a thermal sleeping bag to help regulate her body temperature, before she was flown 17 miles to Scarborough General Hospital.

Reflecting on the incident, Gillian said, "We’d been looking forward to our walk and had hoped to catch a glimpse of the puffins and other wildlife that make the area so special.

“I never imagined it would end the way it did. When I fell, the pain was unbearable, and I knew something was seriously wrong. Seeing the helicopter land was such a relief.

“I can’t put into words how grateful I am to the YAA team and everyone who helped me that day. Their skill and care made all the difference, and I’ll never forget what they did for me."

She was diagnosed with a trimalleolar ankle fracture and dislocation and underwent surgery to repair her ankle. Surgeons fitted one plate and five screws on the right side of her ankle, two screws on the left side, and a screw running from front to back through the middle of her ankle.

She is now recovering and undergoing regular physiotherapy, with doctors estimating it will take several months before she is fully healed.

The episode also follows the YAA team as they respond to a woman who suffered a stroke while hiking up Pen-y-Ghent, part of the Yorkshire Three Peaks, a horse rider who sustained serious fractures and dislocations to both arms in a riding accident, and a motorcyclist who dislocated his shoulder in a fall.