Episode 1 Close Calls: On Camera

A close call - a moment of danger when life can hang in the balance.

That way, you'll die.

A split second where the outcome could go either way.

I was rooted to the spot with fear.

The difference between disaster and survival.

Our hearts dropped. This was a big crash.

These are the people that have been there and lived to tell the tale.

Need an ambulance!

15 minutes and your number would be up.

Their instincts and resources,

coupled with the quick thinking of others, helped to pull them through.

Could have gotten it wrong, could have easily gotten it wrong.

And their dramatic experiences were recorded on camera.

I think there were several things that could have killed me,

should have killed me, and didn't.

It's a day they'll never forget -

the day they had a Close Call.

Today on Close Calls...

..a holiday-maker taking photos at a popular beauty spot is

swept off the cliff into the sea.

Oh, my God!

A tourist filming the waves on his phone captures the awful

moment the young woman vanishes.

It was just terrifying.

Like, I thought I was going to be looking at

a dead body at the bottom of the rocks.

And only five minutes from home, a young couple on a motorbike

enter a roundabout, but a car driver doesn't see them coming.

A horrified passer-by dials 999.

The difference between a close call

and a tragedy can be a matter of seconds.

A quick response can make all the difference to the outcome.

Inishmore,

the largest of the Arran Isles off the coast of Galway in Ireland.

A holiday-maker using a mobile phone is filming the island's

unique natural phenomenon known as the Wormhole.

Also filming further along the clifftop is a young woman

waiting for the hole to fill with seawater.

She doesn't see the huge wave rising up towards her.

It crashes down, and in a split second, she's gone...

..to the horror of watching tourists.

It's early April.

21-year-old postgraduate student Aparajita Gupta,

who's based in London, is on holiday in Ireland with her mother.

They've decided to spend a few days on Inishmore,

the largest of the Arran Isles, off the coast of Galway.

It's famous for a spectacular beauty spot,

known in Gaelic is Poll na bPeist.

In English it's known as the Wormhole.

It's a natural rectangular-shaped pool at the bottom

of the cliffs on the south side of the island, which fills with

water as the sea ebbs and flows.

When the sea is rough, it's thrilling to watch.

We had watched videos of the water filling up the Wormhole

and that's what we expected to see.

But when we got there it was completely dry.

Aparajita and her mum walk to the cliff side to get the best view.

When it finally started to fill up I think I got really excited.

Also on the island that day are young couple Seamus McCarthy

and his girlfriend Fionnuala Quigley,

enjoying a short break from their work on the mainland.

I remember being there when I was young.

It's just a remote part of Ireland. It's very beautiful,

and Fionnuala had never been there, so we said we'd just go up for a visit.

Seamus and Fionnuala also decide to head for the Wormhole.

I suppose you hear it before you see it.

You hear the waves crashing in the actual hole

and smashing off the rocks.

It just opens out in front of you.

It's really beautiful and it's very hard to believe that the

rectangular shape is completely naturally formed.

It's a beautiful day and the couple spend 20 minutes soaking up

the sun before deciding to head off to see more of the island.

Before they leave, they notice a change in the sea state.

When we got up we kind of questioned,

"This has gotten really, really swelly.

"The water has got really rough." But we were

so captivated with the view,

we just had to stay looking and watching.

We were kind of heading away but we stayed watching.

They take one last selfie

and glance back at the Wormhole as they go.

We just noticed one tourist go out to the very edge of the

cliff area near the sea, and right at that point

she seemed to be taking a photograph on her phone.

One big wave started to suck back away from the rocks

and that was kind of the indication that a massive wave

was on its way in.

We kind of took a few steps backwards at that stage

because I thought we were going to get wet with the spray.

The couple are far enough away to be safe, but the young woman on

the cliff photographing the Wormhole isn't even aware of the danger.

It's Aparajita, also known as Apu,

and she's concentrating on her phone.

This footage shot by an American tourist on the other

side of the Wormhole records what happened next.

We just saw a large wave come up...

It's just kept rising and rising and rising,

so it was getting bigger and bigger.

..and wash her straight off the cliff down onto the rocks below.

The American tourists camera phone captures the moment

the giant wave crashes against the cliff

and onto the rocks just above the pool,

taking Aparajita with it.

I kind of saw her falling with the water down to the bottom

and I couldn't see her then because there was so much water there.

It was just terrifying.

I thought I was going to be looking at a dead body

at the bottom of the rocks.

Aparajita's mother, Simran, is standing a little way behind her

just out of shot and witnesses everything.

She obviously got extremely distressed.

She began to get hysterical and her first reaction was to

climb down the various ledges of the rock face where we were.

At first, Seamus and Fionnuala and other eyewitnesses

are frozen to the spot.

Then instinct kicks in.

They try to dial 999 but can't get a signal.

We were already reaching for our phones initially.

You know you're going to need the emergency services.

But in one respect, they're already there.

Seamus is an advanced paramedic in Ennis, County Clare,

and he's used to coping with emergencies.

So, I just went into that mode initially

and just tried to focus on the situation.

But he's facing a huge challenge.

We just looked down to where she got washed off

and noticed that her rucksack was being washed out to sea,

so we were fearing the worst at that time.

While the eyewitnesses are desperately trying to work out if

Aparajita is alive,

she's trying to work out how to stay that way.

There was no time to think,

I just tried to run and the next thing I knew I was in water.

The water was just pushing me and pulling me

and there's nothing you can do because it's so strong.

I didn't know what was going on.

What was terrifying was getting up

to, first, realise that my leg was broken.

Then realising that I'm in a pit.

And even though I'm alive right now,

all it takes is one more wave to come and take me again.

As the water is sucked back, Seamus spots Aparajita.

She's fallen more than 40 foot down the cliff face to a ledge below.

These shots, taken in calmer conditions,

show the spot where she landed, just metres from the deep Wormhole pool.

It was a dangerous place to be.

My first thought was this girl needs to get up out of there

because it's just too dangerous.

Seamus takes decisive action

and drops down over the lip of the cliff to a lower level.

It was just me looking up 45 feet at them and I could see everyone and

they could talk to me and everything, but they couldn't help me at that point.

Other people join the paramedic as he tries to find a way to help

the injured young woman.

So, at first he tried to put his hand down and I couldn't reach him,

so my mum was just like, "I'm going to jump in and push her up

"and we're going to get her out."

And Seamus was like, "No way.

"Please, stay away,"

because my mum was hysterical.

I knew that me on my own,

I couldn't pull her up where I was at that point.

So I said we had to do something,

like maybe get a jacket to use as a rope.

But I was afraid of doing that because if she let go,

she could just fall back down onto the rocks again.

Aparajita is getting desperate.

I realised there was jagged edges on the rock

and I thought I'd be able to climb out of there.

You think all these things.

I literally put my foot there and I tried to get up

and my other leg was just not having it.

I could feel my ankle just hanging inside. It was terrible.

Seamus is working hard to find a solution.

Another tourist jumped down to help me at this point,

so somebody else passed down a rucksack.

We decided to tie one end of the jacket onto

a hook at the top of the backpack, just to make, kind of, a harness.

It's an ingenious idea, but they have to be quick -

another wave could crash in at any moment.

I was literally looking at Seamus and just begging for my life.

I looked down at Apu

and she obviously appeared extremely distressed.

You could see it in her eyes looking back up, it was just,

"Get me out of this place."

Later, Seamus and his fellow rescuers risk their own safety

to pull Aparajita up the cliff.

I was terrified for both of them.

I was leaving Seamus there and he was putting himself in danger.

And the coastguard joins the operation to save her.

We found some debris and possibly her handbag in the water.

Bromsgrove in Worcestershire.

A 999 call is made from a roadside -

there's been a horrific accident at this roundabout.

A teenager is under the wheels of a car.

The car has struck a motorbike at right angles,

throwing the 19-year-old pillion rider

into its path, dragging her along the tarmac.

The caller, a passer-by, tries to help, as the trapped teenager's

screams can be heard over the phone.

At the age of 19,

Georgia Bennett lives at home with her parents.

She's just finished her A levels

and has been accepted to start training as a nursery nurse.

She's been with her 20-year-old boyfriend Joss for four years,

and they're inseparable.

Joss is very funny, he's very caring and he's quite confident,

which can be annoying, but it's a good trait to have.

Georgia is the best person I know, basically.

She's just perfect in every way for me.

I think we just complement each other well, really.

Since Joss got his motorbike licence, the couple enjoy

going out and about together at the weekends.

One Sunday in August, they're on their way home after spending

the afternoon at a nearby safari park.

It was a lovely day and we drove back.

Picture a nice English sunny day.

The sun is shining, birds tweeting.

The couple are only five minutes from Joss' house,

then, at this roundabout - one Joss rides round every day -

their journey comes to a horrifying end.

Joss is intending to take the fourth exit, but a woman driving

up to the roundabout fails to see Joss and Georgia on their bike.

She hits them side-on.

There was this almighty crunch of metal and smashing of light bulbs.

That's when my mind goes blank

cos that really did happen in a split second.

When I came around again I was lying on the floor.

Moment later, a passer-by makes this 999 call.

The person trapped under the car is Georgia.

The impact hurled her off the bike, throwing her under the wheels

and then dragging her ten metres.

The caller is trying to get nearer to help,

but can't yet tell if it's a man or woman under the car.

He's not even sure if they're dead or alive.

Somehow, although crushed under the weight of the car,

Georgia is still conscious.

I opened my eyes underneath the car.

I could feel the tarmac on my cheek where my helmet had been lifted,

which was really hot.

I was terrified. I couldn't breathe, I was squashed under the car

and I didn't really know what had happened, but I thought

whatever has happened is quite bad and this could be it, really.

I think I was shouting for Joss.

But Joss isn't sure where she is and is desperately searching for her.

Then there is a dreadful realisation.

There she was, under the car.

I just saw her face and I think one arm, maybe, sticking out.

She was out cold.

At the time, my first thought is she's dead.

For a good five minutes I thought that she was dead.

By now the caller is closer to Georgia.

He's trying to reassure her

and give the ambulance control all the information they need.

The caller tries to keep Georgia calm.

She struggles to answer him.

I just thought, "I can't wait for the paramedic to get here

"because I can't breath now."

And then obviously went unconscious again.

The caller is watching Georgia deteriorate.

His instinct is to try to lift the car off her.

AMBULANCE SIREN

An ambulance crew are the first to the scene.

But with Georgia totally trapped,

they're powerless to help without the fire and rescue team.

Seconds later, the fire crew arrive.

Watch Commander Darren Packwood realises they'll need

special airbags to lift the car and free Georgia.

The paramedic initially told me that she'd stopped breathing,

so then it was obviously time critical.

If there's any part of the car still entrapped in Georgia,

us lifting it could cause further damage.

I was worried about her airway, what we call the airway.

If that's compromised or blocked

then the person obviously hasn't got very long.

You need to keep oxygen going into the body,

so that was my main concern, really.

Georgia's situation is so serious the call handler has also

alerted the Midlands Air Ambulance.

It arrives just as Georgia is being pulled out.

She's now free from the weight of the vehicle,

but the helicopter medics know this is the most critical time.

She had been previously talking, and as soon as the vehicle came off her

and she was moved out, she deteriorated rapidly.

It's a clear indication that there was something very serious

going on within her body.

To have that kind of weight on you for a relatively long

period of time, 10, 15 minutes, the potential for internal

and external injuries is just huge.

The critical care team discover Georgia has an appalling

number of life-threatening injuries, including a smashed pelvis,

a head injury and serious burns.

Few people can survive such extensive trauma.

She had so many injuries to so many different parts of the body,

my experience would lead me to suggest that she probably wouldn't survive.

Georgia is put into an induced coma to prevent brain damage, then flown

to the major trauma centre at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.

The police break the news to Georgia's mum, Carol.

The policeman said that Georgia and Joss

had been in a very serious motorbike accident

and Georgia had been taken by the air ambulance to the QE,

that she was very seriously injured but was still alive,

but we needed to get to the hospital really quickly.

Against all the odds, Georgia survives.

But after suffering so many injuries,

there are still many challenges ahead for the 19-year-old.

Georgia's pelvis is shattered in eight places,

her thigh bone has snapped,

she has burns to her legs, back and scalp and many other injuries.

She's treated in the ward that usually cares for soldiers

wounded in Afghanistan.

Joss and her mum visit every day.

And it's not until five months later that Georgia can even stand up.

And when she does, Georgia's mum

is there with Joss, who records it on his mobile phone.

It was just a massive feeling of relief.

She's put her feet on the floor and she's stood up.

It had been such a long time,

and we knew she'd still got such a long way to go,

but she could stand,

and if she could stand then sooner or later she'd be back,

Georgia would be back.

It was just a lovely, lovely day, really.

It was such a good moment. It was such a good day, that was.

I actually had to run off and have a little cry

because I didn't want her to see me.

Her mum was sobbing.

It was tears of joy though, it wasn't sad.

For another two years Georgia has to rely on a wheelchair to get about.

However, her pelvis,

leg and muscles eventually become strong enough for her to walk.

I've got your legs.

Once again, Joss is there to support her literally every step of the way.

This is amazing.

It's three years since the accident.

Georgia and Joss are still together

and she's continuing with her physiotherapy.

Now 22, she was recently well enough to take up a place at college

to train as nursery nurse.

The driver of the car was convicted of careless driving and fined.

Georgia's thankful she survived that terrible accident

against all the odds.

I think I was very, very close to losing my life.

I think there was several things that could have killed me,

should have killed me, and didn't.

I think I had some amazing help from the professionals,

but I think I was very lucky.

It could've very easily gone the other way.

Back to Inishmore, off the coast of Galway, where 21-year-old

student Aparajita Gupta has been swept off a cliff by a freak wave.

The moment has been captured on film by a tourist.

It shows her narrowly missing being sucked into a huge, deep

opening in the rock, known as the Wormhole.

She's landed at the bottom of the cliff, breaking her leg,

and now rescuers are battling to haul her to safety.

Paramedic Seamus McCarthy and a group of other sightseers have

fashioned a harness out of a rucksack and a jacket, in

a bid to pull her to safety before another wave washes her out to sea.

It took them ten minutes, but to me it felt like forever.

I just kept looking back and hoping another wave wouldn't come.

I just wanted to get out of there, you know?

Finally, they get the rucksack low enough to reach her.

We had her attached to the jacket, and between myself and the

other tourists we were able to pull her up onto the ledge we were on.

I held his arm and he just kind of swiftly pulled me out of there.

I can't tell you the relief, like, there was pain,

my leg was unbearable,

but nothing was as scary as when I was down there alone because,

at that point, there's nothing you can do,

your life is in someone else's hands.

Aparajita is away from the immediate danger of the Wormhole,

but she and her rescuers are still in peril if another wave crashes in.

We kind of stood her up onto the ledge.

She was limping badly, we just tried to assist as much as we could,

and slowly got her back up onto the top of the cliff,

in a safe place, and just waited for help to arrive.

And help is on its way.

After Aparajita fell,

Seamus' girlfriend, Fionnuala, ran off to get a phone signal.

It's 20 minutes before she gets through to the emergency services.

Fionnuala was just back and she told me that she was in touch with the

coastguard helicopter and that they'd be maybe 15, 20 minutes away.

The island has its own emergency team.

First on the scene that day is the local guarder, Brian O'Donnell.

Once the call came to the island,

all the volunteers of the services here, the coastguard, the RNLI

and the fire brigade got 15 volunteers from the island

who went to the scene and helped in the evacuation.

The island fire service act as first responders.

On duty that day is Enda Gill. He's used to people

getting into trouble at remote locations like the Wormhole.

Fractured ankles and twisted knees and stuff like that,

over the rough terrain,

is common enough, but not as dramatic as this.

Inside the coastguard helicopter, paramedic Phil Wrenn is on standby

to be winched down.

He fears the worst, following reports that someone is in the water.

The team are filming as they approach the Wormhole,

and at first their fears appear to be confirmed.

On camera we found some debris and possibly her handbag

and her rucksack in the water.

As they get nearer, they spot a group of people on the cliff.

There was no hand signals or anything like that to suggest

that there was anyone in the water.

Still unsure of what they're going to find,

Phil works out how to reach the group.

We decided to cliff winch, so from the highest cliff area

we winched down to the top of that

and then winched me onto the rocks.

While we were just waiting, I checked Apu out

and was amazed to find that she'd no injuries really, other than

what appeared to be a badly fractured left ankle, at the time.

You'd be expecting maybe a severe head injury,

a spinal injury or other limb fractures.

I mean, there's an endless list of what could have happened.

Winchman Phil reaches Aparajita and gets a briefing from Seamus.

He was saying the fall was 40, 50 feet,

that she'd been washed onto the rocks.

So we decided to do a full spinal immobilisation.

I radioed to the aircraft asking for the basket stretcher

and some spinal gear to be sent down to me.

They kind of strapped me in like a mummy.

I remember singing orchestral music to myself to calm myself down

while they were literally just pulling me up.

I was kind of staring straight at the exact spot where I had fallen,

so that was terrible

because when the helicopter came, the waves were going absolutely nuts.

Once Apu was being airlifted, I was overcome

and all I wanted to do was start crying, but I held it together

because it kind of dawns on you what's just happened.

Yeah, actually being there

and seeing it happen right in front of our eyes was very different.

Aparajita is flown to University Hospital Galway,

where surgeons operate to repair her badly broken ankle.

One of her first visitors is her father, who flies in from India.

And a few days later, she has some more special guests.

They're a lovely family, they're really warm and gentle people,

and they were really appreciative of everything that we had done,

so it was lovely to meet them.

It was only when Aparajita was recovering in hospital

she discovered her fall had been captured on video.

Everyone who's seen that video has called me so many things.

Until you actually go there, nobody will understand.

Firstly, I was not near the edge.

Secondly, it was completely dry, like, there was no water whatsoever.

That wave, there was no wave before that.

I mean, there's no way I could have seen that coming.

Even local Garda Brian,

who helped at the rescue, finds it hard to explain.

The tide was as low as it could be.

I've been sitting there at high tide with my children,

sitting up where she was standing. It's generally very safe.

But although it was a freak event, it could have been far worse.

Apu was very lucky that it was only a single wave,

if the second and third wave came... Who knows?

It wouldn't have been good.

Despite her trauma,

Aparajita feels that some good has come from what happened.

My mum said something really funny. She's like,

I was at the wrong place at the right time.

Look at the team that saved me, they're the most amazing people

I have ever met in my entire life, I'm serious.

I was loved in a place where I knew no-one,

and I think that's amazing, really.

Yeah.

That's all for now.

Join us next time for more Close Calls.