BBC Ambulance shows drama as emergency crews try to rescue man from under a tram

A man being hit by a tram - one of the thousands of calls paramedics raced to in just 36 hours - featured on last night's episode of Ambulance.

The award-winning show, which follows the work of the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS), returned for the first episode of a new series.

One of the featured incidents which required a huge emergency response was reports of a man being hit by a tram and stuck underneath, somewhere between Pomona and Cornbrook stations in Manchester.

Ambulance call handlers were spoken to by a police officer who told them: "Hello it's police, can I have your assistance with a male that's been hit by a tram?

"He's currently underneath it."

The huge emergency consisted of Matt and Andy, part of a specialist doctor and paramedic team reserved for the most serious 'category one' emergencies, four hazardous area response teams, one ambulance, a senior paramedic, six police cars and three fire crews.

Initial reports suggest that the man had been 'caught in the head' by the tram as he lay in the middle of the tracks.

Emergency workers responding after a man was hit by a tram (BBC)

But his condition couldn't be fully assessed until he was freed from under the tram.

The casualty was driven on the tram to Cornbrook station before being taken to Salford Royal for further treatment.

Elsewhere in the show, paramedics Paul and Adam went to the aid of a 56-year-old man who collapsed in the bathroom.

In the ambulance his partner says she thought he had gone for a lie down upstairs.

The pair later went to help 79-year-old Shirley, who fell on the dancefloor while celebrating at an annual butchers’ ball in Bolton.

With the help of medical staff she was back on her feet and dancing again three months later.

Their colleagues Jade and Jonny responded after 88-year-old Jean fell and banged her head, causing bleeding.

With the help of medical staff Shirley was back on her feet and dancing again three months after breaking her hip (BBC)

Later they treated 87-year-old patient Loretta, who was found on the floor by her daughter.

The episode covers a 36-hour window into the work of NWAS.

During that time, the ambulance service received 9.488 calls, of which those were 159 'category one' incidents being the most serious.