Episode 7 Close Calls: On Camera


Episode 7

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Transcript


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A close call. A moment of danger when life can hang in the balance.

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What would happen if I wasn't found or didn't find a way out of it?

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A split second when the outcome could go either way.

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It's a choice - life or death.

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The difference between disaster and survival.

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We saw a lady who was critically ill, if not dying, in front of us.

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I kept thinking the hotel was going to fall on us.

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These are the people that have been there and lived to tell the tale.

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It's a day they'll never forget.

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The day they had a close call.

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Today on Close Calls...

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a quiet London street.

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A dad's on his way to watch football on TV.

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A bus is gradually inching its way around the parked car.

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Then this.

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It just happened, you know, in a second.

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Like a flash - boom.

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That's the end of it. I'm dead.

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The truly shocking accident leaves former London Underground

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worker Hussain fighting for his life.

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He said, I think I'm going.

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Like, you know... Like he was dying.

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And his family traumatised.

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His right leg was twisted.

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His flesh was torn out.

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I have probably lost, you know,

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the only person I've looked up to and idolised.

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You know, just like that.

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Also today, professional surfer Tom

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skims past a Jet Ski with inches to spare.

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But, as he heads to safety,

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a wave scoops it up and sends it hurtling back towards him.

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I just looked up and I saw a Jet Ski.

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All happens in like a flash.

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His friend, only metres away, fears the worst.

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Suddenly I couldn't see Tom.

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I asked myself, "Is something serious going down?"

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"Is this it?"

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On Close Calls, we've had some extraordinary stories,

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none more so perhaps than today.

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This next one involves a truly shocking freak accident

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and it's a miracle the victim is still here to tell the tale.

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Beckton, East London.

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The security camera records a sunny September afternoon,

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as a little girl plays in the street.

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Arsenal fan Hussain Musoke is on his way to his brother's

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to watch football.

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I heard this crushing sound behind and then, as I turned,

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it was upon me.

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Hussain lies trapped under the car.

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Critically injured.

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53-year-old Hussain lives in Beckton, East London.

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He's a full-time carer for his wife, Janet,

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who suffers from dementia.

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For me, my family comes first.

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My wife, you know, I met her when she was 14, actually.

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You know, we started going out back in Uganda.

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We have been together for 34 years now.

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So when she fell sick, I had to give up everything and look after her.

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Before dedicating his life to Janet,

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Hussain worked on the London Underground as a station assistant.

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Every day, you know, it's a different story.

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Every day, you met different people

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and generally I loved it, you know, yeah.

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But now his main focus is his family, including his five children.

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The eldest is 28-year-old Ismail.

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My father's a cool guy, you know what I mean?

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Like, he's a cool dad. He is my Superman, you could say.

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Yeah.

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Ismail has happy childhood memories.

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Dad brought us up really well, you know.

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Manners, be respectful for others, you know,

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and treat each other with respect and love.

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Hussain's 20-year-old daughter, Sanyu, also adores her dad.

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He means everything to me.

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You know, I admire him so much.

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He's a very strong inspiration.

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He's very instrumental into the character that I am today.

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Apart from his family, Hussain's other love is Arsenal Football Club.

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I have been a supporter for Arsenal

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since I came in this country in 1989.

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I think it's in my blood.

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I love them to bits and, yeah, it gives me something.

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You know what I mean? I can't explain it enough.

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Whenever I watch Arsenal, you're just... Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yes.

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One Saturday in autumn, Hussain sets off to his brother's house

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to watch his beloved Arsenal play on TV.

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I told him,

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OK, let me finish up whatever I was doing and then I will join you.

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Just after midday, he leaves his home to head for his brother's.

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A few doors down he passes a neighbour's house

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whose home security camera

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is capturing the activity in the street.

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Just out of shot, another of Hussain's neighbours,

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his good pal, Peter Brown,

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is keeping an eye on his eight-year-old granddaughter

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playing in the afternoon sun.

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We was out the front, me and my son and my granddaughter.

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I was talking to my son at the gate.

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My granddaughter was on the roller skates.

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Peter notices a bus

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struggling to get down the narrow single-file road.

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Its path is blocked by an oncoming car.

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The car started to reverse back.

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Peter's young granddaughter is now further down the street.

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But as the traffic continues to manoeuvre, Hussain appears in shot.

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Behind him, the bus is starting to edge forward.

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I see the bus just come towards us.

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Hussain is oblivious as the bus suddenly speeds up.

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He doesn't stand a chance.

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I heard this crushing sound behind and then I turned my head.

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As I turned my head, you know, this car was upon me.

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It couldn't give me no time even to run or do anything.

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As I turned, and it...was upon me.

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The single-decker bus accelerates,

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crashing into a parked car and shunting it into Hussain.

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And then threw me next to the metal gates there.

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Weighing over a tonne and with the weight of the bus behind it,

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the car pushes Hussain against wrought-iron metal gates,

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which collapse.

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He's knocked forward and falls to the ground, the car on top of him.

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His legs are trapped underneath.

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Hussain lands crushed against a row of large plastic bins

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and another metal fence.

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Just happened in a second.

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It was, you know, the car was just, you know,

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next to me like in a flash.

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You know, boom. Then I thought, "Oh, probably, you know,

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"it's the end of it. I'm dead."

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We were just all screaming. We was all screaming and ran to him.

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I thought that was the end of him, yeah.

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Easy. It hit him with such a force.

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It was so hard. It hit him with such a force.

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All you could see was his head at the top of the car.

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I thought he was finished.

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Hearing the crash, two neighbours rush out of their homes

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and over to the site of the accident.

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They desperately drag the bins away.

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Incredibly, they find Hussain still alive.

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I was still conscious.

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I could, you know, see people, you know, coming and

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trying to help me out.

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Neighbour Shahbaz Khan is one of the first people on the scene.

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When I went next to him, he was just saying, "Get the car off me!

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"Get the car off me!"

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I was, you know, trying to ask them to lift the car off me

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because it was kind of, you know, pinning me down.

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I could feel the pressure, you know.

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I was gasping for air. Air was running out of me.

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More neighbours and passers-by gather round the crash,

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as well as the shocked bus driver and his passengers.

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Peter's son can be seen calling the emergency services.

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Peter is with Hussain.

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He said, "I think I'm going." Like, you know, like he was dying.

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He's a good friend of mine and all.

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I speak to him all the time when he comes down the street.

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And I thought he was going to die.

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Peter and Shahbaz decide to try and lift the car to free Hussain.

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He's not only trapped, but it's crushing him.

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11 men, including the bus driver, surround the car

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and attempt to move it.

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It takes all their strength to drag the vehicle just a few inches,

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but eventually they lift the front.

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They then dash to the other end and lift the back of the car up

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and away from him.

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Hussain is now free from the one-tonne weight of the car,

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but there's another problem.

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We couldn't release him too much because his leg

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was all wrapped round the bottom of the car.

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Hussain's no longer in danger of being suffocated

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by the crushing weight, but he has severe chest injuries

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and his right leg has been mangled under the car's wheels.

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This photo, taken by Peter Brown's son documenting the scene,

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shows Shahbaz and neighbours with Hussain,

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reassuring him help is on its way.

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I could not describe the pain, you know,

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because I wasn't feeling anything.

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I managed to look at my feet, you know, it was kind of crushed,

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my right leg was kind of in a bad shape - blood was coming out.

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Hussain is fighting for his life.

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Neighbours rush to his house.

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One of his daughters, Sanyu, is getting ready to go out.

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I immediately from the bathroom called my brother.

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I have never heard her scream down the phone like that

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so this has to be serious. I just dropped what I had to drop

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and got a cab, came straight down.

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With her big brother on his way, Sanyu rushes out to find her father.

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As she arrives on the scene, so do the paramedics.

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It was very shocking to see him like that.

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Clearly distressed, Sanyu is comforted by Shahbaz and friends.

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His right leg was twisted, his flesh was torn out.

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His upper body, he looked fine. He was able to move his hands and stuff

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and look around, but he didn't speak at all.

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He was very bewildered.

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I've never seen my dad look bewildered in my life.

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He had nothing to say.

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As the paramedics assess Hussain,

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Sanyu leans over them so he can see her,

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and tries to comfort him.

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I was just like, "Dad, I'm here.

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"Everything's going to be fine. I'm here. I love you."

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I just kept repeating to him that, "I'm here, I'm here."

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The next minute, my daughter is crying, you know,

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"Daddy, Daddy, Daddy."

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She was just saying, "Daddy, Daddy."

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That's what I could hear, you know, and it kind of assured me, in a way.

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That she was there.

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If I was to die at least she knew how my life ended, you know.

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The team of paramedics work quickly

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to make sure Hussain's airflow is not restricted,

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which could result in brain damage.

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He is now drifting in and out of consciousness.

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Hussain's accident is a life-threatening injury

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and the speed with which the paramedics responded

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and the quality of response is absolutely crucial

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in these circumstances.

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They gave him painkillers.

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They gave him a mask to breathe in, to control his breathing.

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Hussain's family, desperately concerned,

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can only look on as his distress increases.

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A female paramedic gives him oxygen and tries to reassure him.

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She was just saying, "Calm down, calm down. Everything is going to be OK.

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"Your family is here. We're going to take you to the hospital but, you know,

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"first we have to wait for the fire brigade to come and cut the metal."

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A fire crew arrives and start to work out how to free Hussain from

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underneath the car.

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It's then a panicked Ismail arrives and, as these photos show,

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he's met by a street in chaos.

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The whole road was all blocked off.

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I am just like passing through people,

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jumping through people trying to see what's going on.

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And then I saw my dad laying down there.

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I was, like, wow, this is not happening, kind of thing.

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This is surreal.

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He goes to his father's side.

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I was crying myself cos, you know,

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I'm not used to such tragic events happening, you know.

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I believe he heard me talking, so he squeezed my hand.

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I told him to hold my hand and so he squeezed my hand.

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As the emergency teams try to help his father,

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Ismail is comforted by friends and neighbours.

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The paramedics have managed to stabilise Hussain's breathing.

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They start to treat his badly injured leg,

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but they need more space.

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They're obstructed by the metal gates.

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The fire service need to remove them fast.

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Later, Hussain's family gather at his hospital bedside

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as he faces major surgery.

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Seeing him there, he looked so helpless.

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We didn't know whether, if Dad's going to be OK or not.

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But his condition deteriorates rapidly

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and doctors are forced to place him in an induced coma.

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The last thing I saw were the paramedics, you know.

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Didn't know whether that would be the last thing I see before I die.

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Nazare on the Portuguese coast.

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A cameraman captures the moment surfer Tom Lowe

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rides a 30-foot-high wave,

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only to come face-to-face at 30 miles an hour with a Jet Ski.

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His friend, Nic, watches on in disbelief.

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I asked myself, "Is something serious going down? Is this it?"

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Tom narrowly misses a full-on collision,

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but, as he heads to the beach, the Jet Ski

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tumbles violently back towards him.

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Just saw it in the corner of my eye and was just, like, "I'm going down."

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Tom disappears from sight.

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32-year-old Tom Lowe is a professional big wave surfer.

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With all my heart, it's like my calling

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and I need it to feel whole, really.

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Growing up in Cornwall was pretty much a perfect introduction

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to beach life and just being outside.

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One of Tom's best friends and fellow surfer is 25-year-old Nic von Rupp

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from Portugal.

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He is just a great guy.

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You know, his personality is amazing,

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he's a great guy to hang out.

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He always has a great story to tell.

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He's an overall motivation for me, like a mentor, I'd say.

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It's a few days before Christmas and Tom is with Nic in Nazare.

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Over the holiday, Tom is planning to surf

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the kind of big waves he dreams about.

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For the last three or four years, it's been just THE spot in

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Europe to go and just tow into huge waves.

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That place, it gets ginormous all the time.

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It's a wild place to surf.

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The surf so far today has been challenging.

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I was into a little bit of a flow.

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I had wiped out on one.

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It is always good to sort of knock the cobwebs off and take some deep

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breaths and kind of collect yourself out the back and you feel like,

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"OK, now I'm ready to get a good one."

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And a good one is coming.

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Tom gets ready and the cameraman on the shore starts to film.

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I didn't think about anyone else around me at all.

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You don't when you're surfing big waves.

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You're focused, you're in the zone and you just want to make the drop.

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You're going down at hellspeed, you know.

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You're flying down this wave,

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so you're just looking at your nose and all you want to do

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is just keep your eye on the nose of your board

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and you don't want it to dig in because then you just go over.

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Nic is out shot a few metres away, sitting on his surfboard,

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watching Tom.

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When he was paddling through that wave, we were cheering him on.

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Suddenly, Nic spots something in the water.

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Then when I looked down the face, I was, like, "No!"

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There's a Jet Ski right in front of the wave.

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Now travelling at nearly 30mph, Tom catches sight of it too.

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I just looked up and I saw the Jet Ski, simply put,

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and somebody on it.

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And I'm just, like, "OK, he's actually in the impact zone."

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You know, it all happens in, like, a flash.

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Tom has to think quickly

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to avoid smashing straight into the jet skier,

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which could have deadly consequences for them both.

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He was in my line, you know.

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I wanted to make my line to make the wave and pull off the back.

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That's what you're planning. And he was in my line,

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so I just kind of steered around him.

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Round I went.

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Obviously, I was, like, "Jesus! That guy is going to eat it.

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"That Ski, see you! That's the Ski done."

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Tom just makes it, missing the Jet Ski with only inches to spare.

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The driver jumps off his Jet Ski just in time

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and dives safely through the wave.

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Tom thinks the danger has passed and looks ahead

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to the safety of the beach.

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My plan was just get out. You know, "I just want to get out.

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"I don't know what that is, but maybe I can help in a minute.

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"Someone might be in need of some help. Get out."

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And I rode and I rode.

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Unbeknown to Tom,

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the 300kg driverless Jet Ski is hurtling back towards him.

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I just saw the big black shape coming at me.

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I knew it was the Jet Ski.

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And I just saw it in the corner of my eye and I just was, like,

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"I'm going down."

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Tom disappears from sight.

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All of a sudden, I couldn't see Tom.

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I ask myself, "Is something serious going down? Is this it?

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"Is this the day stuff gets really serious, you know?"

0:20:040:20:07

Because you never want it to be the day that an accident happens to

0:20:070:20:10

someone close to you.

0:20:100:20:12

The Jet Ski is dragging Tom deeper down into the water.

0:20:140:20:17

Before I knew it, I was wrapped up in it.

0:20:200:20:22

It hit my legs and as it wrapped around it felt like it was...

0:20:220:20:27

Whether it was my ten-foot board or the Jet Ski,

0:20:270:20:30

it's difficult to know, cos I was rolling underwater,

0:20:300:20:32

but things were flying around me.

0:20:320:20:33

He fights his way to the surface and, shocked and gasping for breath,

0:20:350:20:40

makes his way to the safety of the beach.

0:20:400:20:43

Got out and I had a big hole on my board, like, the size of my fist,

0:20:430:20:47

from the impact of the Jet Ski hitting it. And that, obviously,

0:20:470:20:50

could have been my head.

0:20:500:20:52

His friends rush over.

0:20:520:20:54

Everyone just hugged each other and said, "Phew! "Everyone good? Are we all good?"

0:20:540:20:59

But Nic can tell the near miss has had a real effect on Tom.

0:20:590:21:03

I think he didn't say anything because he was just in shock.

0:21:030:21:06

When you're in shock, you don't have words to describe.

0:21:060:21:08

That's when I realised, like, "Wow! Tom, you almost died, man."

0:21:080:21:12

Despite the accident, Tom has kept on surfing.

0:21:150:21:19

But he knows he was lucky that day.

0:21:190:21:21

Of course I didn't take it light-heartedly.

0:21:210:21:23

It's something that I'll never forget and I'm just thankful

0:21:230:21:27

we're all in one piece.

0:21:270:21:29

Everyone played their part when Hussain Musoke

0:21:390:21:41

was critically injured - friends, family and the emergency services.

0:21:410:21:46

It really is amazing he survived.

0:21:460:21:48

In Beckton, East London,

0:21:510:21:52

Hussain is trapped beneath a car

0:21:520:21:55

after a terrible accident involving a bus.

0:21:550:21:58

He is pinned against metal gates

0:21:580:21:59

and paramedics are struggling to treat him.

0:21:590:22:02

The fire service have been called in and make short work of the gate

0:22:030:22:07

and, within minutes, the obstruction is gone,

0:22:070:22:09

leaving the paramedics able to examine Hussain's damaged leg.

0:22:090:22:14

The leg, it was an open fracture. The ferocity of the injury

0:22:140:22:19

has caused the bones to come out of the skin.

0:22:190:22:22

The foot was dragged on the pavement as the car hit Hussain.

0:22:220:22:27

So the first thing to do is to assess the leg.

0:22:270:22:29

If the leg is very deformed, you straighten it out.

0:22:290:22:32

The next thing is that you can see the paramedics irrigating the foot

0:22:330:22:37

and if there is a lot of debris from the road which is in the wounds

0:22:370:22:41

of the leg, then it's very easy to wash it there and then

0:22:410:22:45

and, once that is done, then the leg is splinted.

0:22:450:22:48

The paramedics work on Hussain for over an hour.

0:22:490:22:53

We talk about the golden hour

0:22:530:22:55

in treating multiply-injured patients.

0:22:550:22:57

Within that first hour,

0:22:570:22:59

there are many things that you need to get right in order

0:22:590:23:02

to allow them to have the best possible outcome in the future.

0:23:020:23:06

The paramedics have done all they can at the scene.

0:23:070:23:11

The last thing I saw were the paramedics, you know, assuring me.

0:23:120:23:16

I didn't know whether that would be the last thing I see, you know,

0:23:160:23:20

before I die.

0:23:200:23:22

Then I passed out.

0:23:220:23:24

Hussain is rushed to the Royal London Hospital,

0:23:260:23:29

a specialist trauma centre.

0:23:290:23:31

Ismail and his sister, Sanyu, follow and join him in A&E.

0:23:330:23:37

Seeing him there, that was when my emotions came out,

0:23:370:23:41

my sadness and, you know,

0:23:410:23:43

me being distraught because he looked so helpless.

0:23:430:23:46

That was the first time I broke down, seeing him like that.

0:23:480:23:52

Cos they didn't know whether, if Dad's going to be OK or not.

0:23:520:23:55

Hussain has multiple fractures in his right leg,

0:23:560:23:59

he has two broken ribs, a punctured lung and a leaking heart valve.

0:23:590:24:04

He's immediately taken into surgery.

0:24:040:24:06

The family can only sit and wait.

0:24:060:24:09

If he doesn't pull through this, you know, I have probably lost,

0:24:090:24:14

you know, the only person I've looked up to and idolised,

0:24:140:24:19

you know, just like that.

0:24:190:24:21

Orthopaedic surgeon Dr Nima Heidari

0:24:220:24:25

is Hussain's consultant.

0:24:250:24:27

It is a difficult injury to fix.

0:24:270:24:30

The technicalities of putting the bones back together

0:24:300:24:34

is not the main issue.

0:24:340:24:37

The problem is actually over the long term.

0:24:370:24:39

The operation on Hussain's leg lasts for five hours, but it's a success.

0:24:420:24:48

Then his condition dramatically deteriorates.

0:24:490:24:52

He struggles to breathe and is put into an induced coma.

0:24:520:24:56

Because of the multiple fractures that he'd had on his ribs

0:24:560:24:59

and the injury to his lung,

0:24:590:25:01

he becomes unable to ventilate by himself and he needs assistance.

0:25:010:25:07

Hussain remains this way for nearly a month.

0:25:070:25:10

That period was emotionally quite hard on the family -

0:25:100:25:15

seeing him in a coma.

0:25:150:25:17

When the doctors bring him round,

0:25:230:25:25

family and friends are by his side.

0:25:250:25:27

But on waking, Hussain remembers nothing of the accident.

0:25:270:25:31

I just remember, you know, waking up in a hospital.

0:25:340:25:36

I said, "What's going on?"

0:25:360:25:38

And it was, like, "Hussain, you had an accident for some time.

0:25:380:25:42

"I mean, you nearly died." And then I said, "What?"

0:25:420:25:46

His children are just delighted to have their dad back.

0:25:460:25:50

I was happy that he was able to recognise who I was.

0:25:500:25:53

He was smiling and happy and he was so happy to see us.

0:25:530:25:59

I just gave him a hug and a kiss and said, "Hey!

0:25:590:26:02

"You're still here, you're still fighting, you know?

0:26:020:26:05

You know, it's not your time to go, you know?"

0:26:050:26:10

After four further operations and more than two months in hospital,

0:26:100:26:15

there's finally some good news - he's well enough to go home.

0:26:150:26:18

Five months later, Hussain is making good progress with his recovery,

0:26:210:26:24

but he still needs round-the-clock care.

0:26:240:26:28

He's on crutches now and a wheelchair so, I mean,

0:26:280:26:32

it's going to take a very long time.

0:26:320:26:33

It's life changing.

0:26:330:26:35

I think it's been a very difficult time for Hussain,

0:26:350:26:38

there is no doubt about it.

0:26:380:26:39

It was a close call for both his life and also his leg.

0:26:390:26:43

I don't know what the future holds, you know,

0:26:450:26:47

but God has given me another chance to be there for my children,

0:26:470:26:50

see them grow.

0:26:500:26:52

The freak accident has affected the lives of Hussain's whole family.

0:26:520:26:56

He was the full-time carer for his wife and Sanyu has now given up

0:26:560:27:01

university to care for both her parents.

0:27:010:27:04

My family, we won't function unless we're all together.

0:27:040:27:08

Now I'm in the position where I need to fill out what he had been doing,

0:27:080:27:13

you know, taking my mum to the hospital

0:27:130:27:15

and I have to learn how to drive now.

0:27:150:27:18

Hussain's recovery is going to be a long process,

0:27:180:27:21

but Dr Heidari is confident about his future.

0:27:210:27:25

I'm very hopeful for Hussain.

0:27:250:27:27

I'm sure he will do very well in the end.

0:27:270:27:29

The bus driver involved in the incident

0:27:320:27:35

was fined for careless driving and given five points on his licence

0:27:350:27:39

after a court agreed it was a tragic accident.

0:27:390:27:43

Now at home, Hussain has been able to go and thank his friends and

0:27:450:27:49

neighbours who helped save his life on that horrific day.

0:27:490:27:53

I just cuddled him for ages and I was...

0:27:530:27:56

It just brought a tear to my eye.

0:27:560:27:57

I was so relieved that he was all right.

0:27:570:28:00

Honestly, I'm baffled how he's even alive.

0:28:000:28:04

I thought at the time it was going to be the end.

0:28:040:28:08

It was that close to death and, yeah, I had a narrow escape.

0:28:080:28:11

A very brave man.

0:28:230:28:24

That's it from Close Calls today. See you next time.

0:28:240:28:27

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