A MAN has been airlifted to hospital with serious head injuries after being found near Middleham Castle.
The 33-year-old man was treated by the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) doctor-led trauma team and Yorkshire Ambulance Service paramedics at the scene in the famous racing town, near Leyburn, at 1.50pm on Friday.
The man was taken to James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough within 12 minutes, and arrived in a stable condition.
Police said the man had been found in Castle Hill, Middleham, and an investigation is ongoing to find out how the man was injured – including the possibility he was assaulted.
GNAAS said it was understood the man was a jockey.
A local resident, who did not wish to be named, said he was walking his dog near the castle when he saw several police vehicles and the road was taped off.
He said: “I was walking just past the castle at around 2.30pm and there was a helicopter landed in the village.
“I then found near the castle entrance there were two police vans and two or three police cars, and the street was all cordoned off with tape.”
Middleham is home to the Middleham Trainers’ Association and several big name stable yards, with racing being the biggest employer of the town.
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