0:00:02 > 0:00:04A close call, a moment of danger when life can hang in the balance.
0:00:04 > 0:00:08What would happen if I wasn't found, or didn't find a way out of it?
0:00:08 > 0:00:11A split second when the outcome could go either way.
0:00:11 > 0:00:13It's a choice - life or death.
0:00:13 > 0:00:16The difference between disaster and survival.
0:00:16 > 0:00:20We saw a lady who was critically ill, if not dying, in front of us.
0:00:20 > 0:00:22I kept thinking the hotel was going to fall on us.
0:00:22 > 0:00:26These are the people that have been there and lived to tell the tale.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29It's a day they'll never forget.
0:00:29 > 0:00:31The day they had a close call.
0:00:47 > 0:00:49Today on Close Calls.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52Mountain rescuers come to the aid of an injured cyclist
0:00:52 > 0:00:54in the Peak District.
0:00:54 > 0:00:58He's gone over the handlebars in what appears to be a harmless fall.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01I just end up on the side,
0:01:01 > 0:01:03so I'm just thinking, "All right, I need to get up
0:01:03 > 0:01:06"and get on the bike and carry on moving."
0:01:07 > 0:01:10But he can't - he's severely injured.
0:01:11 > 0:01:13And within seconds he's close to bleeding to death
0:01:13 > 0:01:15on the mountainside.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18There was a LOT of blood.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20The air ambulance is his only chance.
0:01:20 > 0:01:24But even that might be too late.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27Every minute that he went on was a minute
0:01:27 > 0:01:30that his vital organs weren't receiving enough blood supply.
0:01:32 > 0:01:33Also today -
0:01:33 > 0:01:36an emergency call handler has a little girl on the line.
0:01:42 > 0:01:44But there's an added complication.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52Two lives now depend on this little girl.
0:02:01 > 0:02:03Kinder Scout in the Peak District.
0:02:04 > 0:02:08A local mountain rescue team have summoned air ambulance medics
0:02:08 > 0:02:11to help treat a critically injured mountain biker.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15He was bleeding to death.
0:02:15 > 0:02:16Without a doubt.
0:02:16 > 0:02:18They're miles from the nearest hospital,
0:02:18 > 0:02:21and they're scared they're going to lose him.
0:02:21 > 0:02:25There were lots of signs all pointing towards him having lost a significant amount of blood.
0:02:35 > 0:02:4027-year-old Shyamenda Purslow is a lecturer at Manchester University.
0:02:41 > 0:02:43He's also studying for a PhD.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48When he's not working, he loves to go out on his mountain bike.
0:02:49 > 0:02:54I started enjoying cycling more maybe two years ago, actually.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56Went to the National Cycling Centre
0:02:56 > 0:02:59and did some training on mountain bikes,
0:02:59 > 0:03:01and it was just the best day.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03Especially when you're going downhill
0:03:03 > 0:03:05and you've got to really have nerves of steel,
0:03:05 > 0:03:08cos your heart's pumping like mad.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11And yet you have to be really relaxed and focused
0:03:11 > 0:03:13to be able to move just the right way.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18Today, Shyamenda is in the Peak District with his best friend, Greg,
0:03:18 > 0:03:21who's also a keen mountain biker.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24We'd been planning it for quite some time, I suppose, months.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27And the heavens finally aligned and we went out.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31You know, we saw a few things, saw some deer.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33Yeah, it was just really cool.
0:03:33 > 0:03:37Saw a lot of people out because the weather was really nice.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40The two cyclists are out in the Kinder Scout region
0:03:40 > 0:03:42of the Peak District.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44It's a popular area for mountain bikers,
0:03:44 > 0:03:47as its tough terrain makes it quite challenging.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51It's also the highest region of the National Park.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54Bit of an uphill struggle in some places, which wasn't so nice.
0:03:54 > 0:03:58You feel like the sheep are laughing at you, just pushing your bikes up.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02Now at the top, over 2,000ft above sea level,
0:04:02 > 0:04:06it's time for Shyamenda and Greg to enjoy the downhill ride.
0:04:11 > 0:04:15We were going down fairly fast, but it was just straight, clear paths.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18Through a few farms, sheep running out of the way.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21- HE CHUCKLES - So it was pretty enjoyable.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24But suddenly, that all changes.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28Then I just all of a sudden go over, pretty quickly.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36I just end up on the side,
0:04:36 > 0:04:39and I can spot Greg sort of going in the distance,
0:04:39 > 0:04:42so I'm just thinking, "All right, I need to get up
0:04:42 > 0:04:45"and get on the bike and carry on moving."
0:04:47 > 0:04:50As I was getting up, you know, felt a little bit tight
0:04:50 > 0:04:54by my, say, lower abdomen, if you will.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57But I just thought, "I'm probably a bit winded."
0:04:57 > 0:05:00And so I'm walking towards the bike and then, at that point,
0:05:00 > 0:05:04I hear Greg sort of shouting, running back up.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06And I remember thinking, "This is ridiculous,
0:05:06 > 0:05:08"why is he running back up? He should be cycling back up."
0:05:08 > 0:05:13It didn't make sense. And he's shouting, "You need to get down."
0:05:13 > 0:05:15I'm there thinking, "Get down for what?"
0:05:16 > 0:05:20But Greg can see his friend has a serious wound on his thigh,
0:05:20 > 0:05:23caused by him catching his leg on the handlebars.
0:05:24 > 0:05:28Sort of at that point, my right hand started to feel quite warm,
0:05:28 > 0:05:30which was a bit strange.
0:05:30 > 0:05:35So I then end up looking down, and I just see a bit of red.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40It's then I realise, "OK, I'm bleeding. All right.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43So I lay down, or I go to lay down,
0:05:43 > 0:05:46and I was there going, "Oh, I best just take this bag off."
0:05:46 > 0:05:48He's like, "No, no, no. You'd best not move at all."
0:05:48 > 0:05:51Greg tells him to lie down on the ground,
0:05:51 > 0:05:53and immediately puts pressure on the area
0:05:53 > 0:05:56where he thinks the blood is coming from.
0:05:57 > 0:05:59He has to get help quickly.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01But his mobile phone has no signal.
0:06:03 > 0:06:07He's also shouting for other people who might be walking by,
0:06:07 > 0:06:09shouting for help.
0:06:09 > 0:06:13Thankfully, Greg's cries are heard by a passing walker,
0:06:13 > 0:06:15who takes over trying to stem the blood.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19I don't know if he said his name or not.
0:06:19 > 0:06:23I just remember he was heavier than Greg, cos they swapped,
0:06:23 > 0:06:27in terms of applying pressure, and I was like, "Oh, I know he's here."
0:06:27 > 0:06:28HE LAUGHS
0:06:29 > 0:06:31Eventually, Greg gets a signal on his phone
0:06:31 > 0:06:34and can call through to the emergency services.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39The first crew to respond are the Kinder Mountain Rescue Team.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42We'd just finished the training for the day,
0:06:42 > 0:06:44and we were loading up the vehicles.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46And the call came through, so we quite literally
0:06:46 > 0:06:48threw everything in the Land Rovers.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54By good fortune, the team are only two miles away.
0:06:54 > 0:06:59So within a matter of minutes, they're fast approaching the scene.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02One of them begins to record the rescue.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05We've got a call to say that there's an injured mountain biker
0:07:05 > 0:07:08up on the moor. So we've just all driven over to the bottom,
0:07:08 > 0:07:10we're now tramping up to the top.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12They're shocked by what greets them.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16There was a lot of blood.
0:07:16 > 0:07:18He was bleeding to death.
0:07:18 > 0:07:20Without a doubt.
0:07:20 > 0:07:24The team cover Shyamenda with a tent to try and keep him warm.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26There was a member of the public
0:07:26 > 0:07:28holding pressure on his right upper leg.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31There's obviously quite a bit of blood on site.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34I took over from the member of the public,
0:07:34 > 0:07:37which he'd done a sterling job stopping the bleeding.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41With Shyamenda having lost so much blood
0:07:41 > 0:07:43in such a short space of time,
0:07:43 > 0:07:47the team need to find out exactly what's causing it, and fast.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51Mick Cousins is one of the mountain rescue volunteers,
0:07:51 > 0:07:54but is also a trained ambulance technician.
0:07:54 > 0:07:56He starts to investigate.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59I got a free hand and managed to cut up his trouser leg
0:07:59 > 0:08:01to have a look at the wound,
0:08:01 > 0:08:04and found that he had about a 25mm puncture wound
0:08:04 > 0:08:07about three quarters of the way up his right leg.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10And then I thought "Well, this blood isn't coming from there."
0:08:10 > 0:08:12Carried on cutting up, and he had a...
0:08:12 > 0:08:14sort of a swiping laceration.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17150mm long, deeper in the middle.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20That's where the blood was coming from.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24Shyamenda has ruptured his femoral artery
0:08:24 > 0:08:27going over the handlebars of his bike.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30With this type of potentially fatal injury,
0:08:30 > 0:08:34he could lose all the blood from his body within five minutes.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38The main artery for your leg is the femoral artery,
0:08:38 > 0:08:42so it's the one that takes all the blood from about your waist
0:08:42 > 0:08:45down to just above your knee, where it starts splitting.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49So the blood supply for all of your leg is basically that one.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54There are now more than 20 people on the mountain,
0:08:54 > 0:08:57including police, ambulance, and mountain rescue.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02They all know how critical the situation is.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04The only one who doesn't is Shyamenda.
0:09:05 > 0:09:07I was just there thinking,
0:09:07 > 0:09:09"This isn't probably that serious."
0:09:10 > 0:09:13I'm used to getting cuts and scrapes anyway, so I just thought,
0:09:13 > 0:09:16"Ah, I'm just bleeding. I don't understand why he's panicking so much."
0:09:16 > 0:09:19But he has now lost so much blood,
0:09:19 > 0:09:21he's drifting in and out of consciousness.
0:09:23 > 0:09:25I could hear what everyone was saying.
0:09:25 > 0:09:29I think I was communicating as best I can.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32Whether I was coming across that way, I don't know.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34They probably mentioned that it's...
0:09:34 > 0:09:35it's serious.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38It is.
0:09:38 > 0:09:40Shyamenda is slipping away,
0:09:40 > 0:09:42and they need to get him off the mountain.
0:09:42 > 0:09:46There was a road ambulance down by the road.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48But we were looking at the fastest time
0:09:48 > 0:09:52to actually get him to hospital, because time was of the essence.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54So really we needed an air ambulance.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59Later, the helicopter arrives.
0:09:59 > 0:10:03But to reach it means carrying a dangerously deteriorating Shyamenda
0:10:03 > 0:10:07over rough terrain, which could prove fatal.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10What we didn't want to do was to disturb any clot that was already there.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21We all hope we'd cope if we were caught up in an emergency,
0:10:21 > 0:10:24but what if you're only three years old,
0:10:24 > 0:10:26and getting help is entirely down to you?
0:10:32 > 0:10:34Nailsea, in Somerset.
0:10:34 > 0:10:38A 999 call has just come through to the emergency services.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40On the line is a child.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47Emma is just three years old.
0:10:47 > 0:10:51Her mum, Catherine, has fallen down the stairs and knocked herself out.
0:10:51 > 0:10:53But there's an added complication.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01The ambulance is racing to the scene.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05Emma needs to stay on the line with the call handler
0:11:05 > 0:11:08if there's any chance of saving her mum and the baby.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21Three-year-old Emma loves hanging out with her mummy.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24She is very much into her Barbies and her dollies and playing
0:11:24 > 0:11:27and having cups of tea and tea parties and things.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29But when her big brother Harry is around,
0:11:29 > 0:11:31Emma wants to do everything he does.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33Harry is in year one at school.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35He's been learning about the emergency services.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37So when he came home from school,
0:11:37 > 0:11:39we decided to take the conversation on at the dinner table,
0:11:39 > 0:11:42and we talked to him about 999
0:11:42 > 0:11:45and tried to teach him our address.
0:11:45 > 0:11:46Emma was incredibly keen to join in.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49She thought it was a very exciting thing to do.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51But it was this bit of fun
0:11:51 > 0:11:54that would ultimately save two lives.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58It's Friday afternoon.
0:11:58 > 0:12:00Emma and her mum Catherine are at home.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03We were just doing some puzzles and playing around,
0:12:03 > 0:12:07and then we left the house to go and collect Harry from school.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10Emma and I had actually left the house, all ready to go,
0:12:10 > 0:12:12at the point that I decided to go back to the toilet.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15I rushed back into the house and asked Emma to wait by the front door.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18Catherine's now late for the school run, so starts to rush.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20As I was running down the stairs,
0:12:20 > 0:12:24I lost my footing about two stairs from the top. I went to grab the banister as I fell,
0:12:24 > 0:12:26and unfortunately I'd hung some washing on the banisters that day,
0:12:26 > 0:12:29which caused me to slip rather than catching the banister.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32Catherine loses her balance and tumbles down the stairs,
0:12:32 > 0:12:35landing in a heap at the bottom,
0:12:35 > 0:12:37banging her head as she does so.
0:12:37 > 0:12:39I think I may have lost consciousness
0:12:39 > 0:12:41as I came down the stairs and was just sort of
0:12:41 > 0:12:42a bit groggy at the bottom.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51She had the phone in her hand, but she couldn't make the 9 work.
0:12:51 > 0:12:55So I remember pushing the 9s, and that was the last thing I remember.
0:12:55 > 0:12:59Call handler Sarah answers the young girl's call for help.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16Catherine is not the only one who could be injured,
0:13:16 > 0:13:19but the call handler is only getting half the story
0:13:19 > 0:13:20from three-year-old Emma.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42But Catherine wasn't holding the baby in her arms.
0:13:44 > 0:13:48What the call handler has no way of knowing yet is...
0:13:48 > 0:13:50she's actually 33 weeks pregnant.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54She coaxes more information from little Emma.
0:13:58 > 0:14:00Luckily, Emma remembers,
0:14:00 > 0:14:03and an ambulance is immediately dispatched.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06The call handler now focuses on Emma's mum,
0:14:06 > 0:14:08who is lying slumped at the bottom of the stairs.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24Emma stays close to her mother.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42Thankfully, Catherine is slowly regaining consciousness.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45The call handler turns her attention to the baby, who she still thinks
0:14:45 > 0:14:47was in Catherine's arms when she fell.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13The full picture is finally clear to the call taker.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31With only seven weeks till Christmas,
0:15:31 > 0:15:34emergency worker Sarah now understands
0:15:34 > 0:15:36there is a serious chance a bad fall could mean
0:15:36 > 0:15:40life-threatening damage to Catherine's unborn child.
0:15:41 > 0:15:43The ambulance is nearly there.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47Michelle Foster is one of the emergency care assistants.
0:15:48 > 0:15:50It became apparent that the lady concerned
0:15:50 > 0:15:53was actually heavily pregnant as well.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56You then have two patients to consider.
0:15:57 > 0:15:59Slipping in and out of consciousness,
0:15:59 > 0:16:03Catherine is desperately worried about her baby.
0:16:03 > 0:16:04I was just really scared.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07Unfortunately, I hadn't felt the baby move at all at that point.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09So I think it was just fear.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11I knew I'd fallen a long way.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14And I knew it was hurting, and that I was in labour,
0:16:14 > 0:16:15but the baby wasn't moving.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20The call handler reassures three-year-old Emma
0:16:20 > 0:16:22help is on its way.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25It's vital the emergency team can get to Catherine quickly.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04Within minutes of Emma making the 999 call,
0:17:04 > 0:17:07the ambulance crew are pulling up outside the house.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30Emma obviously was very relieved to see us,
0:17:30 > 0:17:32and we quickly reassured her,
0:17:32 > 0:17:36although she was very upset and very scared and crying.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39But still handling the situation amazingly well
0:17:39 > 0:17:41for a three-year-old little girl.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44Better than most adults, to be honest with you.
0:17:44 > 0:17:49Ambulance people come and make Mummy better.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52The crew quickly find Emma and her mum.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55She didn't look in a particularly good way.
0:17:56 > 0:17:57She was breathing,
0:17:57 > 0:18:00but she did appear to be unconscious at the time.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03So we're looking at her airway first of all to make sure
0:18:03 > 0:18:06that she can breathe comfortably for herself.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09And as we were making these assessments,
0:18:09 > 0:18:13she started to regain consciousness and, although groggy,
0:18:13 > 0:18:15did speak to us quite quickly.
0:18:16 > 0:18:20And Catherine has just one thing on her mind - the baby.
0:18:20 > 0:18:22Saying to them, "He's not moving, he's not moving."
0:18:22 > 0:18:25Catherine is rushed to hospital, where both she and the baby
0:18:25 > 0:18:28can get the care they both desperately need.
0:18:30 > 0:18:34As the ambulance arrives at A&E, Catherine feels something.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36The baby kicked.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39The relief at that point - I didn't really care that I was in pain.
0:18:39 > 0:18:41I didn't care about anything. I just remember going,
0:18:41 > 0:18:44"He's moved, he's moved! Which was the best moment ever.
0:18:44 > 0:18:48It just meant that whatever happened at that point, he was OK. He'd moved.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50It was just such a massive sigh of relief for all of us.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53There was lots of whoops and cheers.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56It's great news the baby is OK.
0:18:56 > 0:19:00However, Catherine has ruptured her placenta in the fall.
0:19:00 > 0:19:04This is an injury that could be fatal for both her and the baby.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07But, after three days of around-the-clock monitoring
0:19:07 > 0:19:10by the neo-natal medical team, she's allowed home.
0:19:10 > 0:19:12Then, three weeks later,
0:19:12 > 0:19:14at the beginning of December,
0:19:14 > 0:19:17Emma's new baby brother, George, finally arrives.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26There's no doubt, without Emma's quick thinking to call 999,
0:19:26 > 0:19:29it would have been a very different story.
0:19:29 > 0:19:30Are you going to help me?
0:19:30 > 0:19:33It's incredibly hard to think about what could have happened
0:19:33 > 0:19:36and how poorly both George and I could have been
0:19:36 > 0:19:38if Emma hadn't done what she did.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40Potentially, the worst case scenario
0:19:40 > 0:19:42was that Cat could have lost the baby.
0:19:42 > 0:19:44And at the time, she was unconscious,
0:19:44 > 0:19:48so there were two lives in danger, and both saved, thanks to Emma.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51It just makes you realise that at such a young age
0:19:51 > 0:19:53they really are capable of so much.
0:19:53 > 0:19:57With George's early arrival, it meant a very special Christmas Day.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00Harry and Emma were so excited to have him there,
0:20:00 > 0:20:03and he was absolutely spoiled rotten. For baby number three,
0:20:03 > 0:20:05I don't think he'd have got half the amount of things he did
0:20:05 > 0:20:08without the trauma that had happened before.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10And it was just fantastic to have him
0:20:10 > 0:20:12part of a lovely family Christmas.
0:20:21 > 0:20:23Back to Kinder Scout in the Peak District,
0:20:23 > 0:20:26where Shyamenda Purslow is being kept alive
0:20:26 > 0:20:30inside this orange mountain rescue tent.
0:20:30 > 0:20:34He's fallen off his mountain bike and ruptured his femoral artery.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36Rescuers are doing all they can,
0:20:36 > 0:20:39but he's lost so much blood he needs specialist care,
0:20:39 > 0:20:41or he hasn't long to live.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45We needed to deal with the situation as quickly as we could.
0:20:45 > 0:20:46Stem the flow
0:20:46 > 0:20:49and get him to hospital as quickly as we could.
0:20:49 > 0:20:53An air ambulance is on its way, but it's a tense wait.
0:20:53 > 0:20:55Consultant anaesthetist, Alex James,
0:20:55 > 0:20:57is part of the medical team on board.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00From the time of receiving the call,
0:21:00 > 0:21:04it usually takes us between three to four minutes to be up in the air
0:21:04 > 0:21:05and on the way to an incident.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08Our helicopter travels at roughly 140mph.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11We actually got there within 20 minutes.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15The waiting mountain rescue team set off a flare
0:21:15 > 0:21:17to help the pilot find them
0:21:17 > 0:21:20and capture the air medics' arrival on a headcam.
0:21:21 > 0:21:23When we arrived he was severely unwell.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26Our main concern was that Shyamenda was drowsy,
0:21:26 > 0:21:28very pale, very clammy.
0:21:28 > 0:21:30There were lots of signs all pointing towards
0:21:30 > 0:21:32him having lost a significant amount of blood.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37Shyamenda's only hope of survival is a blood transfusion
0:21:37 > 0:21:39and surgery on his artery.
0:21:39 > 0:21:40He needs to get to hospital,
0:21:40 > 0:21:44so the team give him fluids to stabilise him for the journey,
0:21:44 > 0:21:46and then prepare to move him to the helicopter.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51It's a short distance, but it's extremely risky.
0:21:51 > 0:21:53What we didn't want to do
0:21:53 > 0:21:55was to disturb any clot that was already there.
0:21:55 > 0:21:57So we didn't actually take any of the dressings down,
0:21:57 > 0:22:01cos they were already doing a very good job of stopping the bleeding.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04It takes eight members of the highly skilled mountain rescue team
0:22:04 > 0:22:07to transfer Shyamenda carefully to the aircraft.
0:22:09 > 0:22:13I remember everyone sort of picking me up, moving me to the helicopter,
0:22:13 > 0:22:15and getting me on board.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18Even at this point, he doesn't realise
0:22:18 > 0:22:20how close to death he actually is.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22I've never been in hospital,
0:22:22 > 0:22:25and I've never known anyone who's been air-rescued,
0:22:25 > 0:22:29so I didn't associate them arriving
0:22:29 > 0:22:32with sort of imminent death, if you would.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36The team has to move quickly, but gently.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39Any sudden movement could cause the wound to reopen.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47Shyamenda is now safely in the air ambulance.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51Every minute that he went on with a low blood pressure
0:22:51 > 0:22:55and with a very fast pulse and without enough blood volume in him
0:22:55 > 0:22:57was a minute that his vital organs weren't receiving
0:22:57 > 0:22:59enough blood supply - for example, his kidneys.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02So there was a definite element there that meant we needed to be
0:23:02 > 0:23:06as quick as possible in getting him to an appropriate centre.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09He's rushed to Wythenshawe Hospital near Manchester
0:23:09 > 0:23:11leaving his rescuers hopeful
0:23:11 > 0:23:15that he'll get the immediate specialist care he needs in time.
0:23:15 > 0:23:19Wythenshawe Hospital, we call it a trauma centre.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22It's also quite good cos they've got a plastic surgery there.
0:23:22 > 0:23:25They do micro stitching, so they can go into the wound
0:23:25 > 0:23:27and actually repair the damage,
0:23:27 > 0:23:30and then stitch in layers out from there.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33So they're well set up for that sort of injury there.
0:23:33 > 0:23:37On the helicopter, the doctor is fighting to keep Shyamenda alive.
0:23:37 > 0:23:39We were able to try to correct his blood sugar,
0:23:39 > 0:23:42to give him small volumes of fluids to keep his blood pressure
0:23:42 > 0:23:45at an adequate level. And we were able to get further
0:23:45 > 0:23:48IV access in, so that when he did arrive at hospital,
0:23:48 > 0:23:50he had a means of getting blood into him quickly.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56After an eight-minute flight, they arrive at the hospital,
0:23:56 > 0:23:59with Shyamenda's condition continuing to deteriorate rapidly.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04At that time, he was critically unwell and he needed treatment,
0:24:04 > 0:24:07in terms of replacing the blood volume that he'd lost,
0:24:07 > 0:24:11but also in definitively repairing the damage to his artery.
0:24:11 > 0:24:13The thing that had bought us time to do that, and bought the team
0:24:13 > 0:24:16in the hospital time to provide all of that treatment he required,
0:24:16 > 0:24:19was the fact that the bleeding had been stopped.
0:24:20 > 0:24:24One of the staff - I think she was in blue -
0:24:24 > 0:24:28sort of saying "You've arrived at Wythenshawe Hospital,"
0:24:28 > 0:24:31and I think at that point I just knock out.
0:24:35 > 0:24:39Shyamenda is rushed in for emergency surgery.
0:24:39 > 0:24:42Five hours later he's out of theatre,
0:24:42 > 0:24:44but he's now so ill that the doctors decide
0:24:44 > 0:24:46to put him in an induced coma.
0:24:48 > 0:24:51He has to stay like this for four days.
0:24:52 > 0:24:54When Shyamenda is woken,
0:24:54 > 0:24:56his world has been turned upside down.
0:24:59 > 0:25:01Waking up and learning
0:25:01 > 0:25:04there's operations to be done,
0:25:04 > 0:25:06your kidneys are out,
0:25:06 > 0:25:10and, oh, you can't move, and you're a bit swollen as well,
0:25:10 > 0:25:13and you can't really talk cos you can't breathe.
0:25:13 > 0:25:17It was just like, "Oh, wow. Really? Why?"
0:25:20 > 0:25:24Shyamenda spends another six and a half weeks in hospital
0:25:24 > 0:25:26before being well enough to return home.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34It's now ten months since the accident
0:25:34 > 0:25:36and, although he's still not fully recovered,
0:25:36 > 0:25:38he's making good progress.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41Well, I've got some lovely scars.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43But I'd rather have those than no leg.
0:25:43 > 0:25:44HE LAUGHS
0:25:44 > 0:25:47I'm not able to do all the things I used to be able to do before,
0:25:47 > 0:25:49but that's getting better.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53It's a miracle he made it off the mountain at all.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57Having seen him at the scene of the accident, the amount of blood that had been lost,
0:25:57 > 0:26:00I think he was very fortunate to be treated by first-aiders
0:26:00 > 0:26:03who had the knowledge and ability to stop that bleeding.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05Because if he hadn't had good control of the bleeding
0:26:05 > 0:26:09from his groin, then he would have lost so much blood from that injury
0:26:09 > 0:26:12that he would have had a cardiac arrest and died.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15And when the news that Shyamenda has survived
0:26:15 > 0:26:18reaches the Kinder Mountain rescue team,
0:26:18 > 0:26:20it's just what they all wanted to hear.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23Brilliant. You know, because even in our job,
0:26:23 > 0:26:26or in the team, very often, we don't get feedback.
0:26:27 > 0:26:31Severing a femoral artery is quite a close call for anyone.
0:26:31 > 0:26:35So I think he was very lucky on this occasion.
0:26:35 > 0:26:39Shyamenda wanted to thank the team personally for saving his life.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42So he got on his bike and headed back to the Peak District.
0:26:44 > 0:26:49The mountain rescue team and the air ambulance guys are just amazing.
0:26:49 > 0:26:50I owe them everything.
0:26:51 > 0:26:53To actually have him come down like that,
0:26:53 > 0:26:56take the trouble to come from Manchester on his bike,
0:26:56 > 0:26:59which was another bonus, and it was quite emotional.
0:27:00 > 0:27:02Because he stood in front of us all,
0:27:02 > 0:27:05and just to hear him recall
0:27:05 > 0:27:07what he could remember of the day,
0:27:07 > 0:27:10and what had happened to him in hospital,
0:27:10 > 0:27:13and how close he was to passing, really,
0:27:13 > 0:27:15was just brilliant.
0:27:15 > 0:27:17It was just a great feeling.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22For Shyamenda, it's only now that the true horror
0:27:22 > 0:27:25of what happened starts to sink in.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28I'm very lucky, because I know, like,
0:27:28 > 0:27:31if anything went slightly different on that day,
0:27:31 > 0:27:33then I'm definitely not here today.
0:27:35 > 0:27:39Someone who played a huge role in saving Shyamenda's life
0:27:39 > 0:27:40was the passing walker.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43That man bought precious time for the rescue team
0:27:43 > 0:27:45to get there and get to work.
0:27:45 > 0:27:46No-one knows who he is,
0:27:46 > 0:27:49but Shyamenda has a heartfelt message for him.
0:27:50 > 0:27:52- I love you. - HE LAUGHS
0:27:52 > 0:27:56I really, honestly - to stop and help a stranger,
0:27:56 > 0:27:58that's just really inspiring.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01You know, just a big thank you. And yeah, all the love in the world.
0:28:10 > 0:28:11Shyamenda is a very lucky guy.
0:28:11 > 0:28:14A lot of people came together to help him.
0:28:14 > 0:28:16So who was that Good Samaritan? If it's you, get in touch.
0:28:16 > 0:28:18He'd really like to meet you.
0:28:18 > 0:28:20That's it from Close Calls, until next time.