Episode 9

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0:00:02 > 0:00:05A close call - a moment of danger when life can hang in the balance.

0:00:05 > 0:00:07Oh, my God!

0:00:08 > 0:00:11A split second where the outcome could go either way...

0:00:11 > 0:00:13If she's alive, it's going to be a miracle, really.

0:00:13 > 0:00:17The difference between disaster and survival...

0:00:17 > 0:00:19He was shouting, "Don't die, Mummy!"

0:00:19 > 0:00:23These are the people who have been there and lived to tell the tale.

0:00:24 > 0:00:26I thought he'd broken his neck.

0:00:27 > 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 > 0:00:35We were just engulfed in flames.

0:00:35 > 0:00:39And their dramatic experiences were recorded on camera.

0:00:39 > 0:00:43I wasn't going to be coming up. It was curtains. It was over.

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 > 0:01:07a skydiver falling to earth

0:01:07 > 0:01:10suddenly realises he's made a terrible mistake.

0:01:10 > 0:01:16There's rocks under the grass. Like, oh, this is going to hurt.

0:01:17 > 0:01:19HE YELLS IN AGONY

0:01:19 > 0:01:21Help! Help!

0:01:21 > 0:01:25He needs urgent attention but there is no-one around to hear his cries.

0:01:28 > 0:01:32And emergency teams struggle across two miles of rocky terrain,

0:01:32 > 0:01:34helping a badly injured grandmother.

0:01:36 > 0:01:40When my head hit the rock, it split right down to the skull.

0:01:40 > 0:01:44It's a race against time and the tide to get her to hospital.

0:01:44 > 0:01:48And I thought, "Oh, my God, my mum is just...she's going to die."

0:01:49 > 0:01:52Also -

0:01:52 > 0:01:54a dash-cam captures the terrible moment

0:01:54 > 0:01:57a car smashes into oncoming traffic.

0:01:57 > 0:02:01And with the crash comes an unwelcome discovery.

0:02:01 > 0:02:05I went to open the door and I think I was more shocked at what I saw

0:02:05 > 0:02:08than the initial sort of impact.

0:02:17 > 0:02:18Kemaliye, Turkey.

0:02:20 > 0:02:233,500 feet in the sky, former paratrooper Jamie Flynn

0:02:23 > 0:02:27is about to skydive from a lightweight aircraft.

0:02:29 > 0:02:31He flies towards a predetermined landing site,

0:02:31 > 0:02:34a large, flat open area over half a mile away.

0:02:36 > 0:02:38But he's made a serious miscalculation.

0:02:38 > 0:02:41I'm not going to get there. It's just too far.

0:02:41 > 0:02:45Jamie is now hurtling towards boulders and rocks.

0:02:46 > 0:02:48HE YELLS

0:02:51 > 0:02:55He's seriously injured, alone and in desperate need of help.

0:02:55 > 0:02:58His screams echo across the hot, desolate landscape.

0:03:08 > 0:03:1128-year-old Jamie Flynn is a professional BASE jumper.

0:03:11 > 0:03:15For him, being paid to jump off fixed objects from a great height

0:03:15 > 0:03:19is a dream job, and a million miles away from the timid teenager

0:03:19 > 0:03:21who grew up in Chelmsford.

0:03:21 > 0:03:24Actually, I'm scared of rollercoasters. Yeah.

0:03:24 > 0:03:27Literally, I was so scared of rollercoasters

0:03:27 > 0:03:29I couldn't go on anything at all.

0:03:29 > 0:03:31But after leaving school,

0:03:31 > 0:03:35Jamie made a bold career choice to help conquer his fears.

0:03:35 > 0:03:39He decided to try out for the British Army's elite Parachute Regiment.

0:03:39 > 0:03:43You know, I was like 16 years old and I found out that the Paras

0:03:43 > 0:03:46is, like, a really hard selection process to get into.

0:03:46 > 0:03:50My whole dream was, "Let's go and see if I can take on this challenge."

0:03:52 > 0:03:56Jamie passed the paratrooper entry course with flying colours

0:03:56 > 0:03:58but then came the tricky part.

0:03:58 > 0:04:01Now I have a got parachute and I'm scared of rollercoasters but

0:04:01 > 0:04:04I couldn't tell anyone because they'd all take the mick out of me.

0:04:04 > 0:04:07I went to the jump school in Brize Norton and jumped it,

0:04:07 > 0:04:11hated it, every minute of it. I did all my jumps course.

0:04:11 > 0:04:14Hated parachuting.

0:04:14 > 0:04:17But on his 72nd jump, something clicked.

0:04:19 > 0:04:21It was this feeling - I was like, wow,

0:04:21 > 0:04:24this is actually good fun. I really like this!

0:04:24 > 0:04:27And then I landed and I stood up and I was like, wow, that was so cool!

0:04:27 > 0:04:29I love it!

0:04:29 > 0:04:32And so in my logbook, I went back and I was like, forget everything.

0:04:32 > 0:04:35I love skydiving! Full stop.

0:04:36 > 0:04:39After serving for eight years with the paratroopers,

0:04:39 > 0:04:42he left and is now a professional BASE jumper.

0:04:43 > 0:04:46BASE jumping is a high-adrenaline sport where competitors

0:04:46 > 0:04:50leap from static objects before releasing their parachutes

0:04:50 > 0:04:52and floating down to the ground.

0:04:52 > 0:04:55You know, if you want to do this, you need to do it full-time.

0:04:55 > 0:05:00To be safe, competent and everything and in 2012,

0:05:00 > 0:05:02I went along and won my first World Championships.

0:05:02 > 0:05:05Working as a brand ambassador for his sponsors,

0:05:05 > 0:05:07Jamie gets to travel the world earning a living

0:05:07 > 0:05:10and competing in the sport that he loves.

0:05:10 > 0:05:12But BASE jumping has obvious dangers

0:05:12 > 0:05:14and it's a profession that Jamie's parents,

0:05:14 > 0:05:18especially his mum, Jackie, have had to get used to.

0:05:18 > 0:05:19And so we came to an arrangement

0:05:19 > 0:05:23whereby he does whatever he wants and tells me afterwards.

0:05:23 > 0:05:25I'll watch the videos from a distance.

0:05:25 > 0:05:28They were against it initially.

0:05:28 > 0:05:30And then, over time,

0:05:30 > 0:05:33they started to see the enjoyment I was getting out of it.

0:05:36 > 0:05:40Today, Jamie is at a week-long BASE jumping event in Kemaliye, Turkey.

0:05:40 > 0:05:43Outside of the competition, Jamie has been offered

0:05:43 > 0:05:46the chance of a free skydive over the Turkish mountains.

0:05:47 > 0:05:49He can't wait to give it a go,

0:05:49 > 0:05:51especially as he'll be wearing a wingsuit,

0:05:51 > 0:05:54which will help him slow down and control the free fall.

0:05:54 > 0:05:57We get an e-mail saying "Bring your wingsuits

0:05:57 > 0:05:59"because we have this microlight."

0:05:59 > 0:06:03It's like a small aircraft and you guys will be able to wingsuit

0:06:03 > 0:06:07down into the canyon and we're like, "Yeah, this is going to be great!"

0:06:08 > 0:06:12Jamie is going to film his jump using two mini-cameras

0:06:12 > 0:06:13attached to his helmet.

0:06:13 > 0:06:16They are rolling as he watches his friend take off.

0:06:16 > 0:06:18Now it's Jamie's turn.

0:06:23 > 0:06:28Jamie always plans his jumps meticulously before taking off.

0:06:28 > 0:06:30All my gear had been checked, you know.

0:06:30 > 0:06:32I was happy with the jump, I was happy with the flight,

0:06:32 > 0:06:34I was happy with where the landing area was.

0:06:34 > 0:06:39The conditions were good, there was no wind and I was like, perfect.

0:06:39 > 0:06:41The lightweight aircraft lifts him up

0:06:41 > 0:06:45to 3,500 feet above the rocky Turkish canyon.

0:06:45 > 0:06:47Jamie is wearing his wingsuit.

0:06:47 > 0:06:50It's essential if he's going to reach his landing spot

0:06:50 > 0:06:52from this height and distance.

0:06:52 > 0:06:56So we're going faster forward and slower downwards

0:06:56 > 0:06:58and gaining more distance.

0:07:04 > 0:07:06As Jamie jumps from the aircraft,

0:07:06 > 0:07:09his rear camera shows the wingsuit in full effect.

0:07:09 > 0:07:12Jamie knows he can freefall from this height for over 20 seconds

0:07:12 > 0:07:15before he needs to deploy his parachute.

0:07:16 > 0:07:18I've had a really good flight.

0:07:18 > 0:07:19The wingsuit just went

0:07:19 > 0:07:21and I just went all the way down

0:07:21 > 0:07:23towards where I was going to be opening.

0:07:23 > 0:07:26Jamie's camera shows exactly where he's planning on landing.

0:07:26 > 0:07:30This car park is his primary spot and if anything should go wrong,

0:07:30 > 0:07:33his secondary site is slightly closer.

0:07:34 > 0:07:37Just before these safe landing areas is rough and rocky terrain.

0:07:39 > 0:07:42Jamie pulls his chute, ready to glide to Earth.

0:07:44 > 0:07:46But the experienced professional has made

0:07:46 > 0:07:48an uncharacteristic error of judgment.

0:07:49 > 0:07:51As I got closer to landing, I thought,

0:07:51 > 0:07:55"I'm not going to get there! It's just too far."

0:07:57 > 0:07:59So I looked over to my secondary

0:07:59 > 0:08:02and I was halfway in between my secondary and my primary landing area.

0:08:02 > 0:08:05And at this point I thought, "Well, I can't make any of those.

0:08:05 > 0:08:06"What a mistake."

0:08:06 > 0:08:10Jamie now has just 15 seconds before he hits the ground

0:08:10 > 0:08:13and he doesn't want to risk a dangerous water landing.

0:08:13 > 0:08:16If I land in the river, I'm in a big wingsuit, it fills up

0:08:16 > 0:08:19and there is a risk I could potentially drown.

0:08:19 > 0:08:23Jamie has no choice but to land in unknown territory.

0:08:23 > 0:08:26He heads towards what he thinks is a grassy area.

0:08:26 > 0:08:28He's wrong.

0:08:28 > 0:08:33As I got lower and lower and lower, I was like, "Oh. There's rocks.

0:08:33 > 0:08:36"Under the grass. Oh, this is going to hurt."

0:08:39 > 0:08:40Later...

0:08:42 > 0:08:45..the crash shatters several of Jamie's bones

0:08:45 > 0:08:47and he's terrified he has a fatal injury.

0:08:48 > 0:08:50I could feel real big pain in my pelvis

0:08:50 > 0:08:54and I thought, you know, this isn't good.

0:08:54 > 0:08:56You can bleed out from a pelvis break.

0:08:57 > 0:09:00In this desolate landscape, miles from anywhere,

0:09:00 > 0:09:02he urgently needs help.

0:09:13 > 0:09:15Charmouth Beach, Dorset.

0:09:15 > 0:09:19Grandmother Mariola Constandinou needs to get to hospital fast.

0:09:19 > 0:09:23She has slipped and fallen heavily on to the jagged coastal rocks.

0:09:23 > 0:09:27Her head has been split open and she fears her back may be broken.

0:09:30 > 0:09:32The ambulance service,

0:09:32 > 0:09:35the RNLI and the coastguard have a challenge on their hands.

0:09:35 > 0:09:37Working as a team, they need to carry Mariola

0:09:37 > 0:09:41over two miles of hazardous terrain to where the ambulance is waiting.

0:09:43 > 0:09:46And what's more, the tide is coming in.

0:09:55 > 0:09:5871-year-old grandmother Mariola Constandinou

0:09:58 > 0:09:59spends as much time as she can

0:09:59 > 0:10:03with her daughter Christothea and her grandson Taliesen.

0:10:03 > 0:10:06I've got a wonderful loving family

0:10:06 > 0:10:09so I do what I can and they do everything for me.

0:10:09 > 0:10:12The family love weekends away together,

0:10:12 > 0:10:14especially to Dorset's Jurassic Coast.

0:10:14 > 0:10:16It's Taliesen's favourite place.

0:10:17 > 0:10:21He loves dinosaurs and we are always going to the festivals,

0:10:21 > 0:10:24the fossil festivals down in Lyme Regis.

0:10:26 > 0:10:31He likes looking for the fossils in the pools and he collects them.

0:10:31 > 0:10:32It's great fun.

0:10:35 > 0:10:38It's May and the whole family are on holiday in Lyme Regis,

0:10:38 > 0:10:40on the south coast.

0:10:40 > 0:10:42On the Sunday, they all decide

0:10:42 > 0:10:45to take a walk along nearby Charmouth Beach.

0:10:45 > 0:10:48It's an isolated area, but busy with fellow fossil hunters.

0:10:48 > 0:10:52The family head along the coastline, two miles from the nearest car park.

0:10:53 > 0:10:55So it was a gentle walk.

0:10:55 > 0:10:57We went further and further down

0:10:57 > 0:11:01until we reached the end of the beach where these rock pools were

0:11:01 > 0:11:04and we decided then to go and have a look in the rock pools.

0:11:04 > 0:11:07My son was in front. My mum was following him.

0:11:07 > 0:11:09The rocks seemed flat,

0:11:09 > 0:11:14and very easy to walk on and he was pointing things out for me.

0:11:14 > 0:11:15And then I went ahead.

0:11:15 > 0:11:17And I was thinking, wow!

0:11:17 > 0:11:19Look at my mum - she is on the rocks

0:11:19 > 0:11:21and she's going from rock to rock. That's fantastic.

0:11:21 > 0:11:24But Mariola is having such a good time with her grandson that

0:11:24 > 0:11:29she's become a little too confident on the uneven rocky seafront.

0:11:29 > 0:11:34I seemed to stand on a rock and it was a slopey one.

0:11:34 > 0:11:37But unfortunately, she wasn't leaning far enough forward

0:11:37 > 0:11:40so all her weight was on her top and she was leaning too far back

0:11:40 > 0:11:44and that's when she fell backwards.

0:11:47 > 0:11:49And there was a pointed rock

0:11:49 > 0:11:54and I landed with the bottom of my spine hitting that pointy rock.

0:11:56 > 0:12:01And she smashed her head on a jagged boulder that was behind her.

0:12:02 > 0:12:08And I thought, "Oh, my God. My mum has just... she's going to die."

0:12:08 > 0:12:12Christothea is stunned. Her mum isn't moving.

0:12:12 > 0:12:14And I just ran over there.

0:12:16 > 0:12:19She was conscious and she was holding the back of her head and

0:12:19 > 0:12:24there was blood and it was matted and I thought, "Oh, my God."

0:12:24 > 0:12:28When I looked at my daughter's face, she had gone absolutely white

0:12:28 > 0:12:30and she looked terrified.

0:12:30 > 0:12:34Frightened grandson Taliesin is led away by his dad.

0:12:34 > 0:12:36Mariola is bleeding heavily from her head

0:12:36 > 0:12:40but she is more concerned about her spine.

0:12:40 > 0:12:43I really was terrified I had broken my back.

0:12:43 > 0:12:47Maybe I'd done something to my neck. I just didn't know.

0:12:47 > 0:12:50Other fossil hunters on the beach come to help.

0:12:50 > 0:12:54One of them dials 999 and passes the phone to Christothea.

0:12:55 > 0:13:01I was on the phone to the emergency services and I described as much as

0:13:01 > 0:13:06I could the extent of the injuries and they advised not to move her.

0:13:06 > 0:13:10The RNLI and coastguard from nearby Lyme Regis are dispatched.

0:13:12 > 0:13:16An ambulance and paramedic are also en route.

0:13:16 > 0:13:18They need to get there fast.

0:13:18 > 0:13:22Mariola still can't move and to make matters worse, the tide has turned.

0:13:22 > 0:13:26Freezing seawater is rapidly filling the rock pools.

0:13:27 > 0:13:29It got to a point where we can't wait any more

0:13:29 > 0:13:32because she is going to be underwater.

0:13:32 > 0:13:36So I was panicking, thinking I'm going to drown.

0:13:36 > 0:13:38Help arrives just in time.

0:13:38 > 0:13:40The water is getting higher and higher.

0:13:40 > 0:13:41The tide was on its way in

0:13:41 > 0:13:44and she was very close to the water's edge

0:13:44 > 0:13:47so with the paramedic's permission,

0:13:47 > 0:13:51we moved her just away from the shoreline.

0:13:51 > 0:13:54Here, Mariola is carefully put on to a stretcher

0:13:54 > 0:13:57but even the slightest move is agony.

0:13:58 > 0:14:03I think there was eight or more people that managed to lift me up.

0:14:04 > 0:14:06Oh...I saw stars.

0:14:11 > 0:14:14Christothea films the rescuers carefully carrying Mariola

0:14:14 > 0:14:16on a stretcher away from the rock pools.

0:14:20 > 0:14:22They have to work quickly to beat the tide.

0:14:22 > 0:14:26Soon, this area will be underwater but the terrain is hazardous.

0:14:29 > 0:14:33It was really difficult terrain to get my mum from the rocks.

0:14:33 > 0:14:37It's a struggle, but they are determined to get Mariola to safety

0:14:37 > 0:14:39before the waves take over the beach.

0:14:47 > 0:14:51They had one person at the front of the stretcher, saying where to step.

0:14:54 > 0:14:57Finally, they reach flatter ground.

0:14:57 > 0:15:01Mariola's ordeal is far from over but at least from here,

0:15:01 > 0:15:03it's a slightly smoother ride.

0:15:03 > 0:15:05We have what we call a specialist wheel.

0:15:05 > 0:15:08It's where the stretcher can be put on a framework with a wheel and then

0:15:08 > 0:15:13with six guys, we can then start walking her back towards Charmouth.

0:15:13 > 0:15:15I couldn't get close to my mum because obviously,

0:15:15 > 0:15:17they were attending to my mum

0:15:17 > 0:15:19so I thought "I'll video this on my phone."

0:15:19 > 0:15:22Just to show what was happening. It was amazing.

0:15:22 > 0:15:24Racing against the incoming tide,

0:15:24 > 0:15:27it takes 16 rescuers working in tandem

0:15:27 > 0:15:3045 minutes to get Mariola to the ambulance.

0:15:31 > 0:15:34Then it's a 20-mile dash to Dorset County Hospital

0:15:34 > 0:15:37to assess her injuries.

0:15:37 > 0:15:41I had a CT scan and they said "Oh, you're very, very lucky."

0:15:41 > 0:15:43They don't know how I survived

0:15:43 > 0:15:46because when my head hit the rock,

0:15:46 > 0:15:50it split right down to the skull for five centimetres

0:15:50 > 0:15:52so you could see the top of my skull.

0:15:52 > 0:15:54And, um...

0:15:56 > 0:15:57Sorry.

0:16:01 > 0:16:03Luckily, Mariola doesn't have a back injury

0:16:03 > 0:16:07and despite the appearance and depth of the head wound,

0:16:07 > 0:16:08it's also not serious.

0:16:08 > 0:16:10She is stitched up and sent home.

0:16:12 > 0:16:15The following day, the family are back at Charmouth

0:16:15 > 0:16:18but this time, Mariola is taking it easy.

0:16:18 > 0:16:21It's amazing that just 24 hours previously,

0:16:21 > 0:16:24she could have lost her life on this very beach.

0:16:24 > 0:16:29She had a very lucky escape that day. A very lucky escape.

0:16:29 > 0:16:32And the emergency services,

0:16:32 > 0:16:37it's not until you see them working together like that,

0:16:37 > 0:16:40that you see how fantastic they are.

0:16:40 > 0:16:44I'm just overwhelmed. You know, I shall be in debt all my life.

0:16:46 > 0:16:50It was... you know, all in all,

0:16:50 > 0:16:52quite an adventure.

0:16:52 > 0:16:53Tell her I'm safe. I'm OK.

0:16:59 > 0:17:04An out-of-control car crashes not once...

0:17:04 > 0:17:05but twice.

0:17:09 > 0:17:11The victims need help fast.

0:17:11 > 0:17:14All I knew is we've been in a crash and then the next thing is

0:17:14 > 0:17:16we need to get the police here, we need to get an ambulance here.

0:17:16 > 0:17:19The chap there actually dragged her out of the car

0:17:19 > 0:17:22and then she just collapsed in a heap at the side of the road.

0:17:30 > 0:17:31Back to Kemaliye, Turkey.

0:17:33 > 0:17:38Ex-paratrooper Jamie Flynn has skydived from 3,500 feet

0:17:38 > 0:17:39but a serious miscalculation

0:17:39 > 0:17:42has left him short of his safe landing area.

0:17:42 > 0:17:44He knows he's in trouble.

0:17:44 > 0:17:47As I got lower and lower and lower, I was like, "Oh.

0:17:49 > 0:17:52"There's rocks under the grass. Oh, this is going to hurt."

0:17:55 > 0:17:57Jamie's military training kicks in.

0:17:57 > 0:18:01He's planning on rolling on impact to take the force out of the landing.

0:18:01 > 0:18:05Feet, knees, everything together. Nice and tight. Ready to roll.

0:18:05 > 0:18:07But the mountainous terrain is unforgiving.

0:18:09 > 0:18:11HE YELLS IN AGONY

0:18:11 > 0:18:14My ankle went in between two rocks.

0:18:14 > 0:18:18And the momentum of the roll broke the ankle, the wrist,

0:18:18 > 0:18:22the elbow, the shoulder and then smashed my head against the rocks.

0:18:26 > 0:18:30Jamie's shouts of pain are shocking to hear.

0:18:30 > 0:18:32He lies in agony, screaming for help.

0:18:33 > 0:18:37He is actually in Turkey for a BASE jumping event, but this jump

0:18:37 > 0:18:41isn't part of it, so there is no official landing party to find him.

0:18:41 > 0:18:45To make matters worse, he thinks he may have a potentially fatal injury.

0:18:45 > 0:18:49I looked down and I could feel real big pain in my pelvis

0:18:49 > 0:18:52and I thought oh, you know, this isn't good.

0:18:52 > 0:18:55You can bleed out from a pelvis break.

0:18:55 > 0:18:57Jamie is a trained medic.

0:18:57 > 0:19:02He can't move but he knows he needs help fast if he's going to survive.

0:19:02 > 0:19:03You know, you've got the golden hour.

0:19:03 > 0:19:05It's what we used to use in the military.

0:19:05 > 0:19:08You aim to get your injured soldier out from there in the hour

0:19:08 > 0:19:11and their chance of survival is good.

0:19:11 > 0:19:13Time is running out.

0:19:13 > 0:19:16But after lying helplessly for 35 minutes, by sheer luck,

0:19:16 > 0:19:20a passing local hears Jamie's screams.

0:19:20 > 0:19:25This guy turned up and I was like "Oh, thank God you're here."

0:19:25 > 0:19:28The man contacts the BASE jumping event organiser

0:19:28 > 0:19:31and ten minutes later, Jamie's friends arrive

0:19:31 > 0:19:33with some local paramedics.

0:19:33 > 0:19:35One of the onlookers films the ambulance crew

0:19:35 > 0:19:37strapping up his right arm

0:19:37 > 0:19:39and putting a splint on his shattered ankle.

0:19:42 > 0:19:45It's an agonising four-hour drive through the mountains

0:19:45 > 0:19:50before he gets to hospital. Luckily, his pelvis isn't broken.

0:19:50 > 0:19:54The pain was coming from a fractured femur bone.

0:19:54 > 0:19:57But Jamie's military parachute training probably saved him

0:19:57 > 0:19:59from serious disability or worse.

0:19:59 > 0:20:02No head injuries, which was lucky.

0:20:02 > 0:20:04I had no back injuries, no neck, nothing

0:20:04 > 0:20:06so the parachute landing fall

0:20:06 > 0:20:11that we use to protect ourselves actually did a very good job.

0:20:11 > 0:20:13I mean, it broke near enough every bone

0:20:13 > 0:20:15on the right side of my body

0:20:15 > 0:20:17but it protected everything else.

0:20:17 > 0:20:20After eight days in Turkey, Jamie is flown back to the UK

0:20:20 > 0:20:24and straight into Broomfield Hospital in Essex.

0:20:24 > 0:20:26Anxious mum Jackie is waiting for him.

0:20:28 > 0:20:32After just visualising what his injuries were like, to actually

0:20:32 > 0:20:37see him as a whole person, you think, "OK, we can deal with this."

0:20:37 > 0:20:39You know, you can cope with this.

0:20:39 > 0:20:43But it was such a relief to have him home.

0:20:43 > 0:20:46The doctor told me that I wouldn't run again.

0:20:46 > 0:20:49Walking, it would be questionable

0:20:49 > 0:20:52how much walking I'd be able to do.

0:20:52 > 0:20:55They were telling me I'd definitely never jump again.

0:20:55 > 0:20:56Yes, very, very upset.

0:20:56 > 0:20:58I used to cry a lot because I thought

0:20:58 > 0:21:03I've ruined everything just from this one split-second wrong decision.

0:21:04 > 0:21:07Jamie is determined to prove the medics wrong.

0:21:07 > 0:21:09After a month in hospital,

0:21:09 > 0:21:12he heads home to begin extensive rehabilitation.

0:21:12 > 0:21:15He's been so strong, so determined.

0:21:15 > 0:21:18There's never, ever been any question that he won't jump again.

0:21:18 > 0:21:22That's what has kept him going. That's made him better.

0:21:22 > 0:21:25Just six months after almost losing his life,

0:21:25 > 0:21:27Jamie went back to competing again.

0:21:27 > 0:21:29He is now full time on the circuit

0:21:29 > 0:21:33but vividly remembers the first time he jumped after the accident.

0:21:34 > 0:21:37I just stepped off of it. All right, it's game on again.

0:21:43 > 0:21:46The parachute opens and I was like, "yes, perfect." That's not it.

0:21:46 > 0:21:49We need to land again.

0:21:49 > 0:21:53I was just like, that's it. Perfect.

0:21:53 > 0:21:54And I was like, I'm back.

0:21:54 > 0:21:59But Jamie will never forget that fateful day in Turkey.

0:21:59 > 0:22:02Looking back, the whole situation was a close call.

0:22:02 > 0:22:06It... I was definitely very lucky.

0:22:06 > 0:22:09Someone was definitely looking after me that day.

0:22:18 > 0:22:22A close call, a near miss, a disaster averted - whatever you call it,

0:22:22 > 0:22:25it can be too close for comfort.

0:22:25 > 0:22:29But sometimes, well, you are just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

0:22:36 > 0:22:38Kidderminster, Worcestershire.

0:22:38 > 0:22:41A car dashboard camera is recording the journey

0:22:41 > 0:22:43of retired musician Scott Hardiman

0:22:43 > 0:22:46on his way to pick up his daughter from school.

0:22:46 > 0:22:49His student son Ryan is in the passenger seat.

0:22:49 > 0:22:51As they reach the brow of a hill,

0:22:51 > 0:22:55an oncoming car veers across the road, smashing into the car in front,

0:22:55 > 0:22:57then heads straight for them.

0:23:01 > 0:23:05Motoring enthusiast Scott lives in Kidderminster with his wife

0:23:05 > 0:23:06and two children.

0:23:06 > 0:23:08He has recently retired from his day job

0:23:08 > 0:23:11to help support his family in a different way.

0:23:11 > 0:23:14I used to be a professional musician for about 15 years.

0:23:14 > 0:23:17I've since retired and now my priorities are based at home,

0:23:17 > 0:23:20which is a total change round for me but I've actually got

0:23:20 > 0:23:23a disabled daughter and I'm a full-time carer for her.

0:23:23 > 0:23:25It's probably the hardest job I've ever done

0:23:25 > 0:23:27but it's the most satisfying.

0:23:27 > 0:23:30His 19-year-old son Ryan is also motor-mad

0:23:30 > 0:23:34and just learning to drive so he can commute back and forth to uni.

0:23:34 > 0:23:37I started my driving lessons a few months ago.

0:23:37 > 0:23:38He's a very sensible lad.

0:23:38 > 0:23:41He's at Birmingham University doing astrophysics, rocket science.

0:23:41 > 0:23:44I don't know where he got his brains from, to be honest.

0:23:44 > 0:23:46It was definitely not me or his mother.

0:23:46 > 0:23:49The family car is a special mobility vehicle,

0:23:49 > 0:23:52modified to fit five-year-old Jessica's wheelchair.

0:23:52 > 0:23:57Scott has also fitted the car with a dash cam, a small camera that records

0:23:57 > 0:24:00the road ahead in a two-minute loop, almost like an in-car CCTV.

0:24:02 > 0:24:06So, having one of these is the hard evidence this is what happened.

0:24:06 > 0:24:09Maybe it was tempting fate, getting one as well.

0:24:10 > 0:24:13It's just before 3pm on a Wednesday

0:24:13 > 0:24:15and Scott and Ryan are off to pick up Jessica

0:24:15 > 0:24:18from school in nearby Bromsgrove.

0:24:18 > 0:24:19Their dash-cam is rolling

0:24:19 > 0:24:23as they travel along their normal route, the A448.

0:24:23 > 0:24:26Well, I had just had a driving lesson, as it happened.

0:24:26 > 0:24:28So we were talking about the driving lesson.

0:24:31 > 0:24:34However, as Scott and Ryan approach the top of a steep incline,

0:24:34 > 0:24:38they are temporarily blinded to what's coming from the other side.

0:24:38 > 0:24:41There was a bit of a hump-backed bridge built into the road there.

0:24:41 > 0:24:43The first thing I saw was the car coming over

0:24:43 > 0:24:47the humpback in the road and I just saw it smack into the car in front.

0:24:50 > 0:24:54The dash-cam shows the airbags of the oncoming car inflating,

0:24:54 > 0:24:57but the vehicle isn't stopping.

0:24:57 > 0:25:00She obviously couldn't see, was coming directly towards us.

0:25:00 > 0:25:03In a split second, Scott's instinct takes over.

0:25:03 > 0:25:05He throws the wheel to the left,

0:25:05 > 0:25:08swerving on to the pavement, as the out-of-control vehicle

0:25:08 > 0:25:09grinds down the right-hand side

0:25:09 > 0:25:12of their car, out of shot of the camera.

0:25:12 > 0:25:13I can actually remember checking there was

0:25:13 > 0:25:15nobody on the path as well.

0:25:15 > 0:25:17I managed to get as much out of the way as possible

0:25:17 > 0:25:21and she hit the back end of our car and bounced across to the other side.

0:25:21 > 0:25:24Scott's quick thinking spares them a head-on smash.

0:25:24 > 0:25:27The dash-cam picks up their shocked reactions.

0:25:27 > 0:25:30BLEEP! BLEEP!

0:25:30 > 0:25:32Jesus!

0:25:32 > 0:25:35Obviously, I was saying a few words that I shouldn't.

0:25:35 > 0:25:37All I need is we'd been in a crash and then the next thing is,

0:25:37 > 0:25:40we need to get police here, we need to get an ambulance here.

0:25:42 > 0:25:46The car that veered across the road has rebounded off Scott's car

0:25:46 > 0:25:48and gone headfirst into a hedge,

0:25:48 > 0:25:51luckily avoiding any other motorists.

0:25:51 > 0:25:54Its front end has crumpled with the force of the impact.

0:25:54 > 0:25:56Scott runs over to the wrecked vehicle

0:25:56 > 0:25:58and can't believe what he finds.

0:25:58 > 0:26:03I went to open the door and I think I was more shocked at what I saw

0:26:03 > 0:26:07than the initial sort of impact and seeing it come over the hill

0:26:07 > 0:26:10towards us because it was actually a friend's girlfriend...

0:26:10 > 0:26:11that was in the driving seat.

0:26:11 > 0:26:14I just knew she wasn't very well. I have never seen her so pale.

0:26:14 > 0:26:16Other motorists have pulled over

0:26:16 > 0:26:19to help Scott attend to the semiconscious driver.

0:26:19 > 0:26:21A chap there actually dragged her out of the car,

0:26:21 > 0:26:23carried her to the opposite side of the road

0:26:23 > 0:26:25and she collapsed again at the side of the road.

0:26:25 > 0:26:27He got her stood up and she collapsed again.

0:26:27 > 0:26:30Ryan's call has prompted all three emergency services

0:26:30 > 0:26:31racing to the scene.

0:26:31 > 0:26:33The police closed the road

0:26:33 > 0:26:37while paramedics attend to the unwell driver in the dark grey vehicle.

0:26:37 > 0:26:40Fire and rescue turn their attention to the car it hit first.

0:26:40 > 0:26:42Because of the force of the impact,

0:26:42 > 0:26:46the woman behind the wheel is trapped and needs to be cut free.

0:26:46 > 0:26:48And that was when the shock kind of sank in.

0:26:48 > 0:26:51Everything had been dealt with, there was nothing else to do.

0:26:51 > 0:26:53And then we realised what had happened.

0:26:53 > 0:26:56Watching the dramatic scenes around them,

0:26:56 > 0:26:59Scott and Ryan know they've had a lucky escape.

0:26:59 > 0:27:01If we hadn't got on to the path, if my dad had been

0:27:01 > 0:27:04glancing in my direction, if he hadn't been concentrating

0:27:04 > 0:27:07and not got out there are, it would have been a head-on.

0:27:07 > 0:27:11I dread to think what it could have been. We're lucky, very lucky.

0:27:11 > 0:27:15The drivers of both the other vehicles are taken to hospital

0:27:15 > 0:27:19but luckily, neither of them have any serious injuries.

0:27:19 > 0:27:21The driver of the car that veered across the road had

0:27:21 > 0:27:25fainted at the wheel. No charges were brought against her.

0:27:25 > 0:27:29The incident has made an impact on learner driver Ryan.

0:27:29 > 0:27:31My first driving lesson after the incident,

0:27:31 > 0:27:34my driving instructor said I had dropped back

0:27:34 > 0:27:35about ten hours in confidence.

0:27:35 > 0:27:39I hadn't really noticed it affecting me until then.

0:27:39 > 0:27:42Scott believes it's the design of the family car that

0:27:42 > 0:27:45helped his split-second reactions.

0:27:45 > 0:27:50It's a fact that the car we've got has a higher seating position

0:27:50 > 0:27:53so I was able just to see over the brow of the hill.

0:27:53 > 0:27:55It could have been a totally different story.

0:27:55 > 0:27:58Absolutely totally different story.

0:28:05 > 0:28:09Thank goodness for all those people who keep a cool head in a crisis.

0:28:09 > 0:28:12It's good to know they're around when we need them. Bye for now.