Couple trapped and injured after their caravan overturned in high winds on Yorkshire campsite

Paul and Christine Johnson, from Hull, were staying on a farm near Pickering with their touring caravan when the mishap happened during high winds caused by Storm Aurora.

The caravan flipped over and Mrs Johnson banged her head, but was able to crawl out of a smashed window for help. Her husband, 66, remained trapped inside, wedged between the seats and kitchen units, the contents of which had fallen onto him.

The retired engineer said: “When the caravan was blown over there was no warning. 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.”

He was freed when firefighters cut through the roof, and he believes the fact that the caravan was propped up against the tail bar of their car stopped it from rolling over again.

The Johnsons still travel in their caravan, but now avoid windy weather on their breaks.

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.