24 Hours in A&E

Under the Influence (3x14)

Air date: Jul 10, 2013

This episode focuses on fall-related and alcohol-related injuries. One in ten patients in A&E comes in after a fall. Eleven-year-old Archie has tripped and fallen up a step at the school library and has badly cut his lip. Archie's worried about stitches, but he's also concerned about his rumbling tummy; he hasn't had his favourite dinner of chicken and chips. Kevin, a 57-year-old tree surgeon, has fallen off a stepladder, landing heavily on a sharp metal bar, and he's struggling to breathe. His wife June knows that he will never be a 'sitting in the armchair reading a book' kind of guy, but it's hard for her to see him in pain and the doctors are concerned he has punctured his lung. John, who's 53, has fallen down a flight of steps at the south London hostel where he lives. He's been drinking heavily and has a deep wound on the top of his head. John's first love was music, but he has hit hard times in recent years, including drugs and living on the streets. Meanwhile, 31-year-old barman Ross has fallen and smashed his head against a wall. He was leaving a club after an alcohol-fuelled work night out. He's fractured his eye socket and has a possible bleed on his brain, but the full extent of the damage won't be clear until he sobers up.