0:00:02 > 0:00:05A close call - a moment of danger when life can hang in the balance.
0:00:05 > 0:00:06That way, you'll die.
0:00:07 > 0:00:11A split second where the outcome could go either way.
0:00:11 > 0:00:13I was rooted to the spot with fear.
0:00:13 > 0:00:17The difference between disaster and survival.
0:00:17 > 0:00:19Our hearts dropped. This was a big crash.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22These are the people that have been there and lived to tell the tale.
0:00:23 > 0:00:25Need an ambulance!
0:00:25 > 0:00:2715 minutes and your number would be up.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29Their instincts and resources,
0:00:29 > 0:00:33coupled with the quick thinking of others, helped to pull them through.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36Could have gotten it wrong, could have easily gotten it wrong.
0:00:36 > 0:00:38And their dramatic experiences were recorded on camera.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41I think there were several things that could have killed me,
0:00:41 > 0:00:43should have killed me, and didn't.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45It's a day they'll never forget -
0:00:45 > 0:00:47the day they had a Close Call.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05Today on Close Calls...
0:01:07 > 0:01:10..a holiday-maker taking photos at a popular beauty spot is
0:01:10 > 0:01:12swept off the cliff into the sea.
0:01:12 > 0:01:13Oh, my God!
0:01:14 > 0:01:17A tourist filming the waves on his phone captures the awful
0:01:17 > 0:01:19moment the young woman vanishes.
0:01:20 > 0:01:22It was just terrifying.
0:01:22 > 0:01:24Like, I thought I was going to be looking at
0:01:24 > 0:01:26a dead body at the bottom of the rocks.
0:01:28 > 0:01:32And only five minutes from home, a young couple on a motorbike
0:01:32 > 0:01:35enter a roundabout, but a car driver doesn't see them coming.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42A horrified passer-by dials 999.
0:01:54 > 0:01:56The difference between a close call
0:01:56 > 0:01:59and a tragedy can be a matter of seconds.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02A quick response can make all the difference to the outcome.
0:02:04 > 0:02:05Inishmore,
0:02:05 > 0:02:08the largest of the Arran Isles off the coast of Galway in Ireland.
0:02:10 > 0:02:14A holiday-maker using a mobile phone is filming the island's
0:02:14 > 0:02:17unique natural phenomenon known as the Wormhole.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22Also filming further along the clifftop is a young woman
0:02:22 > 0:02:25waiting for the hole to fill with seawater.
0:02:25 > 0:02:29She doesn't see the huge wave rising up towards her.
0:02:31 > 0:02:35It crashes down, and in a split second, she's gone...
0:02:37 > 0:02:39..to the horror of watching tourists.
0:02:50 > 0:02:52It's early April.
0:02:52 > 0:02:5521-year-old postgraduate student Aparajita Gupta,
0:02:55 > 0:02:59who's based in London, is on holiday in Ireland with her mother.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02They've decided to spend a few days on Inishmore,
0:03:02 > 0:03:05the largest of the Arran Isles, off the coast of Galway.
0:03:07 > 0:03:09It's famous for a spectacular beauty spot,
0:03:09 > 0:03:12known in Gaelic is Poll na bPeist.
0:03:12 > 0:03:14In English it's known as the Wormhole.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19It's a natural rectangular-shaped pool at the bottom
0:03:19 > 0:03:22of the cliffs on the south side of the island, which fills with
0:03:22 > 0:03:25water as the sea ebbs and flows.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28When the sea is rough, it's thrilling to watch.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31We had watched videos of the water filling up the Wormhole
0:03:31 > 0:03:33and that's what we expected to see.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36But when we got there it was completely dry.
0:03:37 > 0:03:41Aparajita and her mum walk to the cliff side to get the best view.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44When it finally started to fill up I think I got really excited.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49Also on the island that day are young couple Seamus McCarthy
0:03:49 > 0:03:51and his girlfriend Fionnuala Quigley,
0:03:51 > 0:03:55enjoying a short break from their work on the mainland.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57I remember being there when I was young.
0:03:57 > 0:03:59It's just a remote part of Ireland. It's very beautiful,
0:03:59 > 0:04:03and Fionnuala had never been there, so we said we'd just go up for a visit.
0:04:04 > 0:04:08Seamus and Fionnuala also decide to head for the Wormhole.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10I suppose you hear it before you see it.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13You hear the waves crashing in the actual hole
0:04:13 > 0:04:15and smashing off the rocks.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18It just opens out in front of you.
0:04:18 > 0:04:22It's really beautiful and it's very hard to believe that the
0:04:22 > 0:04:26rectangular shape is completely naturally formed.
0:04:26 > 0:04:30It's a beautiful day and the couple spend 20 minutes soaking up
0:04:30 > 0:04:34the sun before deciding to head off to see more of the island.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37Before they leave, they notice a change in the sea state.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39When we got up we kind of questioned,
0:04:39 > 0:04:42"This has gotten really, really swelly.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45"The water has got really rough." But we were
0:04:45 > 0:04:47so captivated with the view,
0:04:47 > 0:04:50we just had to stay looking and watching.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53We were kind of heading away but we stayed watching.
0:04:53 > 0:04:55They take one last selfie
0:04:55 > 0:04:57and glance back at the Wormhole as they go.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04We just noticed one tourist go out to the very edge of the
0:05:04 > 0:05:08cliff area near the sea, and right at that point
0:05:08 > 0:05:12she seemed to be taking a photograph on her phone.
0:05:12 > 0:05:18One big wave started to suck back away from the rocks
0:05:18 > 0:05:22and that was kind of the indication that a massive wave
0:05:22 > 0:05:23was on its way in.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26We kind of took a few steps backwards at that stage
0:05:26 > 0:05:31because I thought we were going to get wet with the spray.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34The couple are far enough away to be safe, but the young woman on
0:05:34 > 0:05:39the cliff photographing the Wormhole isn't even aware of the danger.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42It's Aparajita, also known as Apu,
0:05:42 > 0:05:45and she's concentrating on her phone.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47This footage shot by an American tourist on the other
0:05:47 > 0:05:50side of the Wormhole records what happened next.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54We just saw a large wave come up...
0:05:54 > 0:05:56It's just kept rising and rising and rising,
0:05:56 > 0:05:58so it was getting bigger and bigger.
0:05:58 > 0:06:02..and wash her straight off the cliff down onto the rocks below.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13The American tourists camera phone captures the moment
0:06:13 > 0:06:16the giant wave crashes against the cliff
0:06:16 > 0:06:20and onto the rocks just above the pool,
0:06:20 > 0:06:23taking Aparajita with it.
0:06:23 > 0:06:27I kind of saw her falling with the water down to the bottom
0:06:27 > 0:06:32and I couldn't see her then because there was so much water there.
0:06:32 > 0:06:33It was just terrifying.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36I thought I was going to be looking at a dead body
0:06:36 > 0:06:38at the bottom of the rocks.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43Aparajita's mother, Simran, is standing a little way behind her
0:06:43 > 0:06:46just out of shot and witnesses everything.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50She obviously got extremely distressed.
0:06:52 > 0:06:57She began to get hysterical and her first reaction was to
0:06:57 > 0:07:01climb down the various ledges of the rock face where we were.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04At first, Seamus and Fionnuala and other eyewitnesses
0:07:04 > 0:07:06are frozen to the spot.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08Then instinct kicks in.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11They try to dial 999 but can't get a signal.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14We were already reaching for our phones initially.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17You know you're going to need the emergency services.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19But in one respect, they're already there.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22Seamus is an advanced paramedic in Ennis, County Clare,
0:07:22 > 0:07:25and he's used to coping with emergencies.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30So, I just went into that mode initially
0:07:30 > 0:07:34and just tried to focus on the situation.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36But he's facing a huge challenge.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40We just looked down to where she got washed off
0:07:40 > 0:07:45and noticed that her rucksack was being washed out to sea,
0:07:45 > 0:07:47so we were fearing the worst at that time.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50While the eyewitnesses are desperately trying to work out if
0:07:50 > 0:07:52Aparajita is alive,
0:07:52 > 0:07:54she's trying to work out how to stay that way.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58There was no time to think,
0:07:58 > 0:08:03I just tried to run and the next thing I knew I was in water.
0:08:03 > 0:08:07The water was just pushing me and pulling me
0:08:07 > 0:08:10and there's nothing you can do because it's so strong.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15I didn't know what was going on.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17What was terrifying was getting up
0:08:17 > 0:08:19to, first, realise that my leg was broken.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22Then realising that I'm in a pit.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24And even though I'm alive right now,
0:08:24 > 0:08:28all it takes is one more wave to come and take me again.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31As the water is sucked back, Seamus spots Aparajita.
0:08:34 > 0:08:39She's fallen more than 40 foot down the cliff face to a ledge below.
0:08:39 > 0:08:41These shots, taken in calmer conditions,
0:08:41 > 0:08:46show the spot where she landed, just metres from the deep Wormhole pool.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48It was a dangerous place to be.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51My first thought was this girl needs to get up out of there
0:08:51 > 0:08:53because it's just too dangerous.
0:08:53 > 0:08:55Seamus takes decisive action
0:08:55 > 0:08:59and drops down over the lip of the cliff to a lower level.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02It was just me looking up 45 feet at them and I could see everyone and
0:09:02 > 0:09:07they could talk to me and everything, but they couldn't help me at that point.
0:09:08 > 0:09:12Other people join the paramedic as he tries to find a way to help
0:09:12 > 0:09:14the injured young woman.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17So, at first he tried to put his hand down and I couldn't reach him,
0:09:17 > 0:09:20so my mum was just like, "I'm going to jump in and push her up
0:09:20 > 0:09:23"and we're going to get her out."
0:09:23 > 0:09:24And Seamus was like, "No way.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27"Please, stay away,"
0:09:27 > 0:09:29because my mum was hysterical.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31I knew that me on my own,
0:09:31 > 0:09:34I couldn't pull her up where I was at that point.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36So I said we had to do something,
0:09:36 > 0:09:39like maybe get a jacket to use as a rope.
0:09:39 > 0:09:43But I was afraid of doing that because if she let go,
0:09:43 > 0:09:46she could just fall back down onto the rocks again.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51Aparajita is getting desperate.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53I realised there was jagged edges on the rock
0:09:53 > 0:09:56and I thought I'd be able to climb out of there.
0:09:56 > 0:09:57You think all these things.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00I literally put my foot there and I tried to get up
0:10:00 > 0:10:03and my other leg was just not having it.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06I could feel my ankle just hanging inside. It was terrible.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11Seamus is working hard to find a solution.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14Another tourist jumped down to help me at this point,
0:10:14 > 0:10:18so somebody else passed down a rucksack.
0:10:18 > 0:10:23We decided to tie one end of the jacket onto
0:10:23 > 0:10:27a hook at the top of the backpack, just to make, kind of, a harness.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32It's an ingenious idea, but they have to be quick -
0:10:32 > 0:10:35another wave could crash in at any moment.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38I was literally looking at Seamus and just begging for my life.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41I looked down at Apu
0:10:41 > 0:10:46and she obviously appeared extremely distressed.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49You could see it in her eyes looking back up, it was just,
0:10:49 > 0:10:51"Get me out of this place."
0:10:51 > 0:10:55Later, Seamus and his fellow rescuers risk their own safety
0:10:55 > 0:10:58to pull Aparajita up the cliff.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00I was terrified for both of them.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03I was leaving Seamus there and he was putting himself in danger.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06And the coastguard joins the operation to save her.
0:11:06 > 0:11:10We found some debris and possibly her handbag in the water.
0:11:22 > 0:11:24Bromsgrove in Worcestershire.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27A 999 call is made from a roadside -
0:11:27 > 0:11:30there's been a horrific accident at this roundabout.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33A teenager is under the wheels of a car.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41The car has struck a motorbike at right angles,
0:11:41 > 0:11:44throwing the 19-year-old pillion rider
0:11:44 > 0:11:47into its path, dragging her along the tarmac.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51The caller, a passer-by, tries to help, as the trapped teenager's
0:11:51 > 0:11:54screams can be heard over the phone.
0:12:10 > 0:12:11At the age of 19,
0:12:11 > 0:12:14Georgia Bennett lives at home with her parents.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16She's just finished her A levels
0:12:16 > 0:12:19and has been accepted to start training as a nursery nurse.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21She's been with her 20-year-old boyfriend Joss for four years,
0:12:21 > 0:12:23and they're inseparable.
0:12:23 > 0:12:27Joss is very funny, he's very caring and he's quite confident,
0:12:27 > 0:12:31which can be annoying, but it's a good trait to have.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33Georgia is the best person I know, basically.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36She's just perfect in every way for me.
0:12:36 > 0:12:40I think we just complement each other well, really.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43Since Joss got his motorbike licence, the couple enjoy
0:12:43 > 0:12:45going out and about together at the weekends.
0:12:45 > 0:12:49One Sunday in August, they're on their way home after spending
0:12:49 > 0:12:51the afternoon at a nearby safari park.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55It was a lovely day and we drove back.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58Picture a nice English sunny day.
0:12:58 > 0:13:00The sun is shining, birds tweeting.
0:13:02 > 0:13:06The couple are only five minutes from Joss' house,
0:13:06 > 0:13:09then, at this roundabout - one Joss rides round every day -
0:13:09 > 0:13:12their journey comes to a horrifying end.
0:13:13 > 0:13:17Joss is intending to take the fourth exit, but a woman driving
0:13:17 > 0:13:22up to the roundabout fails to see Joss and Georgia on their bike.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24She hits them side-on.
0:13:25 > 0:13:31There was this almighty crunch of metal and smashing of light bulbs.
0:13:31 > 0:13:33That's when my mind goes blank
0:13:33 > 0:13:36cos that really did happen in a split second.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39When I came around again I was lying on the floor.
0:13:39 > 0:13:43Moment later, a passer-by makes this 999 call.
0:13:48 > 0:13:52The person trapped under the car is Georgia.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55The impact hurled her off the bike, throwing her under the wheels
0:13:55 > 0:13:57and then dragging her ten metres.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02The caller is trying to get nearer to help,
0:14:02 > 0:14:05but can't yet tell if it's a man or woman under the car.
0:14:05 > 0:14:09He's not even sure if they're dead or alive.
0:14:30 > 0:14:34Somehow, although crushed under the weight of the car,
0:14:34 > 0:14:37Georgia is still conscious.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40I opened my eyes underneath the car.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43I could feel the tarmac on my cheek where my helmet had been lifted,
0:14:43 > 0:14:44which was really hot.
0:14:44 > 0:14:48I was terrified. I couldn't breathe, I was squashed under the car
0:14:48 > 0:14:51and I didn't really know what had happened, but I thought
0:14:51 > 0:14:54whatever has happened is quite bad and this could be it, really.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56I think I was shouting for Joss.
0:14:56 > 0:15:00But Joss isn't sure where she is and is desperately searching for her.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03Then there is a dreadful realisation.
0:15:03 > 0:15:04There she was, under the car.
0:15:04 > 0:15:10I just saw her face and I think one arm, maybe, sticking out.
0:15:10 > 0:15:12She was out cold.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15At the time, my first thought is she's dead.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18For a good five minutes I thought that she was dead.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22By now the caller is closer to Georgia.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24He's trying to reassure her
0:15:24 > 0:15:27and give the ambulance control all the information they need.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36The caller tries to keep Georgia calm.
0:15:39 > 0:15:41She struggles to answer him.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47I just thought, "I can't wait for the paramedic to get here
0:15:47 > 0:15:49"because I can't breath now."
0:15:49 > 0:15:53And then obviously went unconscious again.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56The caller is watching Georgia deteriorate.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59His instinct is to try to lift the car off her.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06AMBULANCE SIREN
0:16:10 > 0:16:13An ambulance crew are the first to the scene.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28But with Georgia totally trapped,
0:16:28 > 0:16:32they're powerless to help without the fire and rescue team.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35Seconds later, the fire crew arrive.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38Watch Commander Darren Packwood realises they'll need
0:16:38 > 0:16:41special airbags to lift the car and free Georgia.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44The paramedic initially told me that she'd stopped breathing,
0:16:44 > 0:16:47so then it was obviously time critical.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50If there's any part of the car still entrapped in Georgia,
0:16:50 > 0:16:52us lifting it could cause further damage.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55I was worried about her airway, what we call the airway.
0:16:55 > 0:16:57If that's compromised or blocked
0:16:57 > 0:16:59then the person obviously hasn't got very long.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02You need to keep oxygen going into the body,
0:17:02 > 0:17:04so that was my main concern, really.
0:17:04 > 0:17:08Georgia's situation is so serious the call handler has also
0:17:08 > 0:17:11alerted the Midlands Air Ambulance.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14It arrives just as Georgia is being pulled out.
0:17:14 > 0:17:16She's now free from the weight of the vehicle,
0:17:16 > 0:17:20but the helicopter medics know this is the most critical time.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23She had been previously talking, and as soon as the vehicle came off her
0:17:23 > 0:17:26and she was moved out, she deteriorated rapidly.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29It's a clear indication that there was something very serious
0:17:29 > 0:17:30going on within her body.
0:17:30 > 0:17:34To have that kind of weight on you for a relatively long
0:17:34 > 0:17:38period of time, 10, 15 minutes, the potential for internal
0:17:38 > 0:17:41and external injuries is just huge.
0:17:41 > 0:17:43The critical care team discover Georgia has an appalling
0:17:43 > 0:17:47number of life-threatening injuries, including a smashed pelvis,
0:17:47 > 0:17:51a head injury and serious burns.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54Few people can survive such extensive trauma.
0:17:54 > 0:17:58She had so many injuries to so many different parts of the body,
0:17:58 > 0:18:01my experience would lead me to suggest that she probably wouldn't survive.
0:18:01 > 0:18:06Georgia is put into an induced coma to prevent brain damage, then flown
0:18:06 > 0:18:10to the major trauma centre at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13The police break the news to Georgia's mum, Carol.
0:18:13 > 0:18:15The policeman said that Georgia and Joss
0:18:15 > 0:18:20had been in a very serious motorbike accident
0:18:20 > 0:18:24and Georgia had been taken by the air ambulance to the QE,
0:18:24 > 0:18:28that she was very seriously injured but was still alive,
0:18:28 > 0:18:31but we needed to get to the hospital really quickly.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37Against all the odds, Georgia survives.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39But after suffering so many injuries,
0:18:39 > 0:18:43there are still many challenges ahead for the 19-year-old.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46Georgia's pelvis is shattered in eight places,
0:18:46 > 0:18:48her thigh bone has snapped,
0:18:48 > 0:18:53she has burns to her legs, back and scalp and many other injuries.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57She's treated in the ward that usually cares for soldiers
0:18:57 > 0:18:59wounded in Afghanistan.
0:18:59 > 0:19:02Joss and her mum visit every day.
0:19:02 > 0:19:06And it's not until five months later that Georgia can even stand up.
0:19:10 > 0:19:12And when she does, Georgia's mum
0:19:12 > 0:19:16is there with Joss, who records it on his mobile phone.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19It was just a massive feeling of relief.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22She's put her feet on the floor and she's stood up.
0:19:22 > 0:19:24It had been such a long time,
0:19:24 > 0:19:27and we knew she'd still got such a long way to go,
0:19:27 > 0:19:28but she could stand,
0:19:28 > 0:19:33and if she could stand then sooner or later she'd be back,
0:19:33 > 0:19:34Georgia would be back.
0:19:34 > 0:19:38It was just a lovely, lovely day, really.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41It was such a good moment. It was such a good day, that was.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44I actually had to run off and have a little cry
0:19:44 > 0:19:47because I didn't want her to see me.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49Her mum was sobbing.
0:19:49 > 0:19:53It was tears of joy though, it wasn't sad.
0:19:53 > 0:19:57For another two years Georgia has to rely on a wheelchair to get about.
0:19:57 > 0:19:59However, her pelvis,
0:19:59 > 0:20:03leg and muscles eventually become strong enough for her to walk.
0:20:03 > 0:20:05I've got your legs.
0:20:05 > 0:20:09Once again, Joss is there to support her literally every step of the way.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11This is amazing.
0:20:14 > 0:20:16It's three years since the accident.
0:20:16 > 0:20:18Georgia and Joss are still together
0:20:18 > 0:20:21and she's continuing with her physiotherapy.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24Now 22, she was recently well enough to take up a place at college
0:20:24 > 0:20:27to train as nursery nurse.
0:20:27 > 0:20:31The driver of the car was convicted of careless driving and fined.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34Georgia's thankful she survived that terrible accident
0:20:34 > 0:20:36against all the odds.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38I think I was very, very close to losing my life.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42I think there was several things that could have killed me,
0:20:42 > 0:20:45should have killed me, and didn't.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48I think I had some amazing help from the professionals,
0:20:48 > 0:20:51but I think I was very lucky.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54It could've very easily gone the other way.
0:21:04 > 0:21:08Back to Inishmore, off the coast of Galway, where 21-year-old
0:21:08 > 0:21:13student Aparajita Gupta has been swept off a cliff by a freak wave.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16The moment has been captured on film by a tourist.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19It shows her narrowly missing being sucked into a huge, deep
0:21:19 > 0:21:22opening in the rock, known as the Wormhole.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27She's landed at the bottom of the cliff, breaking her leg,
0:21:27 > 0:21:30and now rescuers are battling to haul her to safety.
0:21:32 > 0:21:36Paramedic Seamus McCarthy and a group of other sightseers have
0:21:36 > 0:21:39fashioned a harness out of a rucksack and a jacket, in
0:21:39 > 0:21:43a bid to pull her to safety before another wave washes her out to sea.
0:21:44 > 0:21:48It took them ten minutes, but to me it felt like forever.
0:21:48 > 0:21:52I just kept looking back and hoping another wave wouldn't come.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55I just wanted to get out of there, you know?
0:21:56 > 0:21:59Finally, they get the rucksack low enough to reach her.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04We had her attached to the jacket, and between myself and the
0:22:04 > 0:22:08other tourists we were able to pull her up onto the ledge we were on.
0:22:08 > 0:22:12I held his arm and he just kind of swiftly pulled me out of there.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16I can't tell you the relief, like, there was pain,
0:22:16 > 0:22:18my leg was unbearable,
0:22:18 > 0:22:22but nothing was as scary as when I was down there alone because,
0:22:22 > 0:22:26at that point, there's nothing you can do,
0:22:26 > 0:22:28your life is in someone else's hands.
0:22:29 > 0:22:33Aparajita is away from the immediate danger of the Wormhole,
0:22:33 > 0:22:38but she and her rescuers are still in peril if another wave crashes in.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41We kind of stood her up onto the ledge.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44She was limping badly, we just tried to assist as much as we could,
0:22:44 > 0:22:48and slowly got her back up onto the top of the cliff,
0:22:48 > 0:22:52in a safe place, and just waited for help to arrive.
0:22:52 > 0:22:54And help is on its way.
0:22:54 > 0:22:55After Aparajita fell,
0:22:55 > 0:23:00Seamus' girlfriend, Fionnuala, ran off to get a phone signal.
0:23:00 > 0:23:04It's 20 minutes before she gets through to the emergency services.
0:23:04 > 0:23:08Fionnuala was just back and she told me that she was in touch with the
0:23:08 > 0:23:13coastguard helicopter and that they'd be maybe 15, 20 minutes away.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15The island has its own emergency team.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21First on the scene that day is the local guarder, Brian O'Donnell.
0:23:21 > 0:23:23Once the call came to the island,
0:23:23 > 0:23:28all the volunteers of the services here, the coastguard, the RNLI
0:23:28 > 0:23:31and the fire brigade got 15 volunteers from the island
0:23:31 > 0:23:34who went to the scene and helped in the evacuation.
0:23:35 > 0:23:39The island fire service act as first responders.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42On duty that day is Enda Gill. He's used to people
0:23:42 > 0:23:46getting into trouble at remote locations like the Wormhole.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49Fractured ankles and twisted knees and stuff like that,
0:23:49 > 0:23:51over the rough terrain,
0:23:51 > 0:23:56is common enough, but not as dramatic as this.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59Inside the coastguard helicopter, paramedic Phil Wrenn is on standby
0:23:59 > 0:24:01to be winched down.
0:24:01 > 0:24:05He fears the worst, following reports that someone is in the water.
0:24:05 > 0:24:07The team are filming as they approach the Wormhole,
0:24:07 > 0:24:11and at first their fears appear to be confirmed.
0:24:11 > 0:24:15On camera we found some debris and possibly her handbag
0:24:15 > 0:24:17and her rucksack in the water.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22As they get nearer, they spot a group of people on the cliff.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25There was no hand signals or anything like that to suggest
0:24:25 > 0:24:27that there was anyone in the water.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31Still unsure of what they're going to find,
0:24:31 > 0:24:34Phil works out how to reach the group.
0:24:34 > 0:24:37We decided to cliff winch, so from the highest cliff area
0:24:37 > 0:24:39we winched down to the top of that
0:24:39 > 0:24:42and then winched me onto the rocks.
0:24:43 > 0:24:47While we were just waiting, I checked Apu out
0:24:47 > 0:24:51and was amazed to find that she'd no injuries really, other than
0:24:51 > 0:24:57what appeared to be a badly fractured left ankle, at the time.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00You'd be expecting maybe a severe head injury,
0:25:00 > 0:25:03a spinal injury or other limb fractures.
0:25:03 > 0:25:07I mean, there's an endless list of what could have happened.
0:25:07 > 0:25:12Winchman Phil reaches Aparajita and gets a briefing from Seamus.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15He was saying the fall was 40, 50 feet,
0:25:15 > 0:25:17that she'd been washed onto the rocks.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20So we decided to do a full spinal immobilisation.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23I radioed to the aircraft asking for the basket stretcher
0:25:23 > 0:25:26and some spinal gear to be sent down to me.
0:25:30 > 0:25:32They kind of strapped me in like a mummy.
0:25:32 > 0:25:36I remember singing orchestral music to myself to calm myself down
0:25:36 > 0:25:39while they were literally just pulling me up.
0:25:41 > 0:25:45I was kind of staring straight at the exact spot where I had fallen,
0:25:45 > 0:25:46so that was terrible
0:25:46 > 0:25:50because when the helicopter came, the waves were going absolutely nuts.
0:25:52 > 0:25:56Once Apu was being airlifted, I was overcome
0:25:56 > 0:26:01and all I wanted to do was start crying, but I held it together
0:26:01 > 0:26:05because it kind of dawns on you what's just happened.
0:26:05 > 0:26:06Yeah, actually being there
0:26:06 > 0:26:10and seeing it happen right in front of our eyes was very different.
0:26:10 > 0:26:14Aparajita is flown to University Hospital Galway,
0:26:14 > 0:26:17where surgeons operate to repair her badly broken ankle.
0:26:17 > 0:26:21One of her first visitors is her father, who flies in from India.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24And a few days later, she has some more special guests.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29They're a lovely family, they're really warm and gentle people,
0:26:29 > 0:26:34and they were really appreciative of everything that we had done,
0:26:34 > 0:26:35so it was lovely to meet them.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40It was only when Aparajita was recovering in hospital
0:26:40 > 0:26:43she discovered her fall had been captured on video.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46Everyone who's seen that video has called me so many things.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49Until you actually go there, nobody will understand.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51Firstly, I was not near the edge.
0:26:51 > 0:26:57Secondly, it was completely dry, like, there was no water whatsoever.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59That wave, there was no wave before that.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02I mean, there's no way I could have seen that coming.
0:27:03 > 0:27:04Even local Garda Brian,
0:27:04 > 0:27:07who helped at the rescue, finds it hard to explain.
0:27:07 > 0:27:09The tide was as low as it could be.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12I've been sitting there at high tide with my children,
0:27:12 > 0:27:17sitting up where she was standing. It's generally very safe.
0:27:17 > 0:27:21But although it was a freak event, it could have been far worse.
0:27:21 > 0:27:24Apu was very lucky that it was only a single wave,
0:27:24 > 0:27:28if the second and third wave came... Who knows?
0:27:28 > 0:27:31It wouldn't have been good.
0:27:31 > 0:27:33Despite her trauma,
0:27:33 > 0:27:36Aparajita feels that some good has come from what happened.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39My mum said something really funny. She's like,
0:27:39 > 0:27:42I was at the wrong place at the right time.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48Look at the team that saved me, they're the most amazing people
0:27:48 > 0:27:52I have ever met in my entire life, I'm serious.
0:27:52 > 0:27:54I was loved in a place where I knew no-one,
0:27:54 > 0:27:57and I think that's amazing, really.
0:27:57 > 0:27:58Yeah.
0:28:06 > 0:28:08That's all for now.
0:28:08 > 0:28:10Join us next time for more Close Calls.