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 were 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 > 0:00:2715 minutes and your number would be up.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29Their instincts and resources,
0:00:29 > 0:00:32coupled with the quick thinking of others, helped to pull them through.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35Could have gone the wrong way. Could have easily gone the wrong way.
0:00:35 > 0:00:39And their dramatic experiences were 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 > 0:00:48The day they had a close call.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07Today on Close Calls.
0:01:07 > 0:01:09A little girl calls 999.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16It's the early hours of the morning, and the six-year-old
0:01:16 > 0:01:18is alone with her mum, who's suddenly fallen ill.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28Plus, swept off the pier.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31The race to save a drowning man as a family fishing trip
0:01:31 > 0:01:33becomes a life-threatening ordeal.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37Soon as it happened, I wanted to jump in.
0:01:37 > 0:01:42But my dad stopped me, he says, "You can't, you will end up dying".
0:01:42 > 0:01:45And a paraglider urgently scours the countryside for
0:01:45 > 0:01:50a fellow flyer who has crash landed in the Lake District.
0:01:50 > 0:01:51HE YELLS
0:02:00 > 0:02:03Falmouth, in Cornwall.
0:02:03 > 0:02:07It's five o'clock in the morning, and at Southwest Ambulance Control,
0:02:07 > 0:02:10Vicki Fallding takes this 999 call.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13She's surprised by the sound of the voice at the end of the line.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33Then, Vicky discovers the little girl is alone with her mum.
0:02:33 > 0:02:35She is not responding,
0:02:35 > 0:02:38and it's up to her six-year-old daughter to give the ambulance
0:02:38 > 0:02:41service all the information they need to get to the scene.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48Yeah, why don't we do like, green apples...
0:02:48 > 0:02:50Six-year-old Tianna lives with her mum, Jasmine,
0:02:50 > 0:02:54and stepdad, Dave, on the Cornish coast.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56I've known Tianna since she was 18 months old,
0:02:56 > 0:03:00so she really is, to all intents and purposes, she's my daughter, yeah.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03Dave is in the RAF and during the week,
0:03:03 > 0:03:06he works nearly 300 miles away in High Wycombe.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09So the family make the most of their time together.
0:03:09 > 0:03:13I like going out on the boat with Dave
0:03:13 > 0:03:17and he catches loads of fish
0:03:17 > 0:03:20and I stay in the cabin sometimes, doing drawing.
0:03:20 > 0:03:24We get on really well, just larking about most of the time,
0:03:24 > 0:03:28making fun out of each other, and, yeah, having fun.
0:03:28 > 0:03:32Over a Christmas break, Mum Jasmine is unwell
0:03:32 > 0:03:34and has a short spell in hospital.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37Once she's recovered, Dave has to return to work.
0:03:37 > 0:03:41But before he goes, he trains young Tianna in how to call for help,
0:03:41 > 0:03:44just in case. It is something he is glad about later.
0:03:45 > 0:03:50Ambulance, that's right. Yeah, good job. Well done.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53With Dave back at base, it's just Mum and daughter
0:03:53 > 0:03:55at home together for the week.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57Anxious to be close to Jasmine, Tianna decides to sleep
0:03:57 > 0:04:00in her mum's bed while her stepdad is away.
0:04:00 > 0:04:06We were just sleeping, and then loads of noise came up
0:04:06 > 0:04:09and then I said, "What is that coming out of her mouth?"
0:04:09 > 0:04:13It was red and it was blood coming out of her mouth.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15It made me quite worried.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18But Tianna doesn't panic.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21Instead, this resourceful little girl dials 999.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24Call handler, Vicki, is surprised to get a call
0:04:24 > 0:04:27from someone so young at this time in the morning.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30Usually at 5am, it's incredibly calm.
0:04:32 > 0:04:34Your thoughts are all quite collected,
0:04:34 > 0:04:38you're very chilled and then an emergency call comes through
0:04:38 > 0:04:40which IS an emergency,
0:04:40 > 0:04:44from a tiny little voice that's so calm.
0:04:44 > 0:04:50The penny dropped when she said "Mummy", the name, "Mummy".
0:04:50 > 0:04:52A tiny little voice.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55I then had to ask her her age.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02I was in shock.
0:05:02 > 0:05:04But Vicki needs to collect her thoughts fast.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12Vicki realises this little girl is the only person who can help
0:05:12 > 0:05:14her find out what's wrong.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37The first thing I needed to know was Mummy awake and was Mummy breathing?
0:05:49 > 0:05:50HEAVY BREATHING
0:05:57 > 0:05:59That was the hardest bit to listen to was...
0:05:59 > 0:06:02"It's OK, Mummy, I'm getting you help, it's all right, Mummy."
0:06:02 > 0:06:04Although Mummy can't even hear her, at that point.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07Jasmine is unresponsive
0:06:07 > 0:06:09and Vicki is anxious to make sure her airway's clear.
0:06:41 > 0:06:45Tianna's attempt should keep Jasmine's airways clear and open.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47But Vicki needs to gather more information.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01It's no clearer what has happened to Jasmine
0:07:01 > 0:07:03but suddenly she starts to move.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19Jasmine appears to be awake but is behaving oddly.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35Thankfully, seconds later, help arrives.
0:07:45 > 0:07:49I have to let in the police first.
0:07:49 > 0:07:56And they helped Mummy to, like, be brave. And then the ambulance came
0:07:56 > 0:07:58and sorted Mummy out.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00I feels like I don't have to do it anymore.
0:08:03 > 0:08:05As the paramedics join the police,
0:08:05 > 0:08:07Jasmine finally becomes aware of what's happening.
0:08:09 > 0:08:11Instinct says, you know, something isn't right,
0:08:11 > 0:08:13you're not waking up like you normally do.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17Paramedics treat Jasmine at the scene
0:08:17 > 0:08:20but advise her to see her own doctor the next day.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22She's had a fit in her sleep, similar to the attack
0:08:22 > 0:08:24she suffered over the Christmas break when Dave was with her.
0:08:26 > 0:08:31Very early in the morning, I woke up to Jas making all kinds of frightening noises.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36And initially I thought, perhaps, she might be having a nightmare.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39So I tried to wake her up but then it quite quickly became apparent
0:08:39 > 0:08:42that it was something a little bit more serious.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44The first I knew about it was waking up with an oxygen mask
0:08:44 > 0:08:47on my face being told that I'd had a seizure.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52On that occasion, doctors told Jasmine it was probably a one-off.
0:08:52 > 0:08:56But such was Dave's concern, he showed Tianna exactly how to call
0:08:56 > 0:08:58for help if her mum seemed unwell.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01Although he didn't go into too much detail about the symptoms
0:09:01 > 0:09:03in case she worried.
0:09:03 > 0:09:07We just did it over and over again, practice how to unlock the phone,
0:09:07 > 0:09:10which buttons to press, which numbers to dial.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12And then we talked through what she was likely to...
0:09:12 > 0:09:15Or the person was likely to say when she spoke to someone
0:09:15 > 0:09:17and what she needed to ask for.
0:09:17 > 0:09:21And Tianna followed his instructions to the letter.
0:09:21 > 0:09:26I tried my hardest not to cry. And I tried not to be worried, as well.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31I mean, it breaks my heart, it really does.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33But in a good way.
0:09:33 > 0:09:37The way she handled it, you'd think she was so much older than she was.
0:09:37 > 0:09:39And, you know, she had a little wobble to her voice
0:09:39 > 0:09:42at the beginning but then she got over it, you know,
0:09:42 > 0:09:45as soon as she realised that there was someone on the phone that
0:09:45 > 0:09:49could help, she had authority then, she knew what to do.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53So, so proud. So, so proud. Yeah. Bit of a tear-jerker.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58Staff at the ambulance station were so impressed with Tianna
0:09:58 > 0:10:02they came to her house to say thank you in person.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04I felt really happy and cheerful.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08It felt really kind of special day
0:10:08 > 0:10:11because people were being nice to me, how well I did.
0:10:11 > 0:10:15And they said well done to me
0:10:15 > 0:10:19and gave me a certificate because I'd been so brave.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22After her latest seizure, Jasmine has had several tests
0:10:22 > 0:10:26and has now been diagnosed with epilepsy.
0:10:26 > 0:10:30I got put on medication which seems to be working as well.
0:10:30 > 0:10:32They said that it was...
0:10:32 > 0:10:36It would be a stint of three months to find out
0:10:36 > 0:10:39whether it works or not and we've gone past that, so.
0:10:39 > 0:10:41Hopefully, fingers crossed.
0:10:41 > 0:10:43"I'm just building this snowman."
0:10:43 > 0:10:44Dave is back at work,
0:10:44 > 0:10:49relieved he had the foresight to teach Tianna how to call for help.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52It's nice to have one of my bits of forward planning actually
0:10:52 > 0:10:55pay off, for a change, so, yeah, it was good.
0:10:55 > 0:10:59- VICKI:- I think Jasmine is incredibly fortunate to have Tianna with her.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01She didn't delay in any of her care.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05She got her the quickest care possible and, yeah,
0:11:05 > 0:11:07if she wasn't there, who knows?
0:11:16 > 0:11:18Still to come...
0:11:18 > 0:11:21a mountain rescue team rush to the aid of an injured paraglider.
0:11:29 > 0:11:30HE SCREAMS
0:11:37 > 0:11:41Redcar, in North Yorkshire. The RNLI are heading out to a man
0:11:41 > 0:11:44who is struggling to survive out in the cold sea.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47He's been swept from a pier by a five metre wave.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50He's been in the sea for almost half an hour,
0:11:50 > 0:11:53slipping in and out of consciousness.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56All his father and brother can do is watch in fear.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59Last thing I saw was Michael's eyes as he went over the edge.
0:11:59 > 0:12:01I thought he was dead, to be honest.
0:12:10 > 0:12:1332-year-old Michael Soley lives in Darlington
0:12:13 > 0:12:16not far from his young son, Billy.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19His parents, Mike and Margaret, are also close by,
0:12:19 > 0:12:21as is his brother, Rory.
0:12:22 > 0:12:24The Soleys are a close family
0:12:24 > 0:12:28and every year they enjoy a camping trip along the coast at Redcar.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31We go just to catch up with the family and stuff.
0:12:31 > 0:12:35Like, we all meet up at Redcar and we have a campfire and stuff like that.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38While we're there we do some fishing, as well.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41But this time, Michael's eight-year-old son Billy decides
0:12:41 > 0:12:44not to join the rest of the Soley clan on the annual camping trip.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46He changed his mind, he didn't want to go,
0:12:46 > 0:12:49he was staying at home with his friend on the computer so,
0:12:49 > 0:12:51luckily, he didn't come with us that day.
0:12:51 > 0:12:56Redcar's South Gare pier is a popular spot for fishing.
0:12:56 > 0:13:00In calm weather, the fishermen can get really close to the water.
0:13:00 > 0:13:04On this cold March day, Michael has bundled on lots of layers.
0:13:04 > 0:13:09He's also wearing a hi-vis jacket his brother Rory refused to put on.
0:13:09 > 0:13:13Michael poses for this photo before they head to the pier.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16As the sea's quite rough, Michael, his dad and brother
0:13:16 > 0:13:19choose a spot which seems fairly protected and sheltered.
0:13:21 > 0:13:25When we got down to the pier we noticed that the waves were quite higher than normal.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28So we tried to walk around the pier, where there's like a slope
0:13:28 > 0:13:31that goes up, it would have been safer to fish.
0:13:31 > 0:13:35The wind is blowing onshore. It's strong and the waves are building.
0:13:35 > 0:13:39When the wake from a passing container ship adds to the swell,
0:13:39 > 0:13:41the waves start crashing over the pier.
0:13:41 > 0:13:45Suddenly, their chosen spot is not so safe after all.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51The first wave that come over the wall went up to, like, our ankles
0:13:51 > 0:13:54and then, as soon as that happen, we turned,
0:13:54 > 0:13:56went to run away and then we just heard this almighty thud
0:13:56 > 0:13:59and then that was the second wave that come over.
0:13:59 > 0:14:01And it knocked us all off our feet.
0:14:01 > 0:14:06All three men are thrown to the ground, shocked and disorientated.
0:14:06 > 0:14:08The only thing that I had enough time to do was
0:14:08 > 0:14:11dig my hands into the gravel on the floor.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14Whereas my brother didn't have enough time to do that
0:14:14 > 0:14:16cos he was stood closer to the edge.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21I felt us, like, sliding towards the water
0:14:21 > 0:14:23and then I felt the drop and I knew the drop was there
0:14:23 > 0:14:25cos we've been down there a few times before.
0:14:25 > 0:14:29And when I felt that, I thought, "This is it, I'm in the water here."
0:14:29 > 0:14:34And he is. In a split second, he vanishes beneath the violent waves.
0:14:34 > 0:14:35His dad and brother are stunned.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40Last thing I saw was Michael's eyes as he went over the edge, that was it.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43First thing I did, I looked around I noticed Michael had made eye
0:14:43 > 0:14:45contact and he's just dropped off the edge.
0:14:45 > 0:14:47I thought he was dead, to be honest.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52Ten metres below them in the water, Michael surfaces
0:14:52 > 0:14:53and tries to swim to safety.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56As soon as I went in I thought, "Get back to the side,"
0:14:56 > 0:14:58but the current was pulling us
0:14:58 > 0:15:01and with the waves going over me head, I couldn't swim at all.
0:15:01 > 0:15:05On the pier, dad Mike has to hold Rory back.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08He's fighting to jump in and try to save his brother.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10It was just pure instinct.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13As soon as it happened, it was, just wanted to jump in.
0:15:13 > 0:15:17But my dad stopped me. He said, "You can't, you'll end up dying."
0:15:19 > 0:15:22Instead, Rory runs back up to the pier to mum Margaret
0:15:22 > 0:15:25who's totally unaware of what's happened.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28The plan was I would make them a cup of tea and then we would go
0:15:28 > 0:15:30and walk round the gare to see what they were getting up to,
0:15:30 > 0:15:32see if they'd found a fishing spot.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34And Rory came running back
0:15:34 > 0:15:36and he said, "Michael's been swept out to sea."
0:15:39 > 0:15:40I'm sorry.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43In the water, Michael is fighting for survival.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46It was dark under the water so it was just a struggle to fight to find
0:15:46 > 0:15:49which way I was going to the top or whether I was going further down.
0:15:49 > 0:15:53Just went pitch-black, I was rolling about like a washing machine effect.
0:15:53 > 0:15:55And eventually I found the top,
0:15:55 > 0:15:57seeing the light coming back and I managed to go
0:15:57 > 0:15:58HE INHALES and get a breath
0:15:58 > 0:16:00and then another wave comes straight over the top.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03If I didn't get that breath, I'd have been knackered
0:16:03 > 0:16:05cos I can't hold my breath for that long, I don't think.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10Michael can't swim his way out of danger.
0:16:10 > 0:16:12He needs to keep his head above water.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14My next thought was, like, just trying to stay afloat.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16I was screaming, "Lay on your back!"
0:16:16 > 0:16:20He was laid on his back but he was screaming, "Help, help!"
0:16:20 > 0:16:21I couldn't help him.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24As much as I wanted to, I couldn't.
0:16:24 > 0:16:26But help is on the way.
0:16:26 > 0:16:31A nearby bird-watcher has seen it all happen and dialled 999.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34The coastguard notify the RNLI.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37This is the moment the Redcar lifeboat is launched.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40They head out with their cameras filming.
0:16:40 > 0:16:44They are three miles away but luck is on Michael's side.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47By sheer good fortune, the neighbouring Hartlepool lifeboat
0:16:47 > 0:16:51is already on the water on a training exercise just four minutes from the pier.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56You hear someone's in the water, you know it's an emergency
0:16:56 > 0:16:59so you just go straight away. No thinking about it.
0:16:59 > 0:17:04Up ahead of the Redcar crew, the Hartlepool lifeboat reach Michael.
0:17:04 > 0:17:08The moment is captured on camera by a member of the public on another boat.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12It's 20 minutes since Michael was swept into the sea.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15The water temperature is just five degrees.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18We saw someone standing on top of the pier pointing and shouting
0:17:18 > 0:17:20so we looked where he was pointing to.
0:17:20 > 0:17:24Michael's hi-vis jacket helps the crew spot him in the water.
0:17:24 > 0:17:26It's also helping him stay afloat.
0:17:26 > 0:17:28The first reaction is, "Oh, there he is."
0:17:28 > 0:17:31And then your next reaction is, "Is he OK?"
0:17:31 > 0:17:35But Michael is drifting in and out of consciousness.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37I could just see, like... It's hard to explain.
0:17:37 > 0:17:39There were just, like, little things coming towards my eyes.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42And I could just feel my whole body shutting down.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45Just thought, this is it. This is where my life's going to end now.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47But obviously when I kept seeing the pictures of my son
0:17:47 > 0:17:50in my head I thought, no, I'm not letting this take me, like.
0:17:50 > 0:17:56But when the lifeboat reaches Michael in the stormy conditions, he looks lifeless.
0:17:56 > 0:17:58He didn't have much time left.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01Didn't look as if he was alive, to be fair.
0:18:01 > 0:18:03But Michael is alive.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06Out of the corner of my eye, I've just seen this big wave
0:18:06 > 0:18:09but on the wave was the front end of the boat, the orange boat.
0:18:09 > 0:18:11And that's when I've just been relieved.
0:18:11 > 0:18:15The size of the waves mean the lifeboat can't get close enough to grab Michael.
0:18:15 > 0:18:17This picture shows the moment they throw him
0:18:17 > 0:18:21a line in the hope he's conscious enough to clutch hold of it.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24We shouted at him and it seemed to have woke him up or something,
0:18:24 > 0:18:26he must have heard some sound
0:18:26 > 0:18:30and he sort of put his arms together to grab the line.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33Another big wave's come over and I think I dropped it or gone under
0:18:33 > 0:18:35the water again and that's when I passed out.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40Michael's unconscious as the crew make a grab for him.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43It must have took probably a minute to get him in the boat
0:18:43 > 0:18:46cos he was that heavy and obviously he couldn't help us.
0:18:46 > 0:18:48He didn't have no energy to help us.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51The crew try and revive Michael but he's unresponsive.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54And he... He couldn't talk but he was moving, we were saying,
0:18:54 > 0:18:56"Blink your eyes, move your fingers."
0:18:56 > 0:18:58And then we got the oxygen on him straight away.
0:18:58 > 0:19:02The lifeboat takes Michael north to the safety of the harbour
0:19:02 > 0:19:05master's pier. The Redcar lifeboat joins them.
0:19:05 > 0:19:09Their onboard camera shows both crews lifting Michael ashore.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12When we got there the ambulance wasn't...
0:19:12 > 0:19:13Hadn't arrived at that time
0:19:13 > 0:19:17so we were obviously still doing first aid on Michael.
0:19:17 > 0:19:22And about a minute or so later Redcar lifeboat came along
0:19:22 > 0:19:25and they helped us carry Michael to the ambulance.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30The family race to where Michael has been brought ashore
0:19:30 > 0:19:35but just as they arrive, the ambulance is already pulling away.
0:19:35 > 0:19:37You know, the blue lights and everything were going.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41Then we didn't know anything, whether he was alive or dead.
0:19:43 > 0:19:47They follow the ambulance to James Cook Hospital in Middlesbrough.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50While doctors try to bring Michael's heart rate down,
0:19:50 > 0:19:52the family face an anxious wait.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54And we waited for two and a half hours.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57I thought, I can't do this anymore so I knocked on the door,
0:19:57 > 0:20:01I said, "Please let me see him. Even if it is to say goodbye.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04"Let me see him while he's still got a breath in him."
0:20:05 > 0:20:07Finally, Michael comes round.
0:20:07 > 0:20:12His heart rate is nearly back to normal, as is his temperature.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15When I woke up I had heat packs and aluminium foil stuff all over me
0:20:15 > 0:20:18and I asked him where I was at, if I was still at Redcar,
0:20:18 > 0:20:21and they said no, I was in Middlesbrough, James Cook.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24The family are overjoyed to be reunited with Michael.
0:20:24 > 0:20:26I was elated when I saw him, yeah.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32No feeling like it. He was crying a bit, so was I, so was his mother.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38And Michael is delighted when his son comes to visit,
0:20:38 > 0:20:41relieved that Billy chose not to join them on the pier that day.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44Absolutely brilliant, it was the best feeling in the world.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47Knowing that I've lived through that
0:20:47 > 0:20:49and when I've seen his face coming through the door.
0:20:51 > 0:20:56After three days in hospital, Michael finally returns home.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58He's been incredibly lucky to escape with his life.
0:20:58 > 0:21:04If the coastguards, or the RNLI hadn't been doing their test run...
0:21:05 > 0:21:07..he wouldn't have survived.
0:21:11 > 0:21:13I think he's very, very lucky to be alive.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17And if we wasn't on that exercise on that day...
0:21:19 > 0:21:23..I don't think he'd be here today to tell the tale, I think he'd be dead.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34When things go wrong, we often need to depend on others and it's
0:21:34 > 0:21:38good to know that there are plenty of people out there willing to help.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43The Valley of Buttermere in the Lake District.
0:21:43 > 0:21:45A paraglider swoops over the fellside
0:21:45 > 0:21:50searching for a missing friend. Tony Thompson has dropped out of the sky.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53He's misjudged his landing and crashed to Earth.
0:21:53 > 0:21:57But fellow flyer Dave Ashcroft spots him, lands alongside,
0:21:57 > 0:22:00and alerts a mountain rescue search party.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03Hi, control, we're with the casualty now.
0:22:03 > 0:22:04GROANING
0:22:04 > 0:22:06Don't think it's a sprain.
0:22:06 > 0:22:10When they arrive, it's clear how serious Tony's injury is.
0:22:10 > 0:22:11HE SCREAMS
0:22:19 > 0:22:2358-year-old grandfather Tony Thompson grew up next to the lakes
0:22:23 > 0:22:26and has always loved sailing and windsurfing.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28Ten years ago, he decided to try
0:22:28 > 0:22:32and get above the water by taking up paragliding.
0:22:32 > 0:22:34I always thought I would enjoy flying because I can remember
0:22:34 > 0:22:38as a child I was jumping off roofs with umbrellas and things like that.
0:22:39 > 0:22:45IT teacher Tony took advantage of one long summer break to learn the sport.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48And now it's one of his greatest passions.
0:22:48 > 0:22:54It's really nice just to take off and fly along the hillside and just...
0:22:54 > 0:22:56If the wind's right and the weather's right
0:22:56 > 0:22:59and you can just go up next to the clouds and fly around.
0:22:59 > 0:23:01It's the place to be.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06These are the kind of views that keep Tony hooked on his new sport.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13During a February half term break, Tony's friend,
0:23:13 > 0:23:17paragliding coach Dave Ashcroft, films his flight
0:23:17 > 0:23:20as he heads off to meet up with Tony and other club members.
0:23:20 > 0:23:25It was a westerly wind that day so we'd agreed to meet on Swinside.
0:23:26 > 0:23:30I took off a bit lower down and met Tony higher up on the fell
0:23:30 > 0:23:32and landed next to him.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35And then we both took off and flew down the valley.
0:23:44 > 0:23:46The camera on Dave's paraglider is
0:23:46 > 0:23:50recording as the group fly over Buttermere and Crummock Water.
0:23:50 > 0:23:52Tony's flying just below Dave.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55His turquoise and white wing can be seen on his friend's camera.
0:23:58 > 0:24:02We both flew around for quite a while and it was a really nice day
0:24:02 > 0:24:06because the cloud was rising up and condensing.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10But as they continue, the weather begins to change.
0:24:10 > 0:24:14The conditions got a little bit weak and we were struggling
0:24:14 > 0:24:18to stay up at altitude so I set off back to where I'd come from.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23While Dave heads back to near his start point to land,
0:24:23 > 0:24:25Tony flies on out of sight of Dave's camera.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30But Tony has also noticed the change in the weather.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32I was flying along and I was losing height
0:24:32 > 0:24:34and I wanted to land as soon as I could.
0:24:36 > 0:24:38Tony spots a patch of green.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41It looks good for landing and he positions for it.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44But he doesn't see some hidden rocks until it's too late.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50Just as I was swinging into the hill I just managed to clip a rock
0:24:50 > 0:24:51with the top of my foot.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55Tony smashes into the rocks at speed.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58He instantly knows he's hurt and radioes for help.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01Luckily, his friend Dave is listening in.
0:25:01 > 0:25:05Heard on the radio something about Tony having hurt himself.
0:25:05 > 0:25:09Tony's in pain 400ft up the fellside.
0:25:09 > 0:25:13Dave knows the quickest way for him to get there is by paraglider.
0:25:13 > 0:25:17He immediately gets airborne again in a bid to find his injured friend.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25It took me about eight minutes to get there, it was the quickest way.
0:25:25 > 0:25:29And I spiralled down and flew and landed on the fellside next to him.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35But Tony's too severely injured for Dave to cope on his own.
0:25:37 > 0:25:40I thought we would sort it out but then I thought that wouldn't be
0:25:40 > 0:25:44a very good idea and chose to phone the mountain rescue.
0:25:45 > 0:25:47He alerts the Cockermouth Mountain Rescue team.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59Tony has landed some distance from the road.
0:25:59 > 0:26:03The only way for the rescue team to reach him is on foot.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06One of the group films as they hike up the steep terrain.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09They arrive on scene 20 minutes after the accident happened.
0:26:10 > 0:26:12Hi, control, we're with the casualty now.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15- HE GROANS - Don't think it's a sprain.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18They take great care examining him
0:26:18 > 0:26:20and use a makeshift tent to protect him from the elements.
0:26:23 > 0:26:25One of the rescue team is a doctor.
0:26:25 > 0:26:29He quickly realises Tony has suffered a complex multiple fracture to his leg.
0:26:33 > 0:26:35HE SCREAMS
0:26:35 > 0:26:37Don't do that!
0:26:37 > 0:26:41Accessing the injury and splinting it was quite difficult.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43He was in an immense amount of pain.
0:26:43 > 0:26:44OK, Tony.
0:26:44 > 0:26:46The mountain rescue team
0:26:46 > 0:26:48fear carrying him down the mountain could cause further
0:26:48 > 0:26:50injury and too much pain.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56They stabilise his leg in a splint, give him
0:26:56 > 0:27:00intravenous pain relief and call up the Great North Air Ambulance
0:27:00 > 0:27:01which has to land further down the hill.
0:27:03 > 0:27:07It takes eight of them 30 minutes to get him to the helicopter.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14He's taken to West Cumberland Hospital.
0:27:14 > 0:27:18X-rays reveal he's broken his ankle in ten places and needs 23 pins
0:27:18 > 0:27:22to rebuild the joint. Over the next two months,
0:27:22 > 0:27:25Tony undergoes a succession of operations.
0:27:25 > 0:27:29The real blow was when I got the infection afterwards
0:27:29 > 0:27:32and I was actually, in total, I was in hospital for 37 days.
0:27:32 > 0:27:37At one point, doctors fear the infection is in his bones
0:27:37 > 0:27:39and he might lose part of his leg.
0:27:39 > 0:27:41It was pretty grim then.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43But he makes a recovery.
0:27:43 > 0:27:47He's off work for seven months and grounded for a year.
0:27:47 > 0:27:51Since the accident, he chooses his landing sites much more carefully.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56I tend not to land quite so much on the hillside
0:27:56 > 0:27:59and go for the nice, big, flat, green fields at the bottom.
0:28:06 > 0:28:08Join us next time for more
0:28:08 > 0:28:11stories from survivors about their close calls.