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 > 0:00:17The difference between disaster and survival.
0:00:17 > 0:00:19My heart's 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 > 0:00:30Their 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 have gone wrong. Could have easily gone wrong.
0:00:35 > 0:00:39And their dramatic experiences recorded on camera.
0:00:39 > 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 -
0:01:05 > 0:01:09a powerboat racer loses control in a bid to break a world record.
0:01:10 > 0:01:16The boat takes off, flies through the air and somersaults at 130mph.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19The driver's son is in the crowd.
0:01:19 > 0:01:20I just broke down instantly.
0:01:22 > 0:01:27Also today, at 4am a desperate 999 call is made at this house.
0:01:27 > 0:01:31A man wakes to find his 24-year-old girlfriend isn't breathing.
0:01:31 > 0:01:32Now, listen carefully...
0:01:36 > 0:01:38And a family car in flames.
0:01:38 > 0:01:43Terror for a dad, his ten-year-old son and a pal on a footy trip.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47All told, from turning the engine off to have been engulfed in flames
0:01:47 > 0:01:49it must have been less than a minute.
0:01:55 > 0:01:57The Lake District, Coniston Water.
0:01:59 > 0:02:04A 58-year-old powerboat racer is attempting a world water speed record.
0:02:04 > 0:02:06Footage recorded by a spectator
0:02:06 > 0:02:10shows the craft travelling at over 130mph.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13Speeds he was doing was just unbelievable.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16This was the last run on the last day of the whole week.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22It's the same stretch of water where racer Donald Campbell crashed
0:02:22 > 0:02:26and died in a record attempt almost 50 years ago.
0:02:26 > 0:02:30And it looks like there's a danger of history repeating itself.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32My heart's dropped. This was a big crash.
0:02:32 > 0:02:33I just broke down instantly.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49Before the record attempt at Coniston, Keith Whittle
0:02:49 > 0:02:52had been racing powerboats for 25 years.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57And in this super fast catamaran, he's attempted many speed records.
0:03:00 > 0:03:01Well, it all started with my father.
0:03:01 > 0:03:05He was the timekeeper at a local hydroplane club
0:03:05 > 0:03:08and I used to go down there with him every fortnight during the summer
0:03:08 > 0:03:12and help him wave the flags and generally help round in the timing hut.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17And following in the family's wake, Keith's son, Sam,
0:03:17 > 0:03:20is also just starting out in the world of pro racing.
0:03:20 > 0:03:21Yeah, I think he's my hero.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24He's taught me so much with racing and taught me
0:03:24 > 0:03:27a lot of ways how to drive a boat and how to race a boat.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30And also fix them, at the end of the day, if they go wrong.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32It's one of those sports that just gets hold of you, I think.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34It's just like a bug, almost.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40So it was natural the pair travelled up together to the Lake District
0:03:40 > 0:03:44when Keith decided to compete in the Coniston Powerboat Records Week,
0:03:44 > 0:03:46a special event held annually.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49It's a week where you've got timekeepers timing, rescue,
0:03:49 > 0:03:54so anybody with any boat can go and take a world or national record.
0:03:54 > 0:03:58There isn't another event in the world like it.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01Keith will be using Pepstar, a catamaran that used to belong to
0:04:01 > 0:04:05a friend and former powerboat racer Andy Elliott who was also part of
0:04:05 > 0:04:09the team helping Keith's attempt to be a record-breaker during the week.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13There were three records that he was going for.
0:04:13 > 0:04:14For me the important one's Formula Two.
0:04:14 > 0:04:19That's a world-renowned series and I think it was 128mph.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22Put the biggest propeller in you can get and just fly the boat.
0:04:25 > 0:04:27And where better than Coniston Water?
0:04:27 > 0:04:31It's where the man who inspired Keith, Donald Campbell,
0:04:31 > 0:04:34broke the world water speed record four times.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37I can't even put myself in the same breath as him.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39What we do is not even in the same league.
0:04:39 > 0:04:43The records he was going for in the '60s, with half the technology
0:04:43 > 0:04:46that we've got today, is just mind-boggling.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49But it was also on Coniston Water that,
0:04:49 > 0:04:56in 1967, Donald Campbell was killed travelling at more than 300mph
0:04:56 > 0:04:57trying to break his own record.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01Boat safety may have improved dramatically
0:05:01 > 0:05:04but it is still a dangerous sport.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06Wife worries more than me.
0:05:06 > 0:05:10But, yeah, I know the risks and you just hope they don't happen, I suppose.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14And at the Coniston Records Week, at first things go
0:05:14 > 0:05:16well for Keith and his team.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18They break two world records,
0:05:18 > 0:05:21including the much coveted Formula Two speed record.
0:05:21 > 0:05:26But, on the last day, just as they were about to pack away, disaster.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28Keith's record is disqualified
0:05:28 > 0:05:31because his boat has the wrong type of starter motor.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34But he refuses to be beaten, especially when he takes another
0:05:34 > 0:05:37look at the lake and is struck by the stillness of the surface.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40"Look at the water," I said, "That water is...
0:05:40 > 0:05:43"like a millpond." I said, "I think I can put this engine back together,
0:05:43 > 0:05:46"we'll get this in 20 minutes.
0:05:46 > 0:05:48"Let's get out there and get that record back."
0:05:50 > 0:05:53The event closes in less than two hours so they quickly
0:05:53 > 0:05:57fit the correct starter motor and get the catamaran back on the water.
0:05:57 > 0:05:59Keith was a bit angry,
0:05:59 > 0:06:02just trying to calm him down because these boats are fast and you want to
0:06:02 > 0:06:04be in the right mental state and, to be honest with you, he wasn't.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07This footage, shot by a spectator,
0:06:07 > 0:06:10shows Keith setting off on his fateful run.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13And, at first, his frustration seems to be helping him
0:06:13 > 0:06:17as his 200 brake horsepower boat rips across the water at a blistering pace.
0:06:19 > 0:06:25He completes his first run at a speed of 132mph, world record pace.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28Yet, for the record to be officially recognised,
0:06:28 > 0:06:32he needs to reach the same speed on a return run.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34But the boat's starting to misbehave.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37Very difficult boats to drive when you're set up for records
0:06:37 > 0:06:40because the propellers you have to put on it, the boat doesn't like.
0:06:40 > 0:06:42It just wants to try and throw you out.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45At that point it was like a bucking bronco, it was just,
0:06:45 > 0:06:48the propeller was just taking the boat over, there was nothing I could do.
0:06:48 > 0:06:52It was just an animal, you know, it was an animal of a boat.
0:06:52 > 0:06:56Watching on from a safety boat is qualified doctor Ray Dawes.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58He's part of the volunteer rescue team.
0:06:58 > 0:07:02These speeds, they can easily take off or crash because of the water.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06The boats are going very, very fast. Although they're by themselves,
0:07:06 > 0:07:08they're not going to collide with other boats, probably,
0:07:08 > 0:07:11but they're on the edge and at any moment a disaster could strike.
0:07:11 > 0:07:15Inside the boat, Keith knows he has to reach a certain speed
0:07:15 > 0:07:18before it aquaplanes and can move smoothly over the water.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21He has a kilometre run up to the starting gates.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23It must have took me nearly a kilometre to settle it
0:07:23 > 0:07:26and it had to run 100mph before it would even settle.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29And then it just... Like a magic needle just stop! And then settle
0:07:29 > 0:07:33and away you go and then you can start to set your boat up
0:07:33 > 0:07:35ready to go through the gates.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41The run looks smoother now but inside the Pepstar,
0:07:41 > 0:07:45with the boat pushed to its limits, Keith's finding it hard to control.
0:07:45 > 0:07:47I knew that the boat was on the ragged edge.
0:07:47 > 0:07:49The propeller was taking the boat
0:07:49 > 0:07:51and the boat was just crabbing across the lake.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56Bearing down on the finish gate, Keith can feel the boat slipping away.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58I had to just stick with it until I got through the gate before
0:07:58 > 0:08:01I could do anything, I just touched the throttle and it just went.
0:08:09 > 0:08:13Keith's boat has lifted off, going at 132mph.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18Flipping twice in the air before crashing back into the water
0:08:18 > 0:08:19upside down.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22The stunned spectator filming takes a while to realise
0:08:22 > 0:08:23what's just happened.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27He searches for the crash scene.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30Ray sees it all from the rescue boat.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34This was the last run on the last day of the whole week.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36And this was a big crash.
0:08:37 > 0:08:39Keith's son, Sam, and friend Andy
0:08:39 > 0:08:42are standing on the pontoon where the boats are launched.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44The accident's happened out of their view.
0:08:44 > 0:08:48We hear the engine and we hear the silence so we knew he'd crashed.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50Sam was beside himself at that moment.
0:08:50 > 0:08:54I just broke down instantly, I just couldn't believe, you know,
0:08:54 > 0:08:57what to think, what to do, I just broke down.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00Someone next to me just to told me, "Everything will be OK,
0:09:00 > 0:09:02"don't worry," trying to support me.
0:09:04 > 0:09:08As they get near, the rescue team fear what they'll find.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11The forces involved are astronomical on the structure of the boat
0:09:11 > 0:09:12and on the driver.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15And apart from the risk of injury from crashing itself,
0:09:15 > 0:09:18there's, unfortunately, the risk of drowning.
0:09:18 > 0:09:22But as they approach they see something moving in the water.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26A bright orange dot comes out from under the boat.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28It's Keith's helmet. He's alive.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32When we saw the boat was intact we felt better about it, we felt even
0:09:32 > 0:09:35better when we saw him by the boat waving to us saying he was all right.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41And miraculously, when the rescue team haul Keith on board
0:09:41 > 0:09:44they find that not only has he survived this horrific crash,
0:09:44 > 0:09:47he's also come out of it relatively unscathed.
0:09:47 > 0:09:49Keith was a bit bewildered,
0:09:49 > 0:09:52he wasn't quite sure exactly where he was on the course.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57Keith's son, Sam, and friend Andy wait anxiously for news.
0:09:57 > 0:10:01I saw him come back on the rescue boat and he walked off fine,
0:10:01 > 0:10:04he's up and standing and I ran up to him and gave him a hug.
0:10:04 > 0:10:08I just couldn't believe what actually happened.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11Sure, I was aching, had some bruising of the ribs
0:10:11 > 0:10:14but other than that I got away with it scot-free.
0:10:14 > 0:10:16You know, it could have been a lot worse.
0:10:20 > 0:10:22But there's a final bit of good news.
0:10:22 > 0:10:24Keith's told that, despite the crash,
0:10:24 > 0:10:29he's recorded an average speed of just over 132mph,
0:10:29 > 0:10:32shattering the Formula Two world record.
0:10:32 > 0:10:33Fantastic speed.
0:10:33 > 0:10:35The speed he was doing was just unbelievable.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37That will take a long time to be broken.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39That was just coming through the gates
0:10:39 > 0:10:42when it took off. And the old timekeeper even today, he said,
0:10:42 > 0:10:47"I'm not sure if you went through upside down but it all counts," he goes.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49"You've still got your record!"
0:10:56 > 0:10:59Coming up on Close Calls -
0:10:59 > 0:11:03firefighters tackle a car fire as a family watch on.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06They've escaped the flames with moments to spare.
0:11:06 > 0:11:08I was rooted to the spot with fear.
0:11:17 > 0:11:22Ilkeston, Derbyshire, 4.30am and a man dials 999.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25It's the most terrifying phone call of his life.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31I thought, right, this is serious. She's dying.
0:11:31 > 0:11:3424-year-old Joanna appears lifeless.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39Now it's up to her boyfriend Andrew to keep her alive.
0:11:43 > 0:11:47Joanna Mellor and Andrew Rayment live together in the town of Ilkeston.
0:11:47 > 0:11:49We've been together nearly five years now.
0:11:49 > 0:11:54We're pretty much best friends as well as partners,
0:11:54 > 0:11:55which is really nice.
0:11:55 > 0:12:00She's thoughtful, pretty, very animal orientated.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02She's a nice person throughout, really.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05The pair have a busy lifestyle, Joanna in particular.
0:12:05 > 0:12:09If I'm not horse riding, I'm working normally so...
0:12:09 > 0:12:12Then if I'm not working I'm seeing my friends and family.
0:12:12 > 0:12:16You'd think she was one of the healthiest people you know.
0:12:16 > 0:12:17She was riding all the time.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20I remember her instructors saying, "Wow, you're as fit as a flea."
0:12:20 > 0:12:23But Joanna's been keeping some health worries quiet.
0:12:23 > 0:12:29I was experiencing palpitations but they wasn't something that
0:12:29 > 0:12:32I would get, you know, every week or every day.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35I wouldn't have one for a couple of months but because
0:12:35 > 0:12:38I'm so full-on all the time
0:12:38 > 0:12:41I never did anything about it.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44Then, one Friday night, Joanna and Andrew were asleep with pet
0:12:44 > 0:12:47Labrador Leo at the bottom of the bed as normal.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51Leo is a clever dog and is a loving dog so
0:12:51 > 0:12:56if you're having a bad dream or if you turn over at night he will get
0:12:56 > 0:13:00up and he'll kind of just sniff you or put his nose on you.
0:13:00 > 0:13:05And tonight, in the early hours, something causes Leo to stir.
0:13:05 > 0:13:06It always alerts me
0:13:06 > 0:13:10every time he does get up because he doesn't really get up for nothing.
0:13:10 > 0:13:15It's when he got up that I heard Joanna's breathing was slightly erratic.
0:13:17 > 0:13:22Even after Andrew shakes her, Joanna doesn't respond.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25Didn't know whether she'd had some type of fit or anything in her sleep.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27Worried, Andrew dials 999.
0:13:27 > 0:13:31Emergency dispatcher Katie Willmont takes the call.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48Worry soon turns to panic.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51It was when I was giving the address details to
0:13:51 > 0:13:54the operator on the phone that Joanna stopped breathing altogether.
0:14:06 > 0:14:10At control, Katie's training kicks in.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12That's when it kind of went, right, OK,
0:14:12 > 0:14:16now we need to start CPR to help her as quickly as possible.
0:14:17 > 0:14:19Katie has already pressed a button
0:14:19 > 0:14:22to send crews rushing to the address.
0:14:22 > 0:14:26But now she has to tell Andrew how to perform CPR on Joanna,
0:14:26 > 0:14:28who is dying in front of him.
0:14:49 > 0:14:53He's the only person in the room that can help Joanna at this moment in time.
0:14:53 > 0:14:57I have to keep him calm and give him proper instructions
0:14:57 > 0:14:59so that he knows what he has to do to help her.
0:15:14 > 0:15:16He was obviously scared and terrified.
0:15:16 > 0:15:20And he kind of stopped for a moment and then I said to him that we need
0:15:20 > 0:15:23to do this together to help her, it's her only chance of survival.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36From then he kind of kicked in and did everything that,
0:15:36 > 0:15:38you know, that he needed to do.
0:15:48 > 0:15:53En route in the ambulance is paramedic Glenn Radford and his crewmate.
0:15:53 > 0:15:55They've been on the move from the minute Andrew gave
0:15:55 > 0:15:58the couple's address at the start of his call.
0:15:58 > 0:16:00It was about 4.30 in the morning.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03We had a call come through saying that a 24-year-old female had
0:16:03 > 0:16:04gone into cardiac arrest.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06Initially, disbelief.
0:16:06 > 0:16:11It's very uncommon for somebody of that age to go into cardiac arrest.
0:16:11 > 0:16:13But will they get to Andrew and Joanna in time?
0:16:36 > 0:16:39Later, the paramedics arrive to shock Joanna with a defibrillator.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43But even that doesn't seem to work.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46At that point I was thinking, "I'm almost as good as a widow."
0:16:46 > 0:16:49I'm sat down here and I'm thinking she's gone.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58Close calls by definition are unexpected.
0:16:58 > 0:17:02But they can happen on the most ordinary of days as this family found out.
0:17:08 > 0:17:10Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire.
0:17:12 > 0:17:17A family's car is burning out of control just yards from their home.
0:17:17 > 0:17:21Dave Warwick, his son, Adam, and Adam's best pal, Alfie, have been
0:17:21 > 0:17:24sitting inside the car before setting off to a football match.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27It was like watching something out of a movie.
0:17:27 > 0:17:29I've never seen anything like it in my life.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32I was rooted to the spot with fear.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35From turning the engine off to have been engulfed in flames
0:17:35 > 0:17:38it must have been less than a minute. Less than a minute.
0:17:48 > 0:17:5152-year-old businessman Dave Warwick juggles work,
0:17:51 > 0:17:55home and running the local under-11 footy team, Acklam FC.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59His son, Adam, is a stalwart of the side,
0:17:59 > 0:18:01along with his best friend, Alfie Dadd.
0:18:03 > 0:18:07Mum Michelle is one of their biggest supporters, home and away.
0:18:07 > 0:18:12Dave and Adam love sport things together. Very typical father-son.
0:18:12 > 0:18:14It's all about fun and football, really.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20It's Sunday morning, match day,
0:18:20 > 0:18:23and Dave and the two boys set off for the game.
0:18:23 > 0:18:24But Alfie's forgotten something.
0:18:24 > 0:18:29Alfie said, "Oh, I've left my boots at my house."
0:18:29 > 0:18:32So, great, forgetful as ever.
0:18:32 > 0:18:36So, we went to Alfie's house in the car, got his boots.
0:18:36 > 0:18:37And they head off again.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40But now Alfie's forgotten something else.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43He forgot his jacket and it was still at our house.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46So instead of going onto the motorway, I turned to drive
0:18:46 > 0:18:50towards our house which is 30-40 seconds off the motorway.
0:18:50 > 0:18:52They worry they'll be late for kick-off
0:18:52 > 0:18:55but that's the least of their problems.
0:18:55 > 0:18:57As we got to the house I could smell fumes.
0:18:59 > 0:19:02And I thought to myself, "There's something wrong with the car."
0:19:03 > 0:19:06Pulled up, turn the engine off, kids are sat in the back
0:19:06 > 0:19:11and I've just seen the smoke rising through the vent on the dashboard.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14Dave nips into the house to ask his wife, Michelle,
0:19:14 > 0:19:16if they can use her car instead.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19Michelle said, "OK. Take my car," so I went back outside the house
0:19:19 > 0:19:23and I said to the boys, "Right, we need to go in Mummy's car."
0:19:23 > 0:19:28Put them into Michelle's car and as I went to reverse out,
0:19:28 > 0:19:30I noticed that the car that we'd been driving in,
0:19:30 > 0:19:34the whole of the cabin was full of smoke.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38It's less than 30 seconds since Dave got the lads out of the car
0:19:38 > 0:19:42and now he fears he needs to call 999.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45And he come bursting through to the kitchen saying,
0:19:45 > 0:19:48"Ring the fire brigade, the car's going to blow, it's going to blow!"
0:19:48 > 0:19:50And she panicked a little bit, sort of half believing me,
0:19:50 > 0:19:53not believing me. I said, "No, ring the fire brigade."
0:19:53 > 0:19:55So I picked up the phone straight away
0:19:55 > 0:19:58and at that they'd said to me, "Oh, is the car on fire?"
0:19:58 > 0:20:01So I thought, "I don't want to answer yes or no without actually
0:20:01 > 0:20:04"seeing it," so I walked through to the front bedroom.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07And just at that, the whole car just exploded
0:20:07 > 0:20:10up in flames in front of my eyes.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13I was like, "Yes, it's definitely on fire."
0:20:13 > 0:20:16Michelle takes a snap of the blaze on her phone.
0:20:16 > 0:20:18The speed of the fire was frightening.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20Had Alfie not forgotten his kit,
0:20:20 > 0:20:24all three would have been caught in the car on the motorway.
0:20:24 > 0:20:28I was rooted to the spot with fear. I felt trapped in the house.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32I could feel the heat coming off it and right underneath the big tree
0:20:32 > 0:20:36which I was expecting to just burst into flames any minute.
0:20:36 > 0:20:40All told, from turning the engine off to have been engulfed in flames,
0:20:40 > 0:20:43it must have been less than a minute. Less than a minute.
0:20:43 > 0:20:47The fire service arrives and, from the safety of a neighbour's garden,
0:20:47 > 0:20:50Dave films them battling the blaze on his phone.
0:20:50 > 0:20:51The fire brigade were fantastic.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54The guys just went to town and got the hosepipe out
0:20:54 > 0:20:57and it was out within 30-40 seconds.
0:20:57 > 0:21:01But the resilient youngsters are still keen to get to the match
0:21:01 > 0:21:02and so is their manager.
0:21:02 > 0:21:06We took a decision, we said, "Look, there's nothing more we can do.
0:21:06 > 0:21:10"The fire's been put out," so we went to the match.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13Alfie was excited, Adam was still shaking.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17The boys didn't play in the first half, played in the second half.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20We won the game 6-1 so it was all smiles at the end of the game.
0:21:23 > 0:21:27But when they get home, the realisation sets in.
0:21:27 > 0:21:31Had I not turned to come home and had Alfie not forgotten his jacket,
0:21:31 > 0:21:35I'd have turned left and gone onto the motorway
0:21:35 > 0:21:38and I've got absolutely no doubt in my mind that we'd have been
0:21:38 > 0:21:42driving on the motorway and the car would have set on fire.
0:21:55 > 0:21:57Back to Ilkeston, Derbyshire.
0:21:57 > 0:22:0124-year-old Joanna has suddenly gone into cardiac arrest during her sleep.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09Guided by emergency call taker Katie Willmont, her desperate
0:22:09 > 0:22:14partner, Andrew, is giving her CPR in an attempt to keep her alive.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26She would take a breath every 15 seconds like a...
0:22:26 > 0:22:28HE INHALES SHARPLY
0:22:28 > 0:22:30And that would be it. There would be no exhale.
0:22:30 > 0:22:33And you can actually hear, between breaths,
0:22:33 > 0:22:36you can hear the death rattle, what people call it.
0:22:36 > 0:22:37Just from providing CPR.
0:22:39 > 0:22:40RASPING
0:22:50 > 0:22:53And I think at that point I think she'd totally... She was gone.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55She was clinically dead.
0:22:57 > 0:23:01Joanna's body won't give up. There's still the faintest sign of life.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20But Joanna's breathing is not effective enough to keep
0:23:20 > 0:23:23a sufficient oxygen supply to her brain.
0:23:23 > 0:23:27The length between each breath started to get longer and longer.
0:23:27 > 0:23:28She's fading again.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34And in the middle of this last-ditch attempt to give Joanna
0:23:34 > 0:23:37mouth-to-mouth, their dog, Leo, starts barking to announce
0:23:37 > 0:23:39the arrival of the ambulance crew.
0:23:39 > 0:23:41BARKING
0:23:46 > 0:23:49And when paramedic Glenn and his crewmates see Joanna,
0:23:49 > 0:23:52it's clear there's no time to lose.
0:23:52 > 0:23:54The young lady was on the floor
0:23:54 > 0:23:56and it was quite apparent that she wasn't breathing.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59And it did appear, at first sight, to be a cardiac arrest.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03They reach for a defibrillator machine.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06Put the pads on the patient's chest and assess the rhythm.
0:24:06 > 0:24:10We could see that she was in ventricular fibrillation or VF
0:24:10 > 0:24:13which basically means that there's electrical chaos in the heart,
0:24:13 > 0:24:16that the heart isn't actually pumping or doing anything,
0:24:16 > 0:24:17it's just quivering.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23They use the defibrillator to give 24-year-old Joanna an electrical charge
0:24:23 > 0:24:27hoping it will shock her heart back into a normal rhythm.
0:24:27 > 0:24:29But it's not working.
0:24:30 > 0:24:33I think after the second defibrillation in the bedroom
0:24:33 > 0:24:36I come out of the way cos I didn't want to hinder their job,
0:24:36 > 0:24:38what they was doing.
0:24:38 > 0:24:42All I can keep hearing is... I'm sat on the settee behind you
0:24:42 > 0:24:46and I can just keep hearing them defibrillate after defibrillate upstairs.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50At that point, I was thinking, "I'm almost as good as a widow."
0:24:50 > 0:24:53I'm sat down here and I'm thinking she's gone.
0:24:53 > 0:24:57The defibrillator hasn't brought Joanna back to life.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00So the only hope is to get her to hospital as soon as possible.
0:25:02 > 0:25:06Now in the ambulance, her heart may not be beating but, while it is
0:25:06 > 0:25:09still quivering, paramedic Glenn refuses to give up hope.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12It's a good thing in that there's something happening
0:25:12 > 0:25:14in her heart and she's got a fighting chance.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19We personally delivered, I think it was eight shocks in total
0:25:19 > 0:25:21prior to arriving at the hospital.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24And it's after the eighth shock that, amazingly,
0:25:24 > 0:25:26faintly, Joanna comes back.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31Her heart was making an effort to beat.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34We could very faintly feel what we call a carotid pulse,
0:25:34 > 0:25:35so a pulse here.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38We had a listen and we could hear her heart beating.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41At hospital, Joanna is rushed straight into the Resus Department.
0:25:41 > 0:25:46In my experience, very, very rarely do we get people back.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49Doctors manage to stabilise Joanna.
0:25:49 > 0:25:51They diagnosed that she has a rare heart condition,
0:25:51 > 0:25:56Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, which, thankfully, they can treat.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59Against all odds, Joanna has survived.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02But after being clinically dead for 40 minutes,
0:26:02 > 0:26:05her recovery is still far from certain.
0:26:05 > 0:26:07He was explaining, obviously, there's
0:26:07 > 0:26:10a high possibility of neurological damage.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13She could come out of this brain-damaged.
0:26:14 > 0:26:16So, nobody really knew.
0:26:16 > 0:26:20Joanna is kept under sedation for a couple of days to allow her
0:26:20 > 0:26:24body and mind every chance to recover from the trauma.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27And they brought her out, she didn't remember anybody but me
0:26:27 > 0:26:30and her dad and as soon as I walked into intensive care
0:26:30 > 0:26:34she actually said, she said my name, she says, "Drew."
0:26:34 > 0:26:35And then started crying.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40Thankfully, Joanna's condition improved day by day.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43After two weeks, she's well enough to leave hospital
0:26:43 > 0:26:46and go home where she is still recuperating.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49I just feel fine. Just normal.
0:26:49 > 0:26:52The only time I ever felt poorly was
0:26:52 > 0:26:54when I came out of my cardiac arrest.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57I remember my chest really hurting me.
0:26:57 > 0:27:03But I got defibbed eight times so that's why they said that I'd
0:27:03 > 0:27:05probably have quite a bit of chest pain.
0:27:05 > 0:27:09Joanna was born with an extra electrical pathway in her heart
0:27:09 > 0:27:13that caused her to short-circuit. It's now been removed.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16My consultant says I can just live a normal life.
0:27:16 > 0:27:21I am all fixed so my heart should just be normal like yourself's now.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26The only thing Joanna hasn't been able to get back is her
0:27:26 > 0:27:28memory of that fateful night.
0:27:28 > 0:27:33If I did I think I would be an emotional wreck, to be honest.
0:27:33 > 0:27:37Joanna knows she owes her life to partner, Andrew,
0:27:37 > 0:27:40the paramedics and to Leo the Labrador
0:27:40 > 0:27:42who woke Andrew in the middle of the night.
0:27:42 > 0:27:47But also to emergency call taker Katie who talked him through the CPR.
0:27:48 > 0:27:52I was so relieved when I was told that she'd survived.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55I did get a bit of a pat on the back from the manager that night
0:27:55 > 0:27:57and, yeah, it was really, really nice.
0:28:03 > 0:28:05I don't know about you
0:28:05 > 0:28:08but some of those stories made my hair stand on end.
0:28:08 > 0:28:10But, thankfully, they all came through.
0:28:10 > 0:28:14Join us next time to hear more stories from people who survived a close call.