0:00:02 > 0:00:04A close call. A moment of danger.
0:00:04 > 0:00:06When 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 have been there, and lived to tell the tale.
0:00:22 > 0:00:24I need an ambulance!
0:00:24 > 0:00:2615 minutes and your number would be up.
0:00:26 > 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 > 0:00:35Could have gone the wrong way, could have easily gone the wrong way.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38And their dramatic experiences were recorded on camera.
0:00:38 > 0:00:39SCREAMING
0:00:39 > 0:00:43I think there were several things could have killed me should have killed me and didn't.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45It's a day they'll never forget.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48The day they had a close call.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05Today, on Close Calls.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10The fight to save a top British surfer, battered by
0:01:10 > 0:01:13three massive waves crashing down on his head.
0:01:13 > 0:01:15I'm hugging him and saying goodbye,
0:01:15 > 0:01:18and I'm trying not to think, "This might be the last time".
0:01:18 > 0:01:21Only his best pal can save him.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24Sometimes, you got like, one, two or three seconds to pick him up
0:01:24 > 0:01:26and get out of the place.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29And a cyclist's helmet cam captures a collision
0:01:29 > 0:01:32a car driver didn't see coming.
0:01:32 > 0:01:33Whoa!
0:01:38 > 0:01:41Nazare, on Portugal's Silver Coast.
0:01:41 > 0:01:46It's a popular resort and also a Mecca for big wave surfers.
0:01:46 > 0:01:48They're drawn to the huge swells which
0:01:48 > 0:01:51can reach heights of 100 feet.
0:01:51 > 0:01:55Amongst them, British surfer Andrew Cotton, who was out to ride
0:01:55 > 0:01:57the biggest wave of the year.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01The conditions appear perfect as he prepares
0:02:01 > 0:02:03for the second surf of the day.
0:02:03 > 0:02:06But, as he attempts to turn into the barrel of the wave,
0:02:06 > 0:02:11it unexpectedly breaks on top of him with terrifying consequences.
0:02:17 > 0:02:2035-year-old Andrew Cotton has been hooked on surfing
0:02:20 > 0:02:22since he was a child growing up in Devon.
0:02:24 > 0:02:28It's one of those sort of hobbies that is super fun
0:02:28 > 0:02:30but also keeps you really fit and it's a feeling that
0:02:30 > 0:02:34when you're riding waves, all your stress and worries,
0:02:34 > 0:02:36you know, go to a different place.
0:02:36 > 0:02:38Nowadays, it's more than a hobby.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41It's the way he earns his living and supports his wife Katie,
0:02:41 > 0:02:42and two children.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46When the couple first got together, five years ago,
0:02:46 > 0:02:49Katie had no idea what Andrew did for a living,
0:02:49 > 0:02:53until after he went to Ireland for a long weekend, surfing.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56And he came back and I said, "Oh, did you have a good time,
0:02:56 > 0:02:58"was it a good trip?" He said, "Yeah, it was OK,"
0:02:58 > 0:03:00as he does, in his sort of casual way.
0:03:00 > 0:03:02And then I went into Tesco
0:03:02 > 0:03:06and I saw someone on the front page of Wavelength magazine,
0:03:06 > 0:03:11a tiny dot of a guy on a massive wave and it said "Andrew Cotton".
0:03:11 > 0:03:14And I thought, "Oh, I didn't realise he was into that sort of stuff!"
0:03:14 > 0:03:19In fact, Andrew is a professional, who specialises in big-wave surfing,
0:03:19 > 0:03:22an extreme version of the sports where surfers only tackle
0:03:22 > 0:03:25waves over 20 feet high.
0:03:25 > 0:03:27When you sort of see a big wave coming to you,
0:03:27 > 0:03:31things that go through my head are that I want to try and catch it.
0:03:31 > 0:03:36Sometimes, it's insane. Sometimes the whole ground moves
0:03:36 > 0:03:39and it's kind of like an intimidating place.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41But pretty amazing at the same time.
0:03:41 > 0:03:42There's always a bigger one.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45You never know, next week, there might be a bigger wave,
0:03:45 > 0:03:47you know, so, it's always... It's never-ending.
0:03:47 > 0:03:52'Katie is proud of her husband, but every surfing trip brings worry.'
0:03:52 > 0:03:55I sometimes have that horrible surge where I'm hugging him
0:03:55 > 0:03:58and saying goodbye and I'm thinking... I'm trying not to think,
0:03:58 > 0:04:00"This might be the last time."
0:04:00 > 0:04:03Like any other professional sportsman, Andrew strives to
0:04:03 > 0:04:08be the best and is currently one of the top competitors in the world.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11It's December when he arrives in Portugal to try to
0:04:11 > 0:04:13take the record for riding the biggest wave.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16The current Guinness World Record was set at Nazare,
0:04:16 > 0:04:19with a wave at just under 80 feet.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22It was one of the biggest swells this year.
0:04:22 > 0:04:28So everyone was a little bit more nervous, we knew that one of us
0:04:28 > 0:04:31was going to get one of the biggest waves of the year probably out there.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36Andrew can only attempt surfing these big waves with the help
0:04:36 > 0:04:39and back-up of close friends and fellow professionals,
0:04:39 > 0:04:42like Portuguese surfer Hugo Val.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44Hugo's apprehensive but excited
0:04:44 > 0:04:47about the day in the surf with the mate he calls "Cotty".
0:04:47 > 0:04:49The sea was huge.
0:04:49 > 0:04:54It was crest waves all over and we are dealing with the sea
0:04:54 > 0:04:56in the most extreme conditions
0:04:56 > 0:04:58that a human being has been, you know.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03Andrew was fully aware of the dangers out in the swell.
0:05:03 > 0:05:05In the last 20 years,
0:05:05 > 0:05:09seven professional surfers have lost their lives riding big waves.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13The waves this day, they were, like, 50 feet, probably.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16Maybe a bit bigger. And fast and powerful.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21To try to catch one of these huge waves,
0:05:21 > 0:05:23Andrew is towed out by jet ski.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26It's the only way he can build up enough speed to get in
0:05:26 > 0:05:29the best and safest position on the wave.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32Another team member on another ski keeps watch.
0:05:32 > 0:05:37Both jet skis tow rescue sleds in case of emergencies.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40Between us we've all got comms and stuff, so we can speak to each other
0:05:40 > 0:05:43even though we're, like, just darting around in the ocean, you know.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45We also have comms on the cliff, as well.
0:05:46 > 0:05:48On this December day,
0:05:48 > 0:05:50there are two teams of jet skiers working Nazare beach,
0:05:50 > 0:05:53to tow the surfers out and act as a safety lookouts.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58As they begin their quest for the big waves, Hugo is acting
0:05:58 > 0:06:04as the safety ski, while Andrew is towed out by another team member.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07The scene is being recorded by camera teams on the clifftop.
0:06:07 > 0:06:11I was warming up a little bit and I had a couple of nice rides.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14But as Andrew tackles his second wave of the day,
0:06:14 > 0:06:16something goes very wrong.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18I just sort of faded a bit too deep
0:06:18 > 0:06:21and I thought I was going to come up into more of the barrel,
0:06:21 > 0:06:24so I was going to come in under and the wave's going to go over me.
0:06:24 > 0:06:26And I was going to come out of it, obviously.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29As I pulled up, the wave just didn't do what I thought it was going
0:06:29 > 0:06:33to do and it sort of crumbled and just knocks me off.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36This is the moment the force of the 50-foot-high wave
0:06:36 > 0:06:39crashes down on Andrew.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42There was no anticipation or thought processes,
0:06:42 > 0:06:44like, "Oh, I'm going to fall here".
0:06:44 > 0:06:48Straight away, it's just like an intense hit, like, bang!
0:06:48 > 0:06:49You know, you're just off.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52Hugo can't see his friend through the wall of surf,
0:06:52 > 0:06:56but he's heard what's happened over the team radio.
0:06:56 > 0:07:01I understood that Cotty was in a bad situation and that he had fell.
0:07:01 > 0:07:03Hugo is frantically worried.
0:07:03 > 0:07:07They have only seconds to get Andrew out of the avalanche of turbulent water.
0:07:10 > 0:07:14Later, as Andrew surfaces, another massive wave looms over him.
0:07:15 > 0:07:19Hugo can see it's about to crash down on top of his friend's head.
0:07:19 > 0:07:23Sometimes in Nazare, you felt like you had the hand of a giant
0:07:23 > 0:07:27or these two hands, and they smash all over your body.
0:07:27 > 0:07:29And also coming up:
0:07:29 > 0:07:32A terrified mother dials 999.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40A seven-year-old boy has plunged 15 feet onto concrete.
0:07:48 > 0:07:50Bournemouth, Dorset.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56Cyclist John sets out on an early morning ride with a friend.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01He is recording the trip with a camera mounted on his helmet.
0:08:03 > 0:08:07But it turns out to be a horror video, when John sees a car.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10But the car doesn't see John.
0:08:10 > 0:08:11WHOA!
0:08:17 > 0:08:20John Piper is cycle crazy.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22Bikes play a large part of my life.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24I train a lot, I do it for the social side of it,
0:08:24 > 0:08:28I do it for the fitness side of it, I do it for the adrenaline side of it.
0:08:28 > 0:08:29I just love cycling.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31So much so that, in his spare time,
0:08:31 > 0:08:34John rides between 60-200 miles a week.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37He competes in local events and crosses the channel
0:08:37 > 0:08:40every year to ride a mountain stage of the Tour de France.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42But it's on the roads closer to home
0:08:42 > 0:08:44that he will face his greatest danger,
0:08:44 > 0:08:47with the whole event recorded.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51My wife bought me a Christmas present which was one of these cameras
0:08:51 > 0:08:53that you can bolt onto a bike.
0:08:53 > 0:08:57And so, come the New Year, off I went for a ride and then,
0:08:57 > 0:09:00ironically, that's when I had my accident.
0:09:00 > 0:09:02It was the first time I'd ever used it.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05John attaches the camera to his cycle helmet, so it follows
0:09:05 > 0:09:09his point of view as he sets out on his 50-mile bike ride with a pal.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13It's a dark January morning, so John's prepared.
0:09:13 > 0:09:17Well, I had three front lights on my bike, all very powerful lights.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19I have two rear lights.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22You just have to do everything you can do to be seen.
0:09:22 > 0:09:2512 miles in and by a chilling coincidence,
0:09:25 > 0:09:28John and his friend are chatting about a recent television programme,
0:09:28 > 0:09:32showing traffic accidents between cyclists and motorists.
0:09:45 > 0:09:46Oh, yeah! Absolutely.
0:09:46 > 0:09:50Sometimes, cyclists are in the wrong. And sometimes car drivers are.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52We'd literally been chatting about that two minutes
0:09:52 > 0:09:54before we got to that roundabout.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01Checking the roundabout in both directions,
0:10:01 > 0:10:04John sees the road is clear for him to carry on.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07He has right of way, but terrifyingly, he's about to
0:10:07 > 0:10:12be right IN the way of this car, that simply hasn't noticed him.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14WHOA!
0:10:14 > 0:10:16YELLING
0:10:16 > 0:10:19The memory of it is seared into John's mind.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22As I came on to the roundabout, and we were halfway onto
0:10:22 > 0:10:25the roundabout, I was aware of two cars coming from the left.
0:10:26 > 0:10:31And the first car slowed up and obviously stopped at the roundabout.
0:10:31 > 0:10:35But I was aware that the second car was going much faster.
0:10:35 > 0:10:39And at first I thought, in my head, "He's going to stop, he's going
0:10:39 > 0:10:43"to see me, he's going to stop, he's going to see my lights, he's bound to stop."
0:10:43 > 0:10:46And it soon became evident that he wasn't going to stop.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49I tried to turn right, as if to go around the roundabout,
0:10:49 > 0:10:51but I knew that he wasn't.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54On the footage, you even hear me shout...
0:10:54 > 0:10:55WHOA!
0:10:55 > 0:10:57..because I'm trying to attract his attention,
0:10:57 > 0:11:00because I knew he hadn't seen me and I truly think the first time
0:11:00 > 0:11:02he saw me was when I bounced off his car.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07YELLING
0:11:07 > 0:11:12My first reaction when I was on the floor was, "Am I OK?
0:11:12 > 0:11:16"Can I move? What can I move? Do I hurt anywhere?"
0:11:16 > 0:11:19And that was quickly taken over by actually...
0:11:20 > 0:11:24By mixture of adrenaline and anger.
0:11:24 > 0:11:28The air was a little bit blue for a couple of minutes!
0:11:28 > 0:11:30- You- BLEEP!
0:11:30 > 0:11:34- BLEEP.- See me?- BLEEP.- You should have been going so- BLEEP- fast!
0:11:36 > 0:11:40My bike was lit up like a landing aircraft, and for me,
0:11:40 > 0:11:42I don't see any reason why he wouldn't have seen me.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54I got myself to my feet and then sort of patted myself down,
0:11:54 > 0:11:57if you like, just to make sure I was still intact
0:11:57 > 0:12:00and that everything was OK and that I could move everything.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04Thinking he's all right, John's next instinct is to check his bike.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11The front of the bike is bent out of shape,
0:12:11 > 0:12:14and as John's adrenaline fades, his pain increases.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17He's more injured than he first thought.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20I was very aware that my left elbow was in a lot of pain.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22It was swollen up like a balloon.
0:12:22 > 0:12:24What I didn't realise is that I'd taken some impact
0:12:24 > 0:12:27on my left wrist and hand as well, but, subsequently,
0:12:27 > 0:12:29I was told that I'd had multiple fractures to
0:12:29 > 0:12:32one of the bones in the base of my hand and the top of my wrist.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36It takes 14 weeks for his bones to mend.
0:12:36 > 0:12:41And unlike most people, John can re-watch and re-live his accident.
0:12:41 > 0:12:43Yeah, it is quite surreal.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45Cos previous to this sort of technology,
0:12:45 > 0:12:47it would just literally be in your memory.
0:12:47 > 0:12:49And I think you'd only maybe remember certain bits.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52So when I first watched it, I wasn't really quite sure what
0:12:52 > 0:12:56I was going to see, but actually I was really quite shocked...
0:12:56 > 0:12:58by the impact.
0:12:58 > 0:13:05And it made me realise quite how vulnerable as a cyclist that I am.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08The car drive is later prosecuted for driving without due care
0:13:08 > 0:13:14and attention, receiving six points on his licence and a £400 fine.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17John knows that if he'd been travelling a split-second faster,
0:13:17 > 0:13:20the car would have hit him full-on.
0:13:20 > 0:13:22Best case scenario, I think,
0:13:22 > 0:13:24probably my left leg would have been shattered.
0:13:24 > 0:13:28Worst case scenario, I probably wouldn't be sat here right now
0:13:28 > 0:13:29talking to you.
0:13:30 > 0:13:34And that would have been devastating for my family, for the driver,
0:13:34 > 0:13:36for the driver's family,
0:13:36 > 0:13:39it would have had a massive impact on a lot of people.
0:13:49 > 0:13:51Parents know that it's impossible to keep
0:13:51 > 0:13:55an eye on the children 24 hours a day, and sometimes,
0:13:55 > 0:13:57even when Mum and Dad think they're safe at home,
0:13:57 > 0:13:59things can still go wrong.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07A terrified mother calls 999.
0:14:11 > 0:14:15Seven-year-old Rhys has fallen from an upstairs window,
0:14:15 > 0:14:17headfirst onto concrete below.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21This could potentially be a fatal injury.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28It's the worst nightmare that you could possibly have,
0:14:28 > 0:14:30that your child has a brain injury.
0:14:39 > 0:14:41The Sykes are a family of four.
0:14:41 > 0:14:43Tricia and her husband, Ade, live with their son Rhys
0:14:43 > 0:14:45and six-year-old daughter Megan.
0:14:45 > 0:14:50It's fair to say brother and sister have a bit of a love-hate relationship.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52There is only two years and two days between them,
0:14:52 > 0:14:53so they're quite close.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56She's a mess-up. A lot.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59Rhys is quite a sensitive little man,
0:14:59 > 0:15:02whereas Megan it is like a Tasmanian devil.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05Every time I try to go to sleep, she gets up
0:15:05 > 0:15:08take things out of my drawers, puts them in a different place,
0:15:08 > 0:15:12I have to find it and I say, "Megan, did you move it?"
0:15:12 > 0:15:14They annoy the hell out of each other.
0:15:14 > 0:15:15A lot!
0:15:17 > 0:15:21But one summer evening, things go too far.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24The children are upstairs watching DVDs.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27That meant that me and my husband could watch a film on our own
0:15:27 > 0:15:31with a little bit of peace and quiet.
0:15:31 > 0:15:33But not for long.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35I came into my mum's bedroom where Megan was,
0:15:35 > 0:15:39to watch a little bit of her film, then we had a little play.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43Then Megan was running up to me, trying to tickle me.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46Trying to escape Megan's attempts to tickle him,
0:15:46 > 0:15:48Rhys climbs onto the windowsill.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51It's a hot summer's day and the window is open.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54I didn't notice the window was open.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57Then, like, she tried to tickle me and I, like...
0:15:57 > 0:15:59Like that.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03Rhys plummets out of the upstairs window.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06We heard a thud and then crying.
0:16:07 > 0:16:11I thought Rhys had fallen out of bed so I'd got up, went upstairs.
0:16:11 > 0:16:15Megan came out of our bedroom and she said, "Mummy, he's outside,
0:16:15 > 0:16:17"he's out of the window."
0:16:17 > 0:16:19I was very, very panicked.
0:16:21 > 0:16:25Rhys's parents rush outside, fearing what they'll find.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27I saw Rhys laying down on the floor,
0:16:27 > 0:16:29kind of looking slightly dazed,
0:16:29 > 0:16:31and he'd started to kind of wail at that point,
0:16:31 > 0:16:33and was really very upset.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35All he wanted to do was to be picked up.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39He survived a 15-foot fall,
0:16:39 > 0:16:41but something's clearly wrong with Rhys.
0:16:41 > 0:16:45He was wailing, he was screaming.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48I was more worried he'd broken his foot or his ankle,
0:16:48 > 0:16:52or something like that. I hadn't even clicked it could be his head.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55Tricia dials 999.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14On the other end of the line is emergency medical dispatcher
0:17:14 > 0:17:16Tracey Grouden.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22I could hear the distress in her voice. I had to stay calm.
0:17:22 > 0:17:26I had to keep my voice at a lower level
0:17:26 > 0:17:28to make sure that she didn't
0:17:28 > 0:17:30get more distressed than she already was.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46From the information I was getting, it was one of the most serious
0:17:46 > 0:17:50calls that we can get, that the child wasn't completely alert.
0:17:50 > 0:17:52Because any injury, especially a head injury,
0:17:52 > 0:17:54can get worse very quickly.
0:18:12 > 0:18:14A paramedic in a rapid-response car,
0:18:14 > 0:18:17and two in an ambulance, are on their way.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20With such a young casualty involved, senior paramedic
0:18:20 > 0:18:23and Incident Commander Philip Griffith has also been
0:18:23 > 0:18:25dispatched in another car.
0:18:25 > 0:18:29My initial thoughts were that this could potentially be a fatal injury.
0:18:29 > 0:18:33Any child who falls from more than sort of eight feet is...
0:18:33 > 0:18:36There's the potential for a life-threatening injury.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47Initially, I was expecting to find a child that was unconscious,
0:18:47 > 0:18:49at minimum, if not in cardiac arrest,
0:18:49 > 0:18:51having fallen from such a great height,
0:18:51 > 0:18:55but we were quite amazed how uninjured he looked.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58Phil wants to see where the accident happened.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00The boy had fallen through a plastic canopy
0:19:00 > 0:19:04and there was a child-shaped hole in this canopy,
0:19:04 > 0:19:07which I'm sure broke his fall and slowed down the impact
0:19:07 > 0:19:09on the concrete below.
0:19:09 > 0:19:14Despite no visible injury, Rhys's drowsiness is causing concern.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17The risk is that there's always the injuries we can't see,
0:19:17 > 0:19:20which tend to be more dangerous than the ones we can see.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22Protecting his head and neck, the medics rushed Rhys
0:19:22 > 0:19:26to Gloucester Royal Hospital, accompanied by Mum.
0:19:26 > 0:19:30But as they arrive, Rhys' condition deteriorates.
0:19:30 > 0:19:34His head started to swell. It wasn't the same shape as it previously was.
0:19:38 > 0:19:43Tricia can only wait as Rhys has emergency CT scans of his head.
0:19:43 > 0:19:45It's the worst nightmare that you could possibly have,
0:19:45 > 0:19:47that your child has a brain injury,
0:19:47 > 0:19:50and you can do nothing to help.
0:19:50 > 0:19:52It's not as if you can kiss it better.
0:19:54 > 0:19:58And it's not as if it takes a plaster to make it better.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01That's something that could have a profound effect
0:20:01 > 0:20:02for the rest of his life.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07After transferring to Bristol's Children's Hospital,
0:20:07 > 0:20:10Rhys is found to have a fracture to his skull and cheekbone.
0:20:10 > 0:20:14The doctor had said that the fracture was only hairline,
0:20:14 > 0:20:18so not to be concerned whether it would heal easily.
0:20:18 > 0:20:22But they are concerned about a small bleed they have found on his brain.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25Though it's not large enough for them to risk an operation,
0:20:25 > 0:20:28they need to keep him under close observation.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31My head was hurting a lot.
0:20:31 > 0:20:35And Rhys was very, very upset because Rhys - all he wanted to do
0:20:35 > 0:20:38was just to go home, and did not want to be in hospital,
0:20:38 > 0:20:40whatsoever, at that point.
0:20:40 > 0:20:45Rhys's accident has also had an effect on his little sister, Megan.
0:20:45 > 0:20:49She didn't want to sleep in their bedroom until he was back,
0:20:49 > 0:20:52and so the first night, she actually slept on the floor
0:20:52 > 0:20:56in the living room with my husband asleep on the sofa,
0:20:56 > 0:21:00because she just didn't want to go in the room.
0:21:02 > 0:21:06Thankfully, after five nights in hospital, Rhys gets the all clear
0:21:06 > 0:21:10to go home, and a few months later, he's made a complete recovery.
0:21:10 > 0:21:12He's doing amazingly well.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15He's completely and utterly a little miracle
0:21:15 > 0:21:17with how he's coping, with everything.
0:21:17 > 0:21:21I can't remember the bit at all about falling out from the window,
0:21:21 > 0:21:24but I remember when I landed on the floor.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27I tried to get up, but I couldn't.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29Rhys knows he's been very lucky.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32If the porch wasn't there, I'd probably die.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35That broke my fall, so if that wasn't there - bang!
0:21:35 > 0:21:36Probably dead.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38And as well as his head,
0:21:38 > 0:21:42Rhys's relationship with his sister is also in a good state of repair.
0:21:42 > 0:21:45They're a lot closer because of the accident.
0:21:45 > 0:21:49My little sister now is a lot more careful with me.
0:21:49 > 0:21:53She's keeping him safe, even though she's the younger sister.
0:22:06 > 0:22:10Back in Nazare, Portugal, British professional surfer
0:22:10 > 0:22:12Andrew Cotton is in great danger.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16A 50-foot wave has just crashed down on his head.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19Now he's at the mercy of massive breakwater.
0:22:19 > 0:22:23His equilibrium has gone, and he can't tell which way is up.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26Only his buoyancy vest can save him.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28I did get held down for quite some time.
0:22:28 > 0:22:32I'd been down so long that both of the jet skis were looking for me.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35But I was, like, obviously, underwater and they couldn't know
0:22:35 > 0:22:38where I'm going to come up because he doesn't know exactly where I fell.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42And as I surfaced, he'd just gone by,
0:22:42 > 0:22:44so there's no way he could come back and get me.
0:22:44 > 0:22:48Having missed Andrew, this jet skier hasn't time to circle back
0:22:48 > 0:22:51because another wave is about to crash down on them.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54He has to race away or risk being thrown into the water, too.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01Now it's up to Andrew's best pal and team-mate Hugo to time
0:23:01 > 0:23:04a rescue bid in the few seconds of calm between waves.
0:23:06 > 0:23:10Everything, it was on me and, at the same point, I noticed
0:23:10 > 0:23:13that Cotty was going to take a massive wave on his head.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16I knew what was going to happen.
0:23:16 > 0:23:18It was almost like the lip,
0:23:18 > 0:23:20which is like all the power.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23And so I deflated my vest
0:23:23 > 0:23:26and then just literally ducked under, about a foot underwater,
0:23:26 > 0:23:30and had the full, like, force of the Atlantic Ocean
0:23:30 > 0:23:32land square on my head.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38It was pretty much like being hit by a truck.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41I don't know how much force or pressure that is hitting you,
0:23:41 > 0:23:43but it is - it's insane.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46Now Hugo can only watch on helplessly.
0:23:46 > 0:23:48Sometimes in Nazare, you feel like you got, like,
0:23:48 > 0:23:50the hand of a giant, or the two hands,
0:23:50 > 0:23:53that they smash all over your body.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56Like every inch of your body is, like, being compressed
0:23:56 > 0:24:00and smashed and it's, like - and squeezed. It's like...
0:24:00 > 0:24:01It's crazy, crazy feeling. Crazy.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05And that's what Andrew is going through.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08Underneath the surface, the powerful undercurrent is hurling him
0:24:08 > 0:24:10around like a rag doll.
0:24:10 > 0:24:11He tries to follow his training
0:24:11 > 0:24:15and protect his limbs from the strength of the waves.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18I usually grab onto my vest, and I grabbed onto my vest with
0:24:18 > 0:24:21this arm, and I...this one, as it hit me,
0:24:21 > 0:24:23just got ripped, ripped off,
0:24:23 > 0:24:27and my arm, like, sort of hyperextended and pulled back,
0:24:27 > 0:24:31as I did about 30 somersaults underwater.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34It pulled back so violently I thought I'd actually, like,
0:24:34 > 0:24:37snapped with my elbow or, like...you know,
0:24:37 > 0:24:40so I had a shooting pain up my arm, my shoulder was killing.
0:24:40 > 0:24:44The power of the crashing wave plunges Andrew down
0:24:44 > 0:24:45deeper under the sea.
0:24:45 > 0:24:47The water pressure could burst his eardrums,
0:24:47 > 0:24:51or he could be smashed into the ocean floor and killed.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54He desperately tugs at the cord of his life vest,
0:24:54 > 0:24:57which inflates and lifts him back to the surface.
0:24:57 > 0:25:01I came up and then I managed to deflate again,
0:25:01 > 0:25:04so I was like, wasn't sort of crazily buoyant.
0:25:05 > 0:25:10I knew that after that wave and after Cotty popped up again,
0:25:10 > 0:25:11I got to reach him.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15Hugo has caught a glimpse of Andrew,
0:25:15 > 0:25:18but before he can safely swoop in to save him,
0:25:18 > 0:25:22a third 60-foot wave smashes down on his injured friend.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26He had a red wet suit,
0:25:26 > 0:25:29and the face was like the colour of the wet suit, you know?
0:25:29 > 0:25:34And I noticed at this point that he was making a big effort
0:25:34 > 0:25:37with some bad pain on his body.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42Andrew's still in agony.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45He's fighting the tide without the use of his right arm,
0:25:45 > 0:25:49which could be broken. He's in desperate need of rescue.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52The greatest danger is that Andrew will be held underwater
0:25:52 > 0:25:54by consecutive waves, and drown.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56And through a constant barrage of water,
0:25:56 > 0:25:58he's struggling to hold his breath.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00As you're getting tumbled around,
0:26:00 > 0:26:03you don't hear anything or see anything.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06You sort of just trust that someone will be there, at some point,
0:26:06 > 0:26:08to sort of help you out or pick you up.
0:26:10 > 0:26:15Hugo watches as the jet ski once again just misses Andrew.
0:26:15 > 0:26:17It's all down to Hugo now.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19Sometimes, it's really big, big pressure
0:26:19 > 0:26:22and you know that you've just got, like, one chance,
0:26:22 > 0:26:25and sometimes you've got, like, one, two or three seconds
0:26:25 > 0:26:27to pick him up and get out of the place.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30Andrew has been tossed and thrown around in the violent swell
0:26:30 > 0:26:32for almost two minutes but, finally,
0:26:32 > 0:26:36as the footage shows, Hugo gets a chance to rescue his friend.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39I have a few seconds between waves and I went...
0:26:40 > 0:26:42..to pick up Cotty.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47He just screamed, "Hey! I've got my bad arm."
0:26:47 > 0:26:50like, "Help, Hugo!", and then, yeah,
0:26:50 > 0:26:53I try to grab him as much as I can on his arm.
0:26:53 > 0:26:55They have, like, a rescue sled on the back of the ski,
0:26:55 > 0:26:58and I got on the back of the ski and, obviously, my shoulder
0:26:58 > 0:27:00and my elbow were killing.
0:27:02 > 0:27:03He just, like...
0:27:03 > 0:27:07put his hand down and we gunned it for the beach.
0:27:07 > 0:27:11Andrew's safely on his way back to the shore.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14But he's in agony with his elbow and fears it's broken.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17It could be the end of his career and his livelihood.
0:27:17 > 0:27:21I had sort of sat on the beach and then it was like, "Oh, actually,
0:27:21 > 0:27:24"hang on, I can still move, like, I can still move!"
0:27:24 > 0:27:27"I can still move it", and it wasn't ideal. It was like...
0:27:28 > 0:27:32But, you know, that was my session done. Over.
0:27:32 > 0:27:33Andrew's has a real scare,
0:27:33 > 0:27:36but just two weeks after his accident,
0:27:36 > 0:27:38he's back out in the surf again.
0:27:38 > 0:27:39He takes every precaution he can,
0:27:39 > 0:27:44but Andrew's philosophical about the hazards of his chosen sport.
0:27:44 > 0:27:48I want to surf as many big waves as I possibly can, you know?
0:27:48 > 0:27:52I don't want to get hurt or die, drown.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55You know, of course, none of us want to do that, you know?
0:27:55 > 0:27:57We all want to surf big waves and we want to do it safely,
0:27:57 > 0:28:01and that's like... The safety's the most important thing.
0:28:11 > 0:28:14Join us next time for more close calls.