0:00:02 > 0:00:04Rural Britain has some of the most challenging
0:00:04 > 0:00:05environments in the world.
0:00:05 > 0:00:09In Scotland, the mountains, lochs and coastline
0:00:09 > 0:00:13encourage tourists and locals to get out into the wilds.
0:00:13 > 0:00:15But with that comes danger.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21Keep your arms by your side!
0:00:21 > 0:00:24The emergency services north of the border
0:00:24 > 0:00:28have to deal with extreme challenges every day.
0:00:28 > 0:00:29Nobody in their right mind
0:00:29 > 0:00:32should have attempted to drive through this.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35From severe weather and treacherous terrain...
0:00:35 > 0:00:38- Is the pain getting worse, do you think?- Yes.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41..to covering huge distances on rural roads
0:00:41 > 0:00:43with time against them.
0:00:46 > 0:00:47They work around the clock,
0:00:47 > 0:00:51battling against some of the most difficult situations.
0:00:53 > 0:00:56We'll be right at the heart of the action.
0:00:56 > 0:01:00Side by side with air rescue saving lives.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03On the road with paramedics caring for the hurt and injured
0:01:03 > 0:01:05and following the police fighting crime,
0:01:05 > 0:01:09as the emergency services work together to pick up, patch up
0:01:09 > 0:01:12and protect the public in rural communities.
0:01:14 > 0:01:16This is Countryside 999.
0:01:33 > 0:01:34Coming up -
0:01:34 > 0:01:38emergency services attend a serious road traffic collision
0:01:38 > 0:01:41involving a car and a horse-drawn carriage
0:01:41 > 0:01:44I looked at where I thought the horses would be
0:01:44 > 0:01:48and there was just, at that point, a big bang.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51A search and rescue helicopter battles bad weather
0:01:51 > 0:01:53to save a man at sea.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00And we go out on the slopes with the ski patrol,
0:02:00 > 0:02:03as they help two badly injured skiers.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20A fifth of the UK population live in the countryside.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25In London, there are 12,500 people per square mile,
0:02:25 > 0:02:31but here, in Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland, there are only 60.
0:02:31 > 0:02:35People are more thinly spread, and so too are the emergency services.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44Traffic cops David Holland and Hazel Smyth
0:02:44 > 0:02:46both moved to the area for the wide open spaces.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49But with over three million vehicles
0:02:49 > 0:02:52travelling through this part of the UK every year,
0:02:52 > 0:02:56they're kept busy, especially when the weather turns wintry.
0:02:56 > 0:02:58Don't think we'll be standing out here too long.
0:02:58 > 0:03:00I'm OK, Dave!
0:03:07 > 0:03:11Certainly feels very slippery, you can see it glistening away
0:03:11 > 0:03:16and can also hear that the tyre noise goes down as well, on ice.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21With today's icy conditions, it's not long before a call
0:03:21 > 0:03:26comes in to attend an accident 14 miles away on the A75.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29What we think's happened, it's a low loader
0:03:29 > 0:03:32and a digger's come off the back of it, so it could be an insecure load.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38An accident involving a large vehicle on the main trunk road
0:03:38 > 0:03:42running from east to west, can have a huge knock-on effect
0:03:42 > 0:03:45to the rush hour traffic, particularly in a rural area
0:03:45 > 0:03:47with a network of smaller roads.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51We've got the issue now of, the road's going to have to get closed
0:03:51 > 0:03:54to recover the digger off the road and the lorry, so...
0:03:56 > 0:03:58There it is here.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01Looks like what's happened here, he's come round the roundabout maybe
0:04:01 > 0:04:04and it's slipped and it's on its side, over there.
0:04:06 > 0:04:08An eight-tonne truck has crashed on its side.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10Miraculously, no-one is hurt.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12It's not good.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15Now you see, the problem is, if that had landed on top of a car,
0:04:15 > 0:04:18you can see the impact that would have caused.
0:04:18 > 0:04:20That would have been a serious RTC.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28Hazel tries to establish the likely cause.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30What was it secured with?
0:04:30 > 0:04:34You know, how many chains, just the two, was it?
0:04:34 > 0:04:37Where were the chains on it?
0:04:37 > 0:04:40Just snapped, did they?
0:04:42 > 0:04:44Who chained it down?
0:04:44 > 0:04:47Did you? You put it on the trailer this morning?
0:04:47 > 0:04:50Should have been sufficiently strapped down
0:04:50 > 0:04:53and it's obviously shifted and one of the chains has snapped
0:04:53 > 0:04:57so obviously wasn't enough chains on it
0:04:57 > 0:04:59to keep it securely strapped down.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03The lorry driver's camera-shy
0:05:03 > 0:05:06so Hazel takes him to the front of the vehicle to question him.
0:05:06 > 0:05:11In my opinion, I don't think two chains is enough on that.
0:05:11 > 0:05:13You know? What do you think?
0:05:17 > 0:05:20Right, well something's caused that to come off, obviously.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23It's your chains or your speed going round the roundabout.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26You can see the problem, if that had landed on top of a car,
0:05:26 > 0:05:28that would have been fatal this morning.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30It would have been a disaster.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34Commercial drivers are responsible
0:05:34 > 0:05:37for the safety of their vehicle and cargo.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40Around 4,000 people are prosecuted each year
0:05:40 > 0:05:42for driving with an unsafe load.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46There are no casualties this time,
0:05:46 > 0:05:49but if the road had been busier, the eight-tonne truck
0:05:49 > 0:05:53falling off the low loader could have had devastating consequences.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57Even though it is icy, that chain should have held that, I think.
0:05:57 > 0:06:01So it's insecure, it's come off.
0:06:01 > 0:06:05I would caution and charge him with that and report it.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08- It's up to the court to decide then, isn't it?- Unsecured load.
0:06:10 > 0:06:15David has taken photographs and the broken chain is seized for evidence.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18The recovery vehicle moves the truck off the road
0:06:18 > 0:06:20so the A75 can be reopened.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28The driver will be charged with carrying a dangerous load.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32If found guilty, he'll face a fine and points on his licence.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39But the day is not over yet.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42As Hazel and David near the end of their shift,
0:06:42 > 0:06:46they get a 999 call to a major road traffic collision 30 miles away.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49This time, there are serious casualties.
0:06:50 > 0:06:55We've just obviously been notified about this serious crash.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57Excuse me a sec.
0:06:58 > 0:07:02There's one person with a potentially serious head injury.
0:07:02 > 0:07:07I believe there's a heli-med on its way.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21In rural Britain, search and rescue helicopters
0:07:21 > 0:07:24play a vital role in serving isolated communities miles apart
0:07:24 > 0:07:26and often in hard-to-reach places.
0:07:29 > 0:07:34Prestwick Airport is home to HMS Gannet's Search And Rescue Team.
0:07:34 > 0:07:38They cover an area of 98,000 square miles...
0:07:40 > 0:07:42..from Northern Ireland to the Lake District
0:07:42 > 0:07:45and up to the top of Scotland.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01Training is a crucial part of their routine,
0:08:01 > 0:08:04especially for co-pilots like Craig "Sweenos" Sweeney,
0:08:04 > 0:08:07who must guide the massive Sea King helicopter
0:08:07 > 0:08:08in challenging conditions.
0:08:33 > 0:08:38Helicopters don't normally fly under obstacles, they fly over them.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41But certain rescue or weather situations require the crews
0:08:41 > 0:08:44to undergo dangerous under-flying manoeuvres.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51Navigating difficult obstacles in low cloud like the Erskine Bridge
0:08:51 > 0:08:52gives the crew crucial skills
0:08:52 > 0:08:55they can apply to real emergency situations.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10The crew have only 60 feet clearance
0:09:10 > 0:09:14to fly the ten-tonne Sea King helicopter under the Erskine Bridge.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19RADIO CHATTER
0:09:25 > 0:09:26They've made it.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30It's just as well all search and rescue teams are trained
0:09:30 > 0:09:35for these low flying situations, as another HMS Gannet crew
0:09:35 > 0:09:38soon have to put these very skills to the test when they answer
0:09:38 > 0:09:43a 999 call to rescue a man overboard in the North Sea.
0:09:51 > 0:09:55Back in Dumfriesshire, traffic cops Hazel Smyth and David Holland
0:09:55 > 0:09:58are nearing the end of their shift.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02They've cleared an accident from a busy A road
0:10:02 > 0:10:04after a truck fell off a low loader.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09Now they're blue-lighting to the scene
0:10:09 > 0:10:11of a serious road traffic collision.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14We've been sent to a call to a serious crash,
0:10:14 > 0:10:16just on the other side of Dumfries
0:10:16 > 0:10:21so it's about 30 miles away from where we are at the moment.
0:10:23 > 0:10:27Hazel must navigate 30 miles of icy, country roads, in an area
0:10:27 > 0:10:31with the second highest rate of road accidents in the whole of the UK.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39On the way, PC David Holland gets a worrying update.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52Basically, it was one person with a potentially serious head injury.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56I believe there's a heli-med on its way.
0:10:58 > 0:11:02There are five people involved, but they're not the only casualties.
0:11:12 > 0:11:16There's actually been two horses involved in the accident,
0:11:16 > 0:11:19so they're just calling out a vet for the horses at the moment.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22Think they've been injured too.
0:11:22 > 0:11:24The news goes from bad to worse.
0:11:31 > 0:11:35That's it confirmed, obviously, by the ambulance staff
0:11:35 > 0:11:38that it's a potential fatality, so...
0:11:40 > 0:11:44I'd imagine there's going to be some accident investigators called out
0:11:44 > 0:11:47and the road'll be shut for quite some time.
0:11:47 > 0:11:49When they arrive at the scene,
0:11:49 > 0:11:51the extent of the collision becomes clear.
0:11:51 > 0:11:53There's the helicopter.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58But this accident is not between two cars.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01It involves a car and a horse-drawn carriage
0:12:01 > 0:12:05carrying a bride and her father to her wedding.
0:12:07 > 0:12:11We've got a horse cart, there was two folk guiding it,
0:12:11 > 0:12:15two in the back. It's been hit by one car, one driver.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19Four injured, one with a serious head injury.
0:12:22 > 0:12:24When we first arrived,
0:12:24 > 0:12:27there was obviously damage to the carriage, it was on its side.
0:12:27 > 0:12:32Horses had been injured. Extensive damage to the motorist's vehicle.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35Our first fear is,
0:12:35 > 0:12:37how bad are these injuries?
0:12:39 > 0:12:42Four ambulance crews are tending to the casualties.
0:12:42 > 0:12:44The air ambulance is on standby
0:12:44 > 0:12:48as the carriage driver has sustained life-threatening injuries.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52The driver of the cart who sits up the front of it,
0:12:52 > 0:12:56he's got knocked off, and he's been hurled metres away from it,
0:12:56 > 0:12:59so at the moment, it's a potential fatal
0:12:59 > 0:13:02but we don't know the full extent of the injuries just yet.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12Later, Simon, the driver of the carriage,
0:13:12 > 0:13:16is blue-lit to hospital with serious head injuries.
0:13:16 > 0:13:17Simon kept shouting at me,
0:13:17 > 0:13:20"Have I got the horses off, have I got the horses off?"
0:13:20 > 0:13:23What you want to do is to get down on your hands and knees
0:13:23 > 0:13:26and make sure your husband is breathing.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31The Royal Navy Search And Rescue Team faces a dilemma
0:13:31 > 0:13:34when they rush to save a man from drowning at sea.
0:13:40 > 0:13:42But first we join the ski patrol
0:13:42 > 0:13:45protecting visitors to the slopes of the Cairngorms.
0:13:54 > 0:13:58One third of Scotland's landscape is made up of mountains like these.
0:14:02 > 0:14:06They attract millions of visitors each year from all over the world.
0:14:08 > 0:14:12But these mountains can be treacherous playgrounds.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14They give the emergency services massive challenges
0:14:14 > 0:14:18when rescues need to be carried out.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21As environments go, it doesn't get much tougher than this.
0:14:28 > 0:14:32The Cairngorm Mountain Ski Centre is Britain's busiest ski resort.
0:14:36 > 0:14:40Every year, around a quarter of a million people visit this mountain.
0:14:41 > 0:14:45And keeping them all safe are the Cairngorm ski patrollers.
0:14:47 > 0:14:49Specially trained first aid responders
0:14:49 > 0:14:53and skilled skiers on call to rescue people from the slopes.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00In freezing temperatures, the ski patrol team's priority
0:15:00 > 0:15:04is to get their casualties safely off the mountain.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06We'll be seeing you back soon.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09On shift today is 25-year-old Justine Stewart.
0:15:11 > 0:15:13She started here as a volunteer
0:15:13 > 0:15:16and has been a full-time ski patroller for two years.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21The conditions are very changeable here,
0:15:21 > 0:15:24so we could come up and it could be very still,
0:15:24 > 0:15:26and then maybe within a couple of hours
0:15:26 > 0:15:30we could have 60-70 mile per hour winds.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33So it's very changeable, you've got be very adaptable.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35A call comes in.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38A 16-year-old skier has injured herself in a fall
0:15:38 > 0:15:40on an intermediate ski run.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45Justine and colleague Nancy set off.
0:15:47 > 0:15:51It's crucial to get the injured girl Vicky off the mountain
0:15:51 > 0:15:52as fast as possible.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58Temperatures can drop to minus 18 on the mountain,
0:15:58 > 0:16:00so hypothermia is an added risk
0:16:00 > 0:16:03for casualties who may already be in shock.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10When the rescue team arrive, Vicky is in a lot of pain
0:16:10 > 0:16:12and unable to stand.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15I don't know what happened, but I was just skiing down,
0:16:15 > 0:16:18and I felt it just go and that's when I fell over.
0:16:18 > 0:16:20Right, did it go before you fell?
0:16:20 > 0:16:24Yeah, and I landed on it and I tried to walk then,
0:16:24 > 0:16:27and I couldn't put any weight on it at all.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29You're doing really well.
0:16:31 > 0:16:35Justine suspects Vicky may have torn a ligament or dislocated her knee,
0:16:35 > 0:16:39so, once bandaged, it's secured with an inflatable splint.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43So what I'll do, I'll put the straps on, OK, and then I'll start
0:16:43 > 0:16:47to mould it around your knee, and then we can take the air out.
0:16:47 > 0:16:49Then you'll feel much more comfortable.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52How does that feel, does that feel it's supporting it there?
0:16:52 > 0:16:53Sore, though.
0:16:54 > 0:16:58Going to go quite tight, Vicky, cos I don't want this moving.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01- How's that doing?- Yeah, that's good.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04They must get Vicky off the mountain and down the 600 metres
0:17:04 > 0:17:07to the treatment room in the base station.
0:17:07 > 0:17:11Push up with your arms, and try and get your bum onto the sledge.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15The first part of her descent
0:17:15 > 0:17:18is on one of the ski patrol's specially designed sledges.
0:17:18 > 0:17:19Well done, Vicky, that's awesome.
0:17:19 > 0:17:23It's not the most comfortable of rides.
0:17:23 > 0:17:25OK. Thanks, Nance!
0:17:31 > 0:17:34The ski patrol take the sledge as far as they can...
0:17:36 > 0:17:39..then transfer Vicky onto the mountain funicular.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42On three. One, two, three.
0:17:43 > 0:17:44Let's go straight in here.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49It looks a lot worse than it is.
0:17:49 > 0:17:53At the base, it's a team effort to get Vicky into the treatment room.
0:17:53 > 0:17:57- OK, Vicky?- Watch the door.
0:17:57 > 0:17:59You're being very brave.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02Nice warm room.
0:18:03 > 0:18:07Her injury means she'll need to go to hospital for an X-ray.
0:18:07 > 0:18:09She's twisted it, she said she felt it pop.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12What we might do is, we might get an ambulance for you
0:18:12 > 0:18:14because of the pain. Does that sound OK?
0:18:14 > 0:18:18- Yes.- Yeah.
0:18:18 > 0:18:19Vicky's dad has arrived.
0:18:19 > 0:18:21We don't really know what's going on inside the knee,
0:18:21 > 0:18:24but going by the pain, it's pretty intense.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27- My ski didn't come off. - Didn't it?- No.
0:18:27 > 0:18:31That was what the problem was. The ski didn't come off.
0:18:31 > 0:18:33We were thinking of an ambulance.
0:18:33 > 0:18:35Seems a shame to tie up an ambulance.
0:18:35 > 0:18:37To save calling out an ambulance,
0:18:37 > 0:18:41he offers to drive her the one-hour journey to hospital.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43Would you keep the splint on it?
0:18:43 > 0:18:46Yeah, I don't want to move it at all, basically.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50Slowly, slowly.
0:18:50 > 0:18:52Have you got that side?
0:18:52 > 0:18:54Safely strapped into her dad's car,
0:18:54 > 0:18:57Vicky can head to hospital for an X-ray
0:18:57 > 0:18:59to confirm the extent of damage.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07And Justine's first aid skills are required again
0:19:07 > 0:19:11when a skier runs over a snowboarder and slashes his wrist.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14We need to see the extent of this bleeding, OK?
0:19:27 > 0:19:31The HMS Gannet Search And Rescue Teams cover a massive area
0:19:31 > 0:19:34to reach people in remote locations.
0:19:34 > 0:19:36They train hard to negotiate
0:19:36 > 0:19:40all kinds of severe weather conditions in real call-outs.
0:19:40 > 0:19:44Today, the four-strong crew, led by observer Angela Lewis,
0:19:44 > 0:19:46are responding to a life-and-death situation
0:19:46 > 0:19:48to rescue a man in the sea.
0:20:01 > 0:20:05A 999 call has reported a person in the Firth of Forth Estuary,
0:20:05 > 0:20:07north of Edinburgh.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09It's 45 minutes away and every second counts.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14Cold water means a high risk of hypothermia
0:20:14 > 0:20:17so the nearest hospital in Edinburgh has been put on standby.
0:20:28 > 0:20:30If the casualty is in the water,
0:20:30 > 0:20:34winchman Andy Firth will be lowered down to rescue them.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37In preparation, Andy puts on his immersion suit.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39Meantime, the weather is closing in.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44And low cloud is bad news for helicopters.
0:20:57 > 0:20:58It's raining.
0:20:58 > 0:21:02The cloud base is at 180 feet, so visibility's poor,
0:21:02 > 0:21:06making terrible conditions to carry out a rescue.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09They must fly under the cloud at around 50 feet,
0:21:09 > 0:21:12following the River Forth to guide them.
0:21:23 > 0:21:25As they get closer,
0:21:25 > 0:21:29the ominous sight electricity pylons appears in front of them.
0:21:30 > 0:21:34The low cloud means they can't fly over the pylons.
0:21:34 > 0:21:39But these cables carry 275,000 volts.
0:21:39 > 0:21:43If the rotor blades touch them, it's certain death for the crew,
0:21:43 > 0:21:46making this an even riskier manoeuvre
0:21:46 > 0:21:48than flying under a bridge.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51With a casualty in open water and the clock ticking,
0:21:51 > 0:21:53it's decision time for the crew.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06Avoiding the cables would mean a 15-minute detour.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14It was one of the poorest conditions weather-wise that day,
0:22:14 > 0:22:16and everyone's ante is upped
0:22:16 > 0:22:18when it's a person in the water.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20The difference of seconds
0:22:20 > 0:22:24could be life or death to somebody in the water.
0:22:24 > 0:22:29With someone's life at risk, the decision is made to go under.
0:22:29 > 0:22:33The pylons are looming ahead, but will they make it?
0:22:38 > 0:22:40130 miles south-west,
0:22:40 > 0:22:45the police are still on the scene of a serious road accident.
0:22:45 > 0:22:47A car has crashed into a horse-drawn carriage
0:22:47 > 0:22:51carrying a bride and her father to her wedding.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55Their horse-drawn carriage has been heading towards a nearby hotel
0:22:55 > 0:22:58for a wedding reception and it's been in collision with a car.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00Four people from the carriage are injured,
0:23:00 > 0:23:02one of them seriously injured,
0:23:02 > 0:23:05and we're just carrying out investigations just now
0:23:05 > 0:23:06to see exactly what's happened.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12Four ambulance crews are tending to the casualties.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15The air ambulance is on standby as the carriage driver, Simon,
0:23:15 > 0:23:17is critically injured.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20He was flung metres in the air and landed on the road.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24Given the severity of his injuries,
0:23:24 > 0:23:28the paramedics decide it's safer to make the five-mile trip to hospital
0:23:28 > 0:23:32by ambulance, rather than moving Simon into the helicopter.
0:23:34 > 0:23:36PC David Holland will provide a police escort
0:23:36 > 0:23:40to get them there faster, in case his condition deteriorates.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42When you think about horse-drawn carriages,
0:23:42 > 0:23:47you don't tend to think of them as being particularly sturdy things.
0:23:47 > 0:23:51So you do tend to think the worst when you're going to these things.
0:23:53 > 0:23:57Simon's wife Zoe was driving the bridesmaids by car to the wedding.
0:23:59 > 0:24:03He wanted me to stay and sort the horses, but then...
0:24:03 > 0:24:05She witnessed the accident first-hand.
0:24:05 > 0:24:07I turned round and there was a...
0:24:07 > 0:24:10I looked at where I thought the horses would be
0:24:10 > 0:24:13and there was just, at that point,
0:24:13 > 0:24:16a big bang, and I start to run up the road
0:24:16 > 0:24:21and the carriage and the car are still coming down the road
0:24:21 > 0:24:23towards me, as I'm running up.
0:24:24 > 0:24:28By this time, the carriage has now made a full flip back over itself.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31Simon was actually coming through the air, and had landed
0:24:31 > 0:24:35on the road, so I'm shouting for Simon as I'm running up the road.
0:24:36 > 0:24:41Simon's horrific injuries meant he was in and out of consciousness.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44Despite that, he was still concerned about the horses.
0:24:44 > 0:24:48Simon kept shouting at me, "Have I got the horses off,
0:24:48 > 0:24:50"have I got the horses off?"
0:24:50 > 0:24:53Because if they got loose or if something happened,
0:24:53 > 0:24:56they're big animals, they're heavy animals, and they could go on
0:24:56 > 0:24:59to cause either another accident or cause more damage to what was there.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02I had to make sure that they were under control
0:25:02 > 0:25:05when all you want to do is to get down on your hands and knees
0:25:05 > 0:25:08and make sure your husband is breathing.
0:25:11 > 0:25:13The car driver has escaped uninjured,
0:25:13 > 0:25:16but all the occupants of the carriage -
0:25:16 > 0:25:17the bride, her father,
0:25:17 > 0:25:20Simon the carriage driver and his daughter Hannah,
0:25:20 > 0:25:24who was sitting up front with her dad, have been taken to hospital.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32The serious nature of this collision calls for a joint effort
0:25:32 > 0:25:37between the emergency services and the different police divisions.
0:25:37 > 0:25:40On their way to help are PCs Matt Tate and Stuart Rae.
0:25:40 > 0:25:44Their role is to divert traffic away from the incident.
0:25:47 > 0:25:49We'll do it.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52Oscar 5-30 Bravo Three, we'll come across from Beeswing,
0:25:52 > 0:25:54come in the top end, over.
0:25:54 > 0:25:58'Roger, you'll find we're looking for the road to be closed off.'
0:25:58 > 0:25:59Yeah, Roger.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02We're going to come in from the top end of the accident
0:26:02 > 0:26:07and close the road from there, cos traffic's building up.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10Council's been contacted, they'll put diversions in.
0:26:13 > 0:26:14On such a network of narrow roads,
0:26:14 > 0:26:18it's important that traffic keeps moving to stop tailbacks,
0:26:18 > 0:26:21and to give the emergency services clear routes
0:26:21 > 0:26:22to get the injured to hospital.
0:26:22 > 0:26:27Roger, that's us, we've now shut the road off.
0:26:29 > 0:26:34South of your location, we'll direct traffic up the Ockham Road. Over.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43Before any vehicles can be removed,
0:26:43 > 0:26:46the accident investigation team must examine the scene
0:26:46 > 0:26:48to find out exactly what happened.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51Just the one in there. Just the one person in the car,
0:26:51 > 0:26:55four in the carriage. The boy's been tubed and he's OK.
0:26:55 > 0:26:59The officers check the damage to the car and the carriage
0:26:59 > 0:27:01for signs of what caused the collision.
0:27:01 > 0:27:03You see in the front of the car,
0:27:03 > 0:27:05you see a mark down the offside of the radiator.
0:27:05 > 0:27:07The full length of the radiator.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10There's a mark from the top right to the bottom.
0:27:10 > 0:27:14It's obviously caused a crease in the bumper as well.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17It's my opinion at this time that the mark on the radiator
0:27:17 > 0:27:20has actually been caused by this wheel here.
0:27:20 > 0:27:22At this moment in time, I think the vehicle was travelling
0:27:22 > 0:27:26fully on its own side of the road, and it would appear to have
0:27:26 > 0:27:29just driven directly into the rear of the carriage.
0:27:29 > 0:27:31I'm advised at the time of the crash,
0:27:31 > 0:27:33albeit it's just over an hour since the crash now,
0:27:33 > 0:27:35at the time of the crash there was a really low bright sun,
0:27:35 > 0:27:39which I think at this time may have contributed to the cause of the crash.
0:27:50 > 0:27:52In rural Britain,
0:27:52 > 0:27:55the emergency services have to cover bigger distances
0:27:55 > 0:27:59and more difficult terrain than their counterparts in the cities.
0:27:59 > 0:28:02And there are few more challenging environments
0:28:02 > 0:28:04than Cairngorm Mountain.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10It's a busy Saturday, with over a thousand skiers
0:28:10 > 0:28:13and snowboarders on the mountain.
0:28:13 > 0:28:17Ski Patroller Justine Stewart is checking the slopes...
0:28:17 > 0:28:19Guys, can you get off the track?
0:28:19 > 0:28:22..when an emergency call comes in about a snowboarder
0:28:22 > 0:28:25who's been run over by a skier and been badly cut.
0:28:31 > 0:28:3521-year-old Eric is bleeding heavily from a cut
0:28:35 > 0:28:39which could have severed a main artery in his wrist.
0:28:39 > 0:28:42Incredibly, a passing skier, who's a nurse, stopped to help.
0:28:42 > 0:28:45She's tourniqueted his wrist with bandages
0:28:45 > 0:28:47to try and stop the blood flow.
0:28:48 > 0:28:49If he has cut an artery,
0:28:49 > 0:28:53this first aid could mean the difference between life and death.
0:28:53 > 0:28:56We need to see the extent of this bleeding, OK?
0:28:56 > 0:29:00It'll be very quick, but cos the tourniquet's off, we need to see.
0:29:00 > 0:29:05Nancy carefully removes the bandage and discovers a deep laceration.
0:29:05 > 0:29:09There was a collision with another skier and, as a result,
0:29:09 > 0:29:12the other skier had skied over his wrist,
0:29:12 > 0:29:15so the ski edge had actually cut into him.
0:29:16 > 0:29:19Another ski patroller arrives with a sledge
0:29:19 > 0:29:21and extra bandages to stop the bleeding.
0:29:21 > 0:29:24Dave, have you got an ambulance dressing on you?
0:29:24 > 0:29:27- Yeah, just in the top there.- Cool.
0:29:34 > 0:29:37What we're going to do is take you down to the bottom,
0:29:37 > 0:29:40- and get you into the warm. - OK. Perfect.
0:29:40 > 0:29:42How are you feeling about an ambulance?
0:29:46 > 0:29:49Eric's putting on a brave face, but the team need to get him
0:29:49 > 0:29:52off the hill and down to the base station as quickly as possible.
0:29:56 > 0:30:00We're going to get him into the warm and make a better assessment.
0:30:03 > 0:30:06After a bumpy ride, the pain is getting worse.
0:30:18 > 0:30:20Paramedics are en route.
0:30:20 > 0:30:24Meanwhile, Nancy and Justine need to keep Eric as stable as possible.
0:30:24 > 0:30:28Are you feeling OK? You're not feeling faint or anything, are you?
0:30:37 > 0:30:40The bleeding won't stop, so more pressure's put on his wrist.
0:30:42 > 0:30:45Eric, there's nothing that we can do here cos it's quite deep.
0:30:45 > 0:30:47We can't stitch you up just now,
0:30:47 > 0:30:50but we can just stop the bleeding, which will be good for you.
0:30:53 > 0:30:56In the city, an ambulance might take minutes to be on the scene,
0:30:56 > 0:30:59but here in the Cairngorms, it can take up to an hour.
0:31:08 > 0:31:11The amount of blood loss there, and the speed at which the blood
0:31:11 > 0:31:15was coming out, we were getting a bit concerned.
0:31:16 > 0:31:19As they play the waiting game for the ambulance,
0:31:19 > 0:31:21Eric's also getting worried.
0:31:21 > 0:31:23Can we be perfectly honest here?
0:31:23 > 0:31:25Am I, is this going to be OK?
0:31:29 > 0:31:32Are you jiggling about because of the pain
0:31:32 > 0:31:34or are you jiggling about cos you're cold?
0:31:34 > 0:31:36No, I'm jiggling about because of the pain.
0:31:39 > 0:31:41You're doing really well.
0:31:41 > 0:31:43Might not feel like it, but you are.
0:31:46 > 0:31:49Eric is stable, but both Nancy and Justine
0:31:49 > 0:31:52know that he can't afford to lose much more blood.
0:31:52 > 0:31:55So that's a really good sign that you can still move your fingers.
0:31:55 > 0:31:57Still clench Nancy's finger.
0:31:57 > 0:31:59That's really good. We like that.
0:31:59 > 0:32:00Keep it that way.
0:32:08 > 0:32:11The ambulance paramedics arrive and take over from ski patrol.
0:32:16 > 0:32:18- Can you feel your finger tips wiggling?- Yeah.
0:32:18 > 0:32:20Move your fingers and all that?
0:32:20 > 0:32:24It's totally fine, we'll have a look and see what we're going to do.
0:32:31 > 0:32:34Try and make yourself look hard on TV.
0:32:37 > 0:32:39Eric's best mate Ryan sees for himself
0:32:39 > 0:32:42just how sharp the ski that cut Eric was.
0:32:43 > 0:32:45Straight through the glove, like.
0:32:45 > 0:32:48We're supposed to be going out to a 21st tonight,
0:32:48 > 0:32:50but I don't think it'll be happening.
0:32:50 > 0:32:52The paramedics take Eric by ambulance
0:32:52 > 0:32:55to the local medical centre ten miles away
0:32:55 > 0:32:56to get the bleeding stopped
0:32:56 > 0:32:59and the full extent of his injuries assessed.
0:33:10 > 0:33:12Back in the east of Scotland,
0:33:12 > 0:33:14the Royal Navy's Search And Rescue Team
0:33:14 > 0:33:18are responding to an emergency call in the Firth of Forth.
0:33:18 > 0:33:21A 999 call reported seeing a person in the sea.
0:33:21 > 0:33:23With someone at risk from drowning,
0:33:23 > 0:33:26the crew are trying to get there as quickly as they can.
0:33:26 > 0:33:31Right, OK, over these wires, there's the bridge.
0:33:33 > 0:33:37But electricity pylons are across their most direct route.
0:33:39 > 0:33:42Bypassing them would delay the rescue by 15 minutes.
0:33:42 > 0:33:46With someone's life in danger, it's time they can't afford.
0:33:49 > 0:33:50Thick cloud is above them.
0:33:50 > 0:33:55They've no option but to fly under the 275,000-volt cables.
0:33:55 > 0:33:58Arriving at those wires, realising there was no way
0:33:58 > 0:34:00we could go over the top,
0:34:00 > 0:34:03we elected to conduct quite a dangerous evolution
0:34:03 > 0:34:04that we do train for,
0:34:04 > 0:34:08but I've never had to put it in practice that way before,
0:34:08 > 0:34:10and there are not many other call-outs
0:34:10 > 0:34:14that we would have pushed on, beyond somebody who could be drowning.
0:34:15 > 0:34:17As the cables dip in the middle,
0:34:17 > 0:34:20they must fly close to the pylons to get under.
0:34:31 > 0:34:33OK, you are well below.
0:34:33 > 0:34:36You've got about 15 foot to the wires now.
0:34:36 > 0:34:38About 10-15 foot below.
0:34:38 > 0:34:41Centre of the cab's coming under the wires now.
0:34:41 > 0:34:43Height's good, hold only.
0:34:59 > 0:35:00Relieved all's gone to plan,
0:35:00 > 0:35:03they head straight to the man in the water.
0:35:03 > 0:35:07But minutes after going under the cables, they get some shocking news.
0:35:29 > 0:35:32With police and a lifeboat also involved,
0:35:32 > 0:35:35they must continue the search until the call is confirmed as a hoax.
0:35:52 > 0:35:54After searching for 20 minutes,
0:35:54 > 0:35:57a call comes in to confirm their suspicions.
0:36:14 > 0:36:17This hoax mission has been very costly.
0:36:17 > 0:36:21But, more importantly, it's put the crew in real danger.
0:36:22 > 0:36:25Call is being treated as a hoax, and we're going to route
0:36:25 > 0:36:28to Edinburgh now for refuel before returning home.
0:36:52 > 0:36:54Rescue 177, Aberdeen coastguard, over.
0:36:54 > 0:36:56177, go ahead.
0:36:56 > 0:37:00It's been a dangerous exercise that's wasted crucial resources.
0:37:01 > 0:37:04While the police try to track down the hoax caller,
0:37:04 > 0:37:07there's nothing to do but return back to base.
0:37:15 > 0:37:18It's now nearly six weeks after the accident involving a car
0:37:18 > 0:37:23and a horse-drawn carriage, taking a bride and her father to her wedding.
0:37:23 > 0:37:26Worst hurt in the collision was Simon the carriage driver.
0:37:26 > 0:37:28He was thrown metres from the carriage,
0:37:28 > 0:37:31hitting his head on the road.
0:37:32 > 0:37:35The driver of the cart, who sits up the front of it,
0:37:35 > 0:37:36he's got knocked off.
0:37:36 > 0:37:38At the moment, it's a potential fatal
0:37:38 > 0:37:42but we don't know the full extent of the injuries just yet.
0:37:44 > 0:37:47When he was taken to hospital, the extent of his injuries
0:37:47 > 0:37:50put him in a life or death situation.
0:37:50 > 0:37:55At that first point, when you realise that a car has hit them,
0:37:55 > 0:38:01and my first flash image was of Simon, in the air,
0:38:01 > 0:38:05and the back end of the carriage, up in the air,
0:38:05 > 0:38:08and the horses are going backwards.
0:38:08 > 0:38:14That is the mental image that I've got, and it's that
0:38:14 > 0:38:19oh-my-God moment, that you think when your heart stops.
0:38:23 > 0:38:26He'd injured his right elbow, back, four ribs,
0:38:26 > 0:38:29collarbone and shoulder blade.
0:38:29 > 0:38:34His head and face were battered and bruised, needing 15 stitches.
0:38:36 > 0:38:38He was in hospital for 12 days
0:38:38 > 0:38:41and has now made a miraculous recovery.
0:38:41 > 0:38:44But the memories are still very raw.
0:38:44 > 0:38:48All I could feel was this, this cold and I was shivering,
0:38:48 > 0:38:51and I remember shivering very badly,
0:38:51 > 0:38:55to the point that it was scary,
0:38:55 > 0:38:57shivering so badly.
0:38:57 > 0:39:02And it was possibly, I was either at that point or after that point,
0:39:02 > 0:39:04or during the travel to the hospital
0:39:04 > 0:39:09was when I became unconscious and then I stopped breathing.
0:39:09 > 0:39:12And at some point then, I was resuscitated.
0:39:12 > 0:39:15So I'm not sure, you know, people talk about shock
0:39:15 > 0:39:17and going into shock and certainly for me
0:39:17 > 0:39:19that was quite a scary moment.
0:39:19 > 0:39:22And to look back and see myself lying in hospital there,
0:39:22 > 0:39:26with my eyes all closed and not being able to see anything,
0:39:26 > 0:39:28is quite shocking.
0:39:28 > 0:39:30And think, you know,
0:39:30 > 0:39:32how did my good looks return?
0:39:35 > 0:39:37While Simon was recovering in hospital,
0:39:37 > 0:39:41he picked up a newspaper and was shocked by what he saw.
0:39:42 > 0:39:45To see in the paper that here was the carriage,
0:39:45 > 0:39:49and there was a car and I'm thinking, "My God, that was us."
0:39:49 > 0:39:52"That was me. Did I take part in that, did I do that?"
0:39:52 > 0:39:53and I had nobody around me
0:39:53 > 0:39:56to actually say, you know,
0:39:56 > 0:39:58"It wasn't your fault."
0:39:58 > 0:40:02And I kept going back to the page, and I kept looking at that picture
0:40:02 > 0:40:06thinking, "My God, we got out of that."
0:40:08 > 0:40:12Simon's two horses, Hobo and Hebe, were also injured,
0:40:12 > 0:40:15but they too have made a good recovery.
0:40:15 > 0:40:16This is Hebe.
0:40:16 > 0:40:20Who's a seven-year-old Irish draught cross mare.
0:40:20 > 0:40:24She's one of my best horses that I've ever trained from the start
0:40:24 > 0:40:28and she's a real veteran now of over 600 weddings.
0:40:29 > 0:40:31When the carriage tumbled down the road,
0:40:31 > 0:40:34she was the one that got thrown up in the air the highest,
0:40:34 > 0:40:37and the furthest, and landed with quite a bang.
0:40:37 > 0:40:39And this is Hobo.
0:40:39 > 0:40:44Hobo got thrown to the side and he tumbled down the road.
0:40:44 > 0:40:47He was then left lying underneath it and he supported
0:40:47 > 0:40:51the weight of the carriage with the bride and her father inside.
0:40:53 > 0:40:57Zoe and Simon's daughter Hannah was also thrown from the carriage.
0:40:57 > 0:41:00She was kept in hospital over the weekend.
0:41:00 > 0:41:02I remember being quite cold.
0:41:02 > 0:41:06And Zoe came and spoke to me and said that we'd been in an accident,
0:41:06 > 0:41:09and then the two paramedics came and seen me,
0:41:09 > 0:41:10put me in the ambulance.
0:41:10 > 0:41:13Zoe came and spoke to me in the ambulance,
0:41:13 > 0:41:16and then I was taken to hospital. That's all I remember.
0:41:19 > 0:41:22It was amazing how the police officers took control
0:41:22 > 0:41:26and it's a great feeling to know that somebody else was there
0:41:26 > 0:41:31to help me, and then when the ambulances arrived, and actually,
0:41:31 > 0:41:35you know, you almost take a back seat and people, you could see them.
0:41:35 > 0:41:36You know, they're doing the best
0:41:36 > 0:41:40and the paramedics that were helping Simon initially just kept saying,
0:41:40 > 0:41:41"He's going to be fine.
0:41:41 > 0:41:44"Just you do what you need to do, he's going to be fine."
0:41:45 > 0:41:49The father of the bride was also kept in hospital
0:41:49 > 0:41:53but with his blessing, his daughter went ahead and got married that day.
0:41:53 > 0:41:56You know, to see that the bride got married a few hours later,
0:41:56 > 0:42:00then the realisation that, you know,
0:42:00 > 0:42:01I got her...
0:42:01 > 0:42:03nineteen twentieths of the way.
0:42:03 > 0:42:06So, somebody else took her the last little bit.
0:42:06 > 0:42:09So, no, I didn't feel so bad then. But I got her most of the way,
0:42:09 > 0:42:12so I was proud that I got her most of the way.
0:42:19 > 0:42:24It's been all go for the emergency services in Scotland's rural areas.
0:42:24 > 0:42:26The Royal Navy Search And Rescue Team
0:42:26 > 0:42:30endangered their lives for the sake of a hoax call.
0:42:30 > 0:42:32Skier Vicky had dislocated her knee.
0:42:32 > 0:42:36She's now recovering with a knee brace and physiotherapy.
0:42:36 > 0:42:40Eric's snow sports injury needed surgery to repair three tendons
0:42:40 > 0:42:42and a severed vein.
0:42:42 > 0:42:46Thanks to his glove, the ski narrowly missed his artery
0:42:46 > 0:42:48and probably saved his life.
0:42:50 > 0:42:54Despite their ordeal, Simon and his horses are recovering well.
0:42:54 > 0:42:56It's hoped they'll be back on the road soon.
0:42:56 > 0:42:59And you thought it was quiet in the countryside.
0:43:21 > 0:43:24Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd