0:00:02 > 0:00:05A close call - a moment of danger when life can hang in the balance.
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 > 0:00:16The difference between disaster and survival.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19Our hearts dropped. This was a big crash.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22These are the people that've been there and lived to tell the tale.
0:00:22 > 0:00:24I need an ambulance.
0:00:24 > 0:00:2715 minutes and your number would be up.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30Their instincts and resources, coupled with the quick thinking
0:00:30 > 0:00:33of others, helped to pull them through.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35Could've gone the wrong way. Could've easily gone the wrong way.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38And their dramatic experiences were recorded on camera.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41I think there was several things that could've killed me,
0:00:41 > 0:00:43should've 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...
0:01:05 > 0:01:08A shocking scene in a city centre street
0:01:08 > 0:01:10is captured on a mobile phone.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13GIRL SCREAMING
0:01:13 > 0:01:17A teenage girl is trapped under a tram.
0:01:17 > 0:01:18When I noticed the girl,
0:01:18 > 0:01:20I immediately thought that her legs were gone.
0:01:20 > 0:01:22She was trapped completely under.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25It was really frightening to see something like that.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28Two boys are halfway home from school when there's
0:01:28 > 0:01:32a horrific accident. This is the 999 call.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44All the boy's parents can do is wait and hope.
0:01:44 > 0:01:47There's an ambulance in front of you, and it's your own son
0:01:47 > 0:01:49that's in the ambulance.
0:01:49 > 0:01:53You're trying to hold it together, it's very, very difficult.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56And an explosion outside a burger bar.
0:01:56 > 0:01:58A customer is just a few feet away.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01Any unassuming person, if they'd been on top of that,
0:02:01 > 0:02:04it would have engulfed them completely.
0:02:11 > 0:02:16Getting on a bus, train or a tram is an everyday event for many of us.
0:02:16 > 0:02:21But for one schoolgirl it was an event of dramatic proportions.
0:02:21 > 0:02:22City centre, Dublin.
0:02:22 > 0:02:27A passenger films a schoolgirl lying trapped beneath a 60-tonne tram.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30Her urgent screams alert a crowd of commuters.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32GIRL SCREAMING
0:02:32 > 0:02:36Maja has been hit and dragged along the platform -
0:02:36 > 0:02:38she's in excruciating pain.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41I immediately thought that her legs were gone.
0:02:41 > 0:02:43She was trapped completely under. It was really frightening
0:02:43 > 0:02:45to see something like that.
0:02:45 > 0:02:49Stunned passengers pour off the busy rush hour carriages.
0:02:49 > 0:02:51In desperation, together, they try to heave the tram
0:02:51 > 0:02:53from Maja's crushed leg.
0:03:06 > 0:03:1016-year-old Maja Dabkowska is a walking miracle.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14It's the first day of term and the most important year of her
0:03:14 > 0:03:18school life and, as she sets off to catch a bus in busy Dublin
0:03:18 > 0:03:22city centre, thoughts have already turned to exams and coursework.
0:03:22 > 0:03:24It's a stressful time.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26I was so tired. I couldn't sleep all night.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28I was so excited or nervous.
0:03:30 > 0:03:34In a daze, Maja approaches Jervis Street station
0:03:34 > 0:03:37where the Luas - the Dublin tram - intersects the street.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40She needs to cross the tram lines to get to her bus stop.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43Half asleep and with her mind elsewhere,
0:03:43 > 0:03:48instead of walking straight over, she turns onto the busy platform.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50It was kind of like a daydream. I don't know how
0:03:50 > 0:03:52I managed to get onto the platform.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54Two trams go by.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59And then Maja makes a massive error of judgment -
0:03:59 > 0:04:02she steps out onto the tracks.
0:04:02 > 0:04:06I just didn't think there could be a third one coming.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09Then I was woken up by the horn from the train.
0:04:09 > 0:04:11TRAIN HORN BEEPS
0:04:11 > 0:04:13When the train was coming and when I heard the horn,
0:04:13 > 0:04:15I just thought, "I'm going to die."
0:04:15 > 0:04:17TRAIN HORN BEEPS
0:04:17 > 0:04:21Maja has stepped out in front of the oncoming tram.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24As she desperately scrambles back onto the platform kerb,
0:04:24 > 0:04:27the driver hits the brakes - but it's too late.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30It slams into her leg and pins her to the platform wall.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33SHE SCREAMS
0:04:33 > 0:04:36A passer-by films the aftermath of the collision -
0:04:36 > 0:04:40one of the pedestrians looking on is salesman, Glen Whelan.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44I was walking down towards the Luas line when I was going to work.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47I just saw the Luas immediately stop and heard a little bit of a scream.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49MAJA SCREAMS
0:04:49 > 0:04:50When I noticed the girl,
0:04:50 > 0:04:52I immediately thought her legs were gone.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55She was trapped completely under it. It was really frightening
0:04:55 > 0:04:56to see something like that.
0:04:56 > 0:05:00Maja is conscious but in total shock and pain.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04The train dragged me a few metres, to the platform.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06My shoe was like ten metres away.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11I was just kind of laying there. I was really twisted out.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15Then this boy came. He was the first one there.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18He gave me a bag, a gym bag, to lean over.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21Which kind of stopped me twisting over.
0:05:21 > 0:05:23Then people on the train as well,
0:05:23 > 0:05:25they realised that there was an accident
0:05:25 > 0:05:27and everyone kind of got off.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31She's afraid she's badly injured.
0:05:31 > 0:05:35The pain was so bad. I never imagined pain like that.
0:05:35 > 0:05:38And then I just kind of thought, "I'm going to die.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40"Or I'm going to lose my leg."
0:05:40 > 0:05:43Passengers and passing pedestrians are in complete shock.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45An onlooker calls the emergency services -
0:05:45 > 0:05:49it's a job for the experts with specialist equipment.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52But Maja's terrified screams spur the shocked crowd
0:05:52 > 0:05:53into decisive action.
0:05:56 > 0:06:01One person gave an idea that they could push the train off my leg.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04He told them to push it, and everyone did.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07The crowd of good Samaritans try to heave the 60-tonne tram
0:06:07 > 0:06:12away from Maja's leg but only manage to move it a few millimetres.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15It was so much better for me but then they had to stop
0:06:15 > 0:06:19to get more strength. Then all the weight going back on my leg.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22MAJA SCREAMS
0:06:22 > 0:06:25There's just not enough people power to lift the tram.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27Maja's leg is still under the carriage.
0:06:27 > 0:06:31It's been over two minutes since the accident and the pain is unbearable.
0:06:31 > 0:06:33MAJA SCREAMS
0:06:33 > 0:06:36Someone shouts for extra help and the crowd's number swells.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39More people join to add their weight.
0:06:39 > 0:06:43With the increased manpower, they try again to free the 16 year old.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46There were more people gathering.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50There was a good 20 people. Everybody came together to help her.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52To push the Luas to the side, to at least get it
0:06:52 > 0:06:55an inch off the ground to free her leg.
0:06:55 > 0:06:56People began pushing again.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04This time, the combined force from the determined crowd
0:07:04 > 0:07:06makes a difference. They manage to move the tram.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14As more and more people gathered, they kind of... Her leg got free.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20Then, after a while, the people could actually drag me out
0:07:20 > 0:07:22onto the platform.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25After more than three minutes under the tram, she's free.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30Maja waits for an ambulance.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33The footage reveals she's bleeding and heavily grazed.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36But thankfully, she can feel her legs.
0:07:38 > 0:07:39At the emergency department,
0:07:39 > 0:07:42Maja's legs are covered in cuts and bruises.
0:07:42 > 0:07:46Incredibly, she's somehow managed to escape serious injury,
0:07:46 > 0:07:49but she can't resist a few snaps for social media.
0:07:49 > 0:07:53When the doctor came, he took about 30 X-rays of my leg
0:07:53 > 0:07:57from different angles. Then, after a few minutes, the results came back.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00And the leg wasn't broken. I was very surprised.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03The doctor himself said it was a miracle.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06It's been a terrifying experience for Maja
0:08:06 > 0:08:08which could have ended very differently.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11She's eternally grateful to the scores of people who helped,
0:08:11 > 0:08:14although experts advise it's better to wait for the emergency
0:08:14 > 0:08:19services to prevent further injuries in serious incidents like Maja's.
0:08:19 > 0:08:23When people dragged me out, I was just so thankful that I'm alive.
0:08:23 > 0:08:27I didn't know how to thank them. I think I was sitting and kept
0:08:27 > 0:08:30repeating thank you to everyone.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34And now Maja takes extra care on her daily commute to school.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37I'm terrified when I walk past the road now.
0:08:37 > 0:08:38I just kind of look ten times.
0:08:46 > 0:08:50When things go wrong, there are plenty of people out there to help,
0:08:50 > 0:08:53from professional emergency workers to volunteers
0:08:53 > 0:08:55and members of the public.
0:08:55 > 0:08:57And that is just as well.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02It's a summer's afternoon in the village of Pencaitland,
0:09:02 > 0:09:04just outside Edinburgh.
0:09:04 > 0:09:06School friends Harry and Douglas are taking turns riding
0:09:06 > 0:09:09Dougie's bike home from school.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12It's a mile to Boggs Holdings, where Dougie lives.
0:09:12 > 0:09:16But halfway there, the boys meet with an horrific accident.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18LOUD CRASH
0:09:18 > 0:09:22A van driver makes this emergency 999 call.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28It's Harry. He's lying on the road with a serious head injury.
0:09:28 > 0:09:30And he's not breathing.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32I remember when I turned that corner thinking,
0:09:32 > 0:09:34"This what it's like to lose a child."
0:09:42 > 0:09:45At Pencaitland Primary School in East Lothian,
0:09:45 > 0:09:48it's just a few weeks before the end of the summer term.
0:09:48 > 0:09:52Amongst the pupils in their final year are 12-year-old Douglas
0:09:52 > 0:09:54and 11-year-old Harry.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57I went to school, which I usually just get dropped off,
0:09:57 > 0:10:00then walk through the glebe into the school
0:10:00 > 0:10:03and play around the playground with my friends.
0:10:03 > 0:10:07And then, after school, came out and started going home with Douglas.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12The two friends are heading to Dougie's home,
0:10:12 > 0:10:16where his mother, Janet, is waiting to take them to youth club.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18The school to the house is probably about a mile.
0:10:18 > 0:10:20Just over a mile, maybe.
0:10:20 > 0:10:24I remember looking at my watch thinking, "It's about 3.50.
0:10:24 > 0:10:25"The boys should be here by now."
0:10:25 > 0:10:28I knew they just had the one bike between them,
0:10:28 > 0:10:31so I knew they'd be kind of walking up the road and blethering
0:10:31 > 0:10:33and, you know, generally being boys.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38The boys are taking turns riding Dougie's bike.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40They're halfway home and on this road
0:10:40 > 0:10:42when a car overtakes them.
0:10:42 > 0:10:44Behind the car is a van, but the driver
0:10:44 > 0:10:47doesn't see the boys until it's too late.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54Seconds later, the driver of the van is dialling 999,
0:10:54 > 0:10:57shocked and distressed by what's happened.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29In the background, there is the sound of crying - it's Dougie,
0:11:29 > 0:11:33who's got up unhurt, having been knocked onto the verge.
0:11:33 > 0:11:37But his friend Harry is lying on the road, alongside his crumpled bike.
0:11:37 > 0:11:39Harry's not making any noise.
0:11:41 > 0:11:43By an extraordinary stroke of luck,
0:11:43 > 0:11:46off-duty firefighter Paul Cook
0:11:46 > 0:11:48passed the accident just after it happened.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50He takes over the call.
0:12:10 > 0:12:15Harry's friend was sort of in tears, a bit hysterical.
0:12:15 > 0:12:19Harry was not moving on the ground. At that stage, I realised it was
0:12:19 > 0:12:22a wee bit more serious than I first thought.
0:12:22 > 0:12:26Paul's trained in emergency first aid and recognises he needs to
0:12:26 > 0:12:30act immediately if Harry's to have any chance.
0:12:30 > 0:12:32When I first got there, Harry wasn't breathing,
0:12:32 > 0:12:34his airway was a bit blocked.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37Just with a wee bit of fluid and stuff.
0:12:37 > 0:12:39So I managed to scoop most of that out.
0:12:39 > 0:12:41He started to become a wee bit responsive,
0:12:41 > 0:12:43coughing and spluttering.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46Then he was just drifting in and out of consciousness.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49I was just trying to work on keeping his head still.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52The driver was obviously in pieces as well,
0:12:52 > 0:12:53which is quite understandable.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56I told him just to put the phone by my ear.
0:12:56 > 0:12:58Paul Cook has got him breathing again,
0:12:58 > 0:13:01but Harry keeps losing consciousness.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09Half a mile away at Dougie's home,
0:13:09 > 0:13:12his mother, Janet, is beginning to wonder what has happened
0:13:12 > 0:13:13to the boys.
0:13:13 > 0:13:15I'd just been looking at my watch thinking,
0:13:15 > 0:13:18"They should be home, I should maybe text them."
0:13:18 > 0:13:21I was just stood outside the back door.
0:13:21 > 0:13:26And as I was thinking that, as I was walking in the back door,
0:13:26 > 0:13:30I heard Dougie screaming for me. He was shouting, "Mum!"
0:13:30 > 0:13:32He came running through the house.
0:13:32 > 0:13:36Dougie was too distressed to really explain what had happened.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39Dougie's been brought home by two passers-by.
0:13:39 > 0:13:43They're hoping Dougie's mum will be able to get hold of Harry's parents.
0:13:43 > 0:13:47Meanwhile, at ambulance control, Cara Rearie is trying to
0:13:47 > 0:13:50get as many details as possible about Harry's injuries,
0:13:50 > 0:13:54so she can pass vital information to the medics who are en route.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34Harry keeps drifting into unconsciousness.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37It's becoming clear he must be very badly hurt.
0:14:37 > 0:14:41It takes Dougie's mum, Janet, just a few minutes to get to the accident.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49The telephone call to the ambulance control is open
0:14:49 > 0:14:50until the medics arrive.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57Harry was lying...
0:14:59 > 0:15:03..on his back. Paul had his head between his hands.
0:15:03 > 0:15:05Holding his head steady.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08There was another two people there. One sat on the other side of him,
0:15:08 > 0:15:13one holding his legs, cos he was moving his arms and legs about.
0:15:13 > 0:15:17I spoke to Harry. Tried to get him to respond and stuff.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24When I asked him to squeeze my hand if he understood what
0:15:24 > 0:15:27I was saying, he didn't...there wasn't...he couldn't do that.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37I don't know that I realised how serious it was.
0:15:37 > 0:15:39It was clear that he wasn't conscious but, you know,
0:15:39 > 0:15:41you don't really know what that
0:15:41 > 0:15:44means in terms of what the injuries might be or anything.
0:15:44 > 0:15:46I don't think I was really thinking about that.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49You know, it was more, "I have to phone his mum."
0:15:54 > 0:15:57Call handler Cara picks up Janet's voice consoling Harry.
0:16:06 > 0:16:11From the roadside, Janet calls Harry's mum, Lisa, on her mobile.
0:16:16 > 0:16:18It was about 4.00 in the afternoon.
0:16:18 > 0:16:19It was a nice, sunny day.
0:16:20 > 0:16:22Then my phone rang
0:16:22 > 0:16:24and it was my friend.
0:16:24 > 0:16:29Dougie's mum. Sounding quite panicked.
0:16:29 > 0:16:30She asked me if I was on my own.
0:16:31 > 0:16:35I said, "No, I've got Nick here. Is everything all right?"
0:16:49 > 0:16:53Nick, Harry's dad, happens to be on a day off and with Lisa
0:16:53 > 0:16:55when Janet calls.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58I was remarkably calm. I was like, "Right, OK.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00"Don't worry, I'll drive. It'll be fine."
0:17:00 > 0:17:03Lisa got really upset very, very quickly.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06Like, this is my worst nightmare. And we just drove
0:17:06 > 0:17:09the five minutes to the scene of the accident.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12I remember when I turned that corner thinking,
0:17:12 > 0:17:15"This is what it is like to lose a child."
0:17:15 > 0:17:17Later, a hospital neurosurgeon
0:17:17 > 0:17:20confirms the extent of the damage to Harry's head.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23Harry's injury was immediately life-threatening.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26A case of serious head trauma and brain injury.
0:17:34 > 0:17:36Solihull in the West Midlands.
0:17:37 > 0:17:41Smoke and fire explode from a pavement manhole
0:17:41 > 0:17:45only a few feet from the entrance of a busy fast food takeaway.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48A customer captures the event on his phone's camera.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53Just seconds after he'd walked over this very spot
0:17:53 > 0:17:55on his way to get his supper.
0:17:55 > 0:17:57Any unassuming person -
0:17:57 > 0:18:01if they'd been on top of that, it would have engulfed them completely.
0:18:11 > 0:18:14Father of two Shiraz Nawaz often pops into his local
0:18:14 > 0:18:18fried chicken takeaway in Shirley, Solihull.
0:18:18 > 0:18:20But on a summer's evening in May,
0:18:20 > 0:18:24just as he arrives at the shop to order his favourite fillet burger,
0:18:24 > 0:18:27he hears an unusual loud hissing noise behind him.
0:18:29 > 0:18:33I popped my head into the door of the shop to order my burger
0:18:33 > 0:18:35and, in the same kind of motion,
0:18:35 > 0:18:39I turned around and started looking over to where I thought this
0:18:39 > 0:18:43noise, which was gradually getting louder, was coming from.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46In the same motion, I kind of reached for my phone.
0:18:46 > 0:18:48And started recording.
0:18:48 > 0:18:52And Shiraz cannot believe what happens next.
0:18:52 > 0:18:57I saw the manhole and some smoke coming out.
0:18:57 > 0:19:02My point was further confirmed when a huge fireball came out
0:19:02 > 0:19:04from within that manhole.
0:19:10 > 0:19:14The fire would go down and it would just stop.
0:19:14 > 0:19:16And then it would suddenly fire up again.
0:19:16 > 0:19:21I actually thought that, at any stage, the floor might cave in.
0:19:21 > 0:19:26Because it was with quite a gust that the fireball erupted.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29So, you know, it went up to about 15ft.
0:19:29 > 0:19:30It was very powerful.
0:19:32 > 0:19:36Shiraz's main concern is for the people inside the busy takeaway.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39The fire had erupted very close to a shop.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42And the shop had an awning, like a canopy type of thing,
0:19:42 > 0:19:47and there was only, literally I'd say, inches between that fire
0:19:47 > 0:19:51and the actual shop. The fire could've easily spread.
0:19:51 > 0:19:55At that stage, I decided to stop filming and take ownership
0:19:55 > 0:19:57of the situation.
0:19:57 > 0:20:02Shiraz is a former gas engineer and his training takes over.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05He runs inside the takeaway to warn Sabir Ahmed
0:20:05 > 0:20:07serving at the counter.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10I heard him say, "Come out!" As soon as we seen that fire,
0:20:10 > 0:20:14we had to step out, switch everything off, get out of the shop.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18The gas is off, but the fire isn't dying away.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21Shiraz dials 999 before instructing Sabir
0:20:21 > 0:20:26and the rest of the staff to get out and keep any passers-by well away
0:20:26 > 0:20:28from the unpredictable jets of flame.
0:20:28 > 0:20:30Any unassuming person -
0:20:30 > 0:20:34if they had been on top of that, it would have engulfed them completely.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38The fire service arrive and begin tackling the blaze, which has been
0:20:38 > 0:20:42caused by a faulty electrical junction box below the ground.
0:20:43 > 0:20:47It takes some time to contain it and they have to use foam to put it out.
0:20:49 > 0:20:55I have just literally walked over that. I was very, very lucky.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59Thankfully he did tell us and warned us about it.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02If he didn't tell us, I don't know what would've happened.
0:21:02 > 0:21:04And after almost being cooked himself,
0:21:04 > 0:21:08Shiraz can finally look forward to his long overdue dinner.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11Once everything was under control, I did get an actual burger,
0:21:11 > 0:21:15and it was called the flamed burger, which is quite ironic.
0:21:15 > 0:21:18Well, actually, I had two of them. A bit greedy.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31At a roadside on the outskirts of Edinburgh,
0:21:31 > 0:21:34schoolboy Harry lies critically ill with head injuries
0:21:34 > 0:21:36after being knocked off his bike.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38His friend's mum is with him.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41She's called Harry's parents, who are now en route.
0:21:41 > 0:21:43OVER PHONE:
0:21:48 > 0:21:52An off-duty firefighter, Paul Cook, trained in emergency first aid,
0:21:52 > 0:21:55is doing all he can to keep Harry still and safe.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58He's on the line to ambulance control as the paramedics
0:21:58 > 0:21:59head to the scene.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05PAUL:
0:22:05 > 0:22:07The ambulance has arrived.
0:22:07 > 0:22:11Technician Oran Robinson is the first to Harry's side.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13We carried out an assessment of his injuries
0:22:13 > 0:22:19and our main concern at that time was a possible brain injury.
0:22:19 > 0:22:23Just moments behind the ambulance are Harry's parents, Lisa and Nick.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25I remember his parents arriving on scene
0:22:25 > 0:22:29and the shock in their faces, it really touched my heart.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32You know, when you arrive at this kind of scene, it's just like...
0:22:32 > 0:22:34It's a lot to take in.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37I went over and knelt beside him and held his hand and just said,
0:22:37 > 0:22:39"Harry, it's Dad here. It's Dad here.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41"Harry, you'll be all right. You'll be all right."
0:22:41 > 0:22:46His eyes flickered like just a few times, and then he was out.
0:22:46 > 0:22:51I was calm and that. I wasn't screaming or crying. Erm...
0:22:51 > 0:22:56But I think inside I felt pretty panicked. Erm...
0:22:58 > 0:23:02I was just sort of willing him to...not to die at the roadside.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05Harry is so unresponsive,
0:23:05 > 0:23:08the hospital trauma team Medic One has been alerted.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11A consultant and emergency nurse are going to carry out
0:23:11 > 0:23:13advanced treatment at the roadside.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16They are going to put Harry into an induced coma
0:23:16 > 0:23:18and take over his breathing.
0:23:18 > 0:23:20It will reduce the pressure in his head
0:23:20 > 0:23:22and crucially preserve his brain function.
0:23:22 > 0:23:27When it ended up being another ambulance, this Medic One,
0:23:27 > 0:23:31when that arrived as well, then you knew it was serious.
0:23:31 > 0:23:33And then the police escort.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36You know, we were in a convoy of three vehicles.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38You're in the back of this car and there is an ambulance in front
0:23:38 > 0:23:42of you, and it's your own son that's in that ambulance.
0:23:42 > 0:23:46And you're trying to hold together. It's very, very difficult.
0:23:46 > 0:23:47It's very difficult.
0:23:49 > 0:23:54At the hospital, neurosurgeon Jothy Kandasamy is standing by.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56There's no doubt that Harry's case
0:23:56 > 0:24:01was a case of serious trauma - head trauma, brain injury.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04So a blood clot that was expanding second by second.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07An expanding blood clot literally will be life-threatening
0:24:07 > 0:24:08within minutes.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12Harry is taken into theatre.
0:24:12 > 0:24:16It's the start of the longest hours and days in Nick and Lisa's lives.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19It's late at night and we're trying to get some sleep,
0:24:19 > 0:24:21but you are dreading that knock on the door.
0:24:21 > 0:24:25In theatre, Mr Kandasamy and his team control the blood clot
0:24:25 > 0:24:27and create a window in Harry's skull
0:24:27 > 0:24:29to release the pressure on his brain.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32The surgery is a success,
0:24:32 > 0:24:35but Harry has to remain in a medically-induced coma.
0:24:36 > 0:24:40Up until that point, there was no way for us
0:24:40 > 0:24:44to absolutely categorically say to the parents,
0:24:44 > 0:24:46"We know what he's going to be like."
0:24:46 > 0:24:51This is the sight that greets Lisa and Nick in the critical care unit.
0:24:52 > 0:24:54It was the early hours of the morning.
0:24:54 > 0:25:00That's quite a shock to see him with lots of lines going in each
0:25:00 > 0:25:05hand with drugs and lots of computerised technology which you've
0:25:05 > 0:25:08never seen before in your life if you've never been in that situation.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11It's a waiting game, and every morning when you get up
0:25:11 > 0:25:17and you walk downstairs to go back into intensive care and see him...
0:25:17 > 0:25:20You're thinking, "Great, we've got through another night
0:25:20 > 0:25:21"without having a knock on the door."
0:25:21 > 0:25:24And, you know, you sit and you talk to him
0:25:24 > 0:25:27hoping that he is listening to it somewhere subconsciously.
0:25:27 > 0:25:29And you stroke him and you tell them that you love him.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32You are always very much on edge
0:25:32 > 0:25:35because you don't know what the outcome could be.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38In head injuries, the outcomes can be tragic.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43The bolt in Harry's head measures the pressure inside his brain.
0:25:43 > 0:25:47His parents have to wait another 12 days until Harry's consultant
0:25:47 > 0:25:49is happy that the levels are low enough
0:25:49 > 0:25:52to attempt bringing him out of the coma.
0:25:52 > 0:25:54He opened his eyes on Father's Day,
0:25:54 > 0:25:56so that was the best Father's Day present I've ever had.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00I started to shout down the ward.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03Bear in mind there's lots of very poorly children.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05"He's awake! He's awake!"
0:26:05 > 0:26:08And Nick and I were fighting back the tears.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11That is very, very emotional when he first opened his eyes.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13Really very emotional.
0:26:15 > 0:26:17I do remember waking up in intensive care.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19I thought it was a dream.
0:26:20 > 0:26:24I remember my mum and dad coming round the side to say hello
0:26:24 > 0:26:25and gave me a cuddle.
0:26:27 > 0:26:28In the next few days,
0:26:28 > 0:26:31Harry is taken to Ward 7 for children with head injuries.
0:26:31 > 0:26:35His progress is rapid and astonishes everyone.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38His primary school decide to give him
0:26:38 > 0:26:42a citizenship award to mark his extraordinary recovery,
0:26:42 > 0:26:45and make this video with him for his school friends to see.
0:26:45 > 0:26:47Yeah, go on. Yay!
0:26:47 > 0:26:49WOMAN GIGGLES
0:26:50 > 0:26:55After 18 days in hospital, Harry goes home fit and well.
0:26:55 > 0:26:57He's back playing with his mate Dougie
0:26:57 > 0:26:59and recalling the events of that day.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02The gears are completely wrecked.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05I've got the helmet that I was wearing at the time that...
0:27:05 > 0:27:06I got hit.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09It was Douglas' helmet, and of course when I hit,
0:27:09 > 0:27:10this bit came off.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12Scratches here.
0:27:13 > 0:27:14Incredibly,
0:27:14 > 0:27:18the only lasting affects of his dreadful injuries are headaches.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21The driver of the van was found guilty of dangerous driving
0:27:21 > 0:27:23and banned for two years.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26But the family have made their peace with him.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29We since wrote a letter to him telling him that we don't feel
0:27:29 > 0:27:32any ill will to him, which we don't.
0:27:32 > 0:27:34There is such thing as accidents.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38The family are grateful to all those involved in Harry's
0:27:38 > 0:27:42survival and recovery, particularly firefighter Paul Cook,
0:27:42 > 0:27:44the first on the scene who recognised
0:27:44 > 0:27:46just how critical his situation was.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50I'm just grateful that I could do something that, you know,
0:27:50 > 0:27:53I had the skills that I could do something to help Harry.
0:27:53 > 0:27:57Thanks to him, I managed to get into hospital and I didn't die.
0:27:57 > 0:27:59Which is good.
0:27:59 > 0:28:01I don't want to die at the age of 11.
0:28:10 > 0:28:13That's all for now. Join us next time for more Close Calls.