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 where 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 > 0:00:23I kept thinking the hotel was going to fall on us.
0:00:23 > 0:00:27These are the people that have been there and lived to tell the tale.
0:00:27 > 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 Call...
0:00:49 > 0:00:53Workers on a building site dig up more than they bargained for.
0:00:53 > 0:00:58It was clear, it seemed, for us, looks like a old bomb.
0:00:58 > 0:01:023,000 lives are in danger if it goes off.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05But it's two boys from the bomb squad who faced the biggest risk...
0:01:05 > 0:01:07We don't wear the bomb suit on jobs like this.
0:01:07 > 0:01:09It's designed to take down buildings.
0:01:09 > 0:01:11You in a suit isn't going to help at all.
0:01:14 > 0:01:19..and a driver's dash cam captures the heart-stopping moment
0:01:19 > 0:01:22another car hurtles towards him.
0:01:22 > 0:01:23It's horrifying.
0:01:23 > 0:01:27I was expecting to see, if not dead,
0:01:27 > 0:01:29a seriously injured person in the car.
0:01:32 > 0:01:33Also today...
0:01:33 > 0:01:37She doesn't know where she is or what's happened to her.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39But Sarah knows she needs help.
0:01:55 > 0:01:57Bermondsey, south London.
0:01:58 > 0:02:02A busy day on a building site becomes a life-threatening
0:02:02 > 0:02:04situation when workers make a deadly discovery.
0:02:07 > 0:02:11This looks like a old bomb.
0:02:11 > 0:02:15A digger at the new development has scooped up an unexploded device left
0:02:15 > 0:02:17over from World War II.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20It's live and could go off at any moment.
0:02:21 > 0:02:25Thousands of people's lives are at risk.
0:02:25 > 0:02:27All the police were everywhere.
0:02:27 > 0:02:28I was shocked, you know.
0:02:29 > 0:02:31Frightened, really, in case it went off.
0:02:33 > 0:02:37It's up to two Army bomb disposal experts to diffuse more than 100
0:02:37 > 0:02:40kilograms of highly unstable explosive.
0:02:46 > 0:02:50The London Borough of Bermondsey is a thriving metropolitan area,
0:02:50 > 0:02:54with the recently developed City Hall the jewel in its crown.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59But just 70 years ago, the area was a very different place.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03Devastated by Nazi bombing raids during the Second World War.
0:03:05 > 0:03:0884-year-old Mary Chrisfield moved here not long after,
0:03:08 > 0:03:10and remembers how it looked then.
0:03:11 > 0:03:16There was lots of holes in the ground and they had to be built up.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18Straight away I loved Bermondsey.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21It is something about the people and the people I met.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23There was a good community spirit.
0:03:25 > 0:03:29And that spirit of 70 years ago is about to be tested again.
0:03:32 > 0:03:36It's a bright spring morning and site demolition manager,
0:03:36 > 0:03:39Jacob Novak, is working on a building project in the heart
0:03:39 > 0:03:40of the London Borough.
0:03:41 > 0:03:45The 34-year-old father-of-one is an experienced contractor.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49I've been working in the demolition industry over ten years.
0:03:49 > 0:03:53Before, I was serving three years in the Polish military.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58His team had demolished most of the old buildings on the site and are
0:03:58 > 0:04:01digging the foundations for the new development.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04Jacob is directly overseeing the work.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06It requires some serious machinery.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09The machine that we was using on that particular day,
0:04:09 > 0:04:11that was 30 tonne excavator.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17The dig is progressing well.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20But then the driver of the excavator hits something metallic.
0:04:23 > 0:04:27He gets out of his machine to see what it is.
0:04:27 > 0:04:31He found, it looks like hot water copper tank in a...
0:04:31 > 0:04:34What we was using in domestic houses which was long with a pointy end.
0:04:34 > 0:04:38Looked a bit rusty.
0:04:38 > 0:04:42Jacob's experience in the Polish army leads him to suspect he knows
0:04:42 > 0:04:44exactly what the digger has hit.
0:04:44 > 0:04:46And it's not a water tank.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50Me and my colleague, Jason, who is helping me in site on that day,
0:04:50 > 0:04:53we went and have a look.
0:04:54 > 0:04:58It was clear, it seemed for us, looks like a old bomb.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04He's right. Jacob and his workmates are staring at an unexploded
0:05:04 > 0:05:06German bomb from the Second World War
0:05:06 > 0:05:11which has just been struck by a 30 tonne digger.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14It's unstable and could go off at any minute.
0:05:14 > 0:05:19What's more, the building site is right next to three large blocks of
0:05:19 > 0:05:22flats and a primary school.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24I panicked a bit when we uncovered it,
0:05:24 > 0:05:28but my training kicked off and I called emergency services,
0:05:28 > 0:05:29shut everything down.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33Jacob clears the workforce from the site.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37My concern was the safety for our guys working on site,
0:05:37 > 0:05:40to get them out of the site, quick as we can.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43First to respond to Jacob's call are the police.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45They call in the Army.
0:05:45 > 0:05:49Staff Sergeant Richard McKinnon of The Bomb Squad arrives
0:05:49 > 0:05:53and is briefed on the discovery by Jacob and his team.
0:05:53 > 0:05:55The guy himself he did, in his nervous way,
0:05:55 > 0:05:57tell us how he hit it with the excavator.
0:05:57 > 0:06:01So there was a fair bit of fear from that point onwards.
0:06:01 > 0:06:05The Bomb Squad experts get to work and Staff Sergeant Ed Clinton
0:06:05 > 0:06:08quickly identifies the ordinance.
0:06:08 > 0:06:13It was a German World War II bomb. An SE Sprengbombe Cylindrisch 250.
0:06:13 > 0:06:17250 relating to the weight of it, 250kg.
0:06:17 > 0:06:2250% of the quarter tonne bomb is made up of explosives.
0:06:22 > 0:06:27If it goes off, it will be like 1,000 hand grenades all exploding
0:06:27 > 0:06:28at the same time.
0:06:28 > 0:06:30Initial thoughts on the size of the bomb and where it was,
0:06:30 > 0:06:33we'll have to look at some form of mitigation and evacuation as early
0:06:33 > 0:06:36- as possible.- And for such a large-scale item,
0:06:36 > 0:06:38you have to have an enormous cordon.
0:06:38 > 0:06:40It involves evacuating thousands of people.
0:06:40 > 0:06:42The sense of urgency was paramount throughout the task.
0:06:45 > 0:06:49Police and fire officers begin the time-consuming job
0:06:49 > 0:06:52of clearing homes, businesses and roads.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55These photographs, taken by a member of the public, show the beginning of
0:06:55 > 0:06:58the evacuation of more than 3,000 people.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03Long-time resident, Mary, is one of them.
0:07:03 > 0:07:05All the police were everywhere.
0:07:05 > 0:07:06I was shocked, you know.
0:07:06 > 0:07:11Well, frightened, really, in case it went off before.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14It takes some hours to move householders to safety
0:07:14 > 0:07:16more than a mile away.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19Many are taken to a local leisure centre.
0:07:19 > 0:07:23A large area of south-east London is shut down.
0:07:23 > 0:07:27Bomb disposal experts Ed and Richard can now begin the dangerous job of
0:07:27 > 0:07:31diffusing the unpredictable 70-year-old bomb.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35But first they need to clear the earth around the device so they can
0:07:35 > 0:07:37examine it fully.
0:07:37 > 0:07:39It's not an easy task.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42Any serious jolt could set it off.
0:07:42 > 0:07:46As you can imagine when it's been in the ground for 70 plus years,
0:07:46 > 0:07:49it can be encased in concrete, soil, very compact.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52So, whilst you need to remove some of this to actually look at what
0:07:52 > 0:07:55you're dealing with, you've got to be mindful that you are also dealing
0:07:55 > 0:07:58with an unexploded bomb. So you have to be very tentative when you're
0:07:58 > 0:08:01actually trying to excavate to find where the fuses are.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04But before they can begin working on the bomb's innards,
0:08:04 > 0:08:07the bomb disposal team need to limit the potential damage should
0:08:07 > 0:08:10something go wrong and the bomb explodes.
0:08:10 > 0:08:14So, we called in a large support team.
0:08:14 > 0:08:18They build an igloo around the item.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21The huge igloo structure, made of canvas and metal mesh,
0:08:21 > 0:08:25is filled with sand and supported by a scaffolding frame
0:08:25 > 0:08:26which covers the bomb.
0:08:26 > 0:08:31So the idea is every time we do a function or an action on the bomb,
0:08:31 > 0:08:34the whole item is concealed in this igloo.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37It's designed to protect the surrounding area.
0:08:37 > 0:08:41But nothing can protect Richard and Ed if something goes wrong.
0:08:41 > 0:08:45As they climb under the structure to get hands-on with the device,
0:08:45 > 0:08:49they are dressed in just their uniforms with no protective gear.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51We don't wear the bomb suit on jobs like this.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54Something of this scale, it doesn't matter what you're wearing,
0:08:54 > 0:08:56it's designed to take down buildings.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58You in a suit isn't going to help at all.
0:08:58 > 0:09:03Both men's lives are at risk as they begin their delicate work.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06The fuse is effectively the brains of the bomb.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08So you'll have a 250 kilo bomb which is just a large
0:09:08 > 0:09:09amount of explosives.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12It's the fuse, that is the trigger if you will,
0:09:12 > 0:09:14what causes it to function.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17So that's why if you identify the fuse,
0:09:17 > 0:09:19you know exactly how it's going to work.
0:09:19 > 0:09:21That's why it's the most important thing that we get to.
0:09:21 > 0:09:25Richard and Ed have cleared the debris from around the device.
0:09:25 > 0:09:27Now they need to neutralise it.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30It's an intricate process.
0:09:30 > 0:09:34It contains potentially volatile chemicals which could react
0:09:34 > 0:09:35at any moment.
0:09:35 > 0:09:39They use simple tools and a steady hand.
0:09:39 > 0:09:42We're still using the same methods as they were in the world wars.
0:09:42 > 0:09:46So, for this type of bomb, it was using what we call the S-Set.
0:09:46 > 0:09:50And that's where you have to drill into the fuse by hand.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53With the site cleared and their colleagues well behind the cordon,
0:09:53 > 0:09:56it's a lonely job for the two-man team.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59Using a hand drill to minimise vibrations,
0:09:59 > 0:10:03Richard first makes a hole in the side of the fuse and inserts a small
0:10:03 > 0:10:05metal tap.
0:10:05 > 0:10:09Next, he attaches a plastic hose to the tap and slowly pumps in a
0:10:09 > 0:10:10saltwater solution.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15The liquid should neutralise the chemicals in the fuse.
0:10:15 > 0:10:17But the two men can't be sure.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20Many German bombs were deliberately booby-trapped
0:10:20 > 0:10:24to target disposal teams attempting to make them safe.
0:10:24 > 0:10:26You always think about what's going to happen.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29I wouldn't say there's nerves, because if you are thinking down
0:10:29 > 0:10:32that route, you're not really focusing on the job at hand.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35You do get that back thought to Blitz time and thinking,
0:10:35 > 0:10:39actually this process has happened for 70 plus years.
0:10:39 > 0:10:43Richard and Ed successfully flood the fuse with the solution.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46But it needs time to work.
0:10:46 > 0:10:48The bomb is left sitting there overnight.
0:10:50 > 0:10:533,000 residents are still out of their homes,
0:10:53 > 0:10:56with more than 100 people staying at the leisure centre.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01The next morning, Richard and Ed are back.
0:11:02 > 0:11:04Even with the fuse neutralised,
0:11:04 > 0:11:07the only way of dealing with the explosives the bomb contains
0:11:07 > 0:11:09is to blow it up.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11The item is still a large lump of explosives,
0:11:11 > 0:11:13so it's still inherently dangerous.
0:11:13 > 0:11:17So, every action from then, from basically the igloo that it was in,
0:11:17 > 0:11:20we had to slowly deconstruct that.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22Move the item into our transport vehicle.
0:11:23 > 0:11:27It's too dangerous to dispose of the bomb in Bermondsey.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30So the bomb team carefully move it onto a lorry
0:11:30 > 0:11:33to transport it to a safe area for detonation.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36We brought a truck, filled it half with sand
0:11:36 > 0:11:38so it can take slight movement.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41Any great shock could still potentially cause it to function,
0:11:41 > 0:11:43so we had to take the greatest care at this point.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46We then agreed that we wouldn't move it over 20mph so we kept it at a
0:11:46 > 0:11:47very slow speed.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50With the aid of a rolling police cordon,
0:11:50 > 0:11:55the bomb is transported 30 miles to the detonation site
0:11:55 > 0:11:57at Cliff in Kent.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00The relief of actually getting it out, just out of London
0:12:00 > 0:12:02at this point, was a huge relief.
0:12:03 > 0:12:07Richard and Ed arrive at the detonation site after a nail-biting
0:12:07 > 0:12:12one and a half hour journey. The bomb is placed in a deep sandpit.
0:12:12 > 0:12:16This photograph shows them setting a length of safety fuse
0:12:16 > 0:12:18as they prepare for detonation.
0:12:19 > 0:12:23When we eventually did dispose of it, we put in a large cordon,
0:12:23 > 0:12:24we put 60 tonnes of sand around it.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29They still can't be sure what state the bomb is in.
0:12:29 > 0:12:35Taking no chances, they cordoned off an area of 700 square metres.
0:12:35 > 0:12:37You're unsure with the explosives involved,
0:12:37 > 0:12:40if they have degraded or they haven't degraded
0:12:40 > 0:12:41over the period of time.
0:12:41 > 0:12:43With their job almost done,
0:12:43 > 0:12:46the two men walk back to the edge of the cordon.
0:12:46 > 0:12:50They're about to find out the condition of the 70-year-old bomb.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56It certainly hadn't degraded.
0:12:56 > 0:12:58It was quite a large explosion.
0:13:01 > 0:13:05The ground shock, the fragmentation, the blast, the overpressure,
0:13:05 > 0:13:08and there were still small fragments coming out at approximately 400
0:13:08 > 0:13:12metres would have caused significant damage to the surrounding buildings.
0:13:13 > 0:13:17Back at the building site, the thought of what could have happened
0:13:17 > 0:13:21that day is suddenly very real for Jacob.
0:13:21 > 0:13:22It's massive.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27We was literally a couple of inches away.
0:13:30 > 0:13:35I reckon we all would be dead and all the buildings around,
0:13:35 > 0:13:36flat collapse.
0:13:38 > 0:13:42With the device removed, Bermondsey gets back to normal.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46And Mary is back home and grateful for the quick response
0:13:46 > 0:13:50of the emergency services, in particular the Army's bomb
0:13:50 > 0:13:51disposal unit.
0:13:52 > 0:13:54Very brave men.
0:13:54 > 0:13:56That defused it and worked with it.
0:13:56 > 0:14:00They were the ones that we give all the praise to.
0:14:00 > 0:14:02They were the men who saved our lives.
0:14:11 > 0:14:15Coming up... A severely injured woman lying in a field
0:14:15 > 0:14:16calls for help.
0:14:19 > 0:14:23A paramedic finds evidence pointing to what's happened.
0:14:23 > 0:14:27There was feet prints within the soil that was around her
0:14:27 > 0:14:30and the cows were there where she was found.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39Denbighshire, North Wales.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42With his dashboard camera recording,
0:14:42 > 0:14:47Norman Drinkwater's driving home on a country road when this happens.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51I've never seen anything like it in my life.
0:14:51 > 0:14:55The car rolls off the bank and hurtles towards Norman,
0:14:55 > 0:14:57filling his field of vision.
0:14:57 > 0:14:59I was expecting it to come through my windscreen.
0:15:00 > 0:15:02I really was.
0:15:10 > 0:15:1367-year-old Norman is originally from Anglesey
0:15:13 > 0:15:16but has lived in Denbigh for 17 years.
0:15:17 > 0:15:21I'm the local postmaster and I run the village shop myself
0:15:21 > 0:15:23with the help of my wife.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26To pick up stock, Norman makes regular trips
0:15:26 > 0:15:28around the region in his van.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31And some time ago, he decided to invest in some extra security.
0:15:33 > 0:15:37We were warned that there was car crime in the area,
0:15:37 > 0:15:41so I had CCTV fitted on the outside of my shop and the dash cam
0:15:41 > 0:15:43fitted in the car.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46Norman's got into the habit of recording his journeys to and
0:15:46 > 0:15:49from his suppliers and today's no different.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51It's late Saturday morning,
0:15:51 > 0:15:54Norman and trusty companion, Maisie, are travelling back from the
0:15:54 > 0:15:57wholesalers on the B5381.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01The roads locally are quite winding.
0:16:01 > 0:16:02You need to take care.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05Also on the road today is Leslie Farrell.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07She lives in the quiet Welsh market town, too.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12I'm a cleaner, which is great for me because I have OCD,
0:16:12 > 0:16:16so great job because I can't stop cleaning!
0:16:16 > 0:16:18I moved to Denbigh nine years ago.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21I love Denbigh, it's a lovely, lovely, friendly place.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24People are very, very kind here.
0:16:24 > 0:16:26They do go out their way to help you.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29This Saturday morning, she's heading out on a family visit.
0:16:30 > 0:16:34I was going to visit my sister, have a cup of tea and a chat
0:16:34 > 0:16:37and a catch up with family and I didn't make it.
0:16:39 > 0:16:43Leslie and Norman are travelling towards each other on the same road.
0:16:43 > 0:16:44There are about to meet.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48I saw a blue car in the distance.
0:16:48 > 0:16:53And it came round the corner, veered onto the wrong side of the road.
0:16:53 > 0:16:55His camera captures what happens next.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01As the car comes round the bend,
0:17:01 > 0:17:04something causes the back end to slide away.
0:17:04 > 0:17:09Out of control, the car smashes into the bank and hits a tree.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13The car's thrown violently into the air and somersaults not once,
0:17:13 > 0:17:15but twice.
0:17:15 > 0:17:20Glass and pieces of it fly off as it hurtles towards Norman's van.
0:17:20 > 0:17:24I was expecting it to come through my windscreen. I really was.
0:17:24 > 0:17:28As the car careers straight at Norman, he gasps in horror.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34His van shudders as the car somersaults over him,
0:17:34 > 0:17:36its wheels striking the roof.
0:17:38 > 0:17:42I put my brakes on sharply but I let go of my brakes to get
0:17:42 > 0:17:43past the blue car.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47Norman pulls up within a few yards,
0:17:47 > 0:17:49and realises it was only a glancing blow.
0:17:49 > 0:17:51He's unharmed.
0:17:52 > 0:17:57But the other car crash lands just behind him on his side of the road.
0:17:57 > 0:18:01Norman gets out and instinctively runs back towards it.
0:18:01 > 0:18:03But he's frightened of what he might find.
0:18:03 > 0:18:05It's horrifying.
0:18:05 > 0:18:06I was expecting to see...
0:18:09 > 0:18:14..if not dead, a seriously injured person in the car.
0:18:14 > 0:18:18Behind the wheel is a shocked Leslie.
0:18:18 > 0:18:19The car just went.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22The air bag exploded into my face.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24I thought I'd just hit the embankment.
0:18:24 > 0:18:28I didn't realise I was rolling until my arms were moving.
0:18:28 > 0:18:32I just felt horrendous pain that just hit me in the stomach.
0:18:32 > 0:18:34I think it must've been the seat belt.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36And when I actually landed,
0:18:36 > 0:18:39my back absolutely just gave way and that was the only thing I could
0:18:39 > 0:18:42think. I couldn't feel anything else but the pain in my back.
0:18:42 > 0:18:46Leslie's smashed car comes to rest partially in a ditch,
0:18:46 > 0:18:48with the driver's side up against a hedge.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50She is trapped and can't move.
0:18:50 > 0:18:52She looked pretty shocked.
0:18:52 > 0:18:56She said she was OK, but I wasn't taking that on face value
0:18:56 > 0:18:59because she looked pretty grey.
0:19:01 > 0:19:03It was just really, really painful.
0:19:03 > 0:19:07I immediately got on the telephone for an ambulance
0:19:07 > 0:19:10and a gentleman came out of another vehicle and attended to the lady.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15It's builder, Larry, and he immediately spots
0:19:15 > 0:19:16a potential danger.
0:19:16 > 0:19:18There was a lot of fuel on the floor.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21There was a lot of smoke coming off the steering column.
0:19:21 > 0:19:25I was concerned that the car was possibly going to go into flames.
0:19:25 > 0:19:26Larry acts quickly.
0:19:26 > 0:19:28I took the ignition keys out,
0:19:28 > 0:19:32tried to hope that that might sort of isolate the battery.
0:19:32 > 0:19:34In emergencies like that, you just think,
0:19:34 > 0:19:37any way you can stop electric running through the car.
0:19:37 > 0:19:38As the smoke clears,
0:19:38 > 0:19:42Larry realises it's just the dust from the air bag that's gone off
0:19:42 > 0:19:44and his attention now moves to Leslie.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49She was shivering because of the pain she was in.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52He went round, he got coats off everybody and he put coats on me.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55I tried to reassure Leslie to stay calm, just by chatting.
0:19:55 > 0:19:56Smalltalk, really.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59And he talked to me and he talked about family.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02If she'd injured herself and tried to panic or tried
0:20:02 > 0:20:05to get out the car, that was going to be quite serious
0:20:05 > 0:20:07if she'd done that before the paramedics got to her.
0:20:07 > 0:20:12I asked Larry to phone my sister and then she phoned my other half.
0:20:14 > 0:20:18The police and ambulance paramedics arrive followed shortly after
0:20:18 > 0:20:20by Leslie's partner, Jim.
0:20:20 > 0:20:24I was so relieved to see Jim when he turned up.
0:20:24 > 0:20:26The paramedics were having trouble getting to me,
0:20:26 > 0:20:30so they were waiting for the fire crew to come to get the door off.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32But Jim couldn't wait any longer,
0:20:32 > 0:20:35so he just ripped the door away so that the paramedics
0:20:35 > 0:20:37could get closer to me.
0:20:37 > 0:20:41And he stood there at the car and winked at me.
0:20:41 > 0:20:43And I said, "As soon as I can walk, we'll get married."
0:20:45 > 0:20:47While the paramedics treated Leslie,
0:20:47 > 0:20:52Jimmy takes pictures of her crashed car and the damage to the grass bank
0:20:52 > 0:20:56she mounted. The force of the crash has uprooted a tree.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00North Wales Fire and Rescue arrive and help the paramedics
0:21:00 > 0:21:05to move Leslie carefully out of the car onto a stretcher.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08She's taken by ambulance to Glan Clwyd Hospital in Rhyl
0:21:08 > 0:21:12to be immediately assessed in the emergency department.
0:21:12 > 0:21:16I hurt my shoulder and my arm, the top of my arm.
0:21:16 > 0:21:22My ankle was pretty badly swollen and the bottom of my back.
0:21:22 > 0:21:26But remarkably, considering the dramatic nature of the accident,
0:21:26 > 0:21:30doctors discover Leslie has no serious injuries, just bruising.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33And three hours later, she is able to go home.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36I'm just one very lucky person!
0:21:37 > 0:21:39There's a lot of people up there looking after me!
0:21:39 > 0:21:43I've never seen anything like it in my life.
0:21:43 > 0:21:45I was expecting to be sending flowers.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49The safety of the car and the efficiency of the services
0:21:49 > 0:21:52kept her safe, really, to be honest.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55And thanks to partner, Jim, after her near miss,
0:21:55 > 0:21:57Leslie soon to be a missus!
0:21:57 > 0:22:00I'm getting married next month.
0:22:00 > 0:22:02He kept me to my word and phoned on the Monday morning
0:22:02 > 0:22:04and organised the wedding.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16A close call, a near miss, whatever you like to call it,
0:22:16 > 0:22:18it can be too close for comfort.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21Sometimes, well, you're just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25The village of North Scarle in Lincolnshire.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35These are the terrified screams of Sarah Leonard.
0:22:35 > 0:22:39She is alone in a remote field in excruciating pain
0:22:39 > 0:22:41and her injuries are life-threatening.
0:22:47 > 0:22:51She's been attacked and trampled by a herd of cows.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55Against all the odds, she's managed to dial 999,
0:22:55 > 0:22:59but she doesn't know where she is and can barely talk.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06Desperate, Sarah needs help fast.
0:23:14 > 0:23:1759-year-old nurse, Sarah Leonard, and her dog, Meggie,
0:23:17 > 0:23:20often go walking in the countryside.
0:23:20 > 0:23:25Sarah's a keen geo-cacher, a kind of cyber treasure hunter.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28She uses a GPS navigation unit to seek out hidden objects
0:23:28 > 0:23:32secretly placed around the world by fellow enthusiasts.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35Geo-caching is hi-tech treasure hunting.
0:23:35 > 0:23:39Basically, you are going out, you're looking for some sort of container.
0:23:39 > 0:23:43It might be a Tupperware box, a decent sized one.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46Or it might be the tiniest little container.
0:23:46 > 0:23:51It's got to have a bit of paper in it so that you can sign it.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54Today's search has brought her to a farmer's field in Lincolnshire.
0:23:54 > 0:23:58As they close in on the coordinates of the latest hidden bounty,
0:23:58 > 0:24:01Sarah and Meggie are all alone in the vast meadow.
0:24:01 > 0:24:05But they've drawn the interest of a nearby herd of cows
0:24:05 > 0:24:08which begins to move towards her.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11I can remember seeing the cows coming towards me.
0:24:13 > 0:24:15And I know that I shouted at them.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18It's not really a memory, but I just know that I did.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22What happens next is a mystery.
0:24:24 > 0:24:26Sarah finds herself on her back in the mud.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29She's disorientated and badly injured.
0:24:29 > 0:24:34She's lost her GPS but manages to get her phone out of her pocket
0:24:34 > 0:24:37and call for help.
0:24:57 > 0:24:59Sarah is in desperate need of an ambulance.
0:24:59 > 0:25:03But her injuries are so severe she is struggling to communicate.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07- Hell...- Pardon?
0:25:13 > 0:25:16The call handler tries to get more information.
0:25:16 > 0:25:21She needs to track her location but Sarah has no idea where she is.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31The emergency worker alerts the police and the Ambulance Service
0:25:31 > 0:25:36but without more precise details, they don't know where to look.
0:25:46 > 0:25:50Sarah is in extreme pain and can only lie flat out on her back,
0:25:50 > 0:25:52hoping the cows won't return.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55The call handler stays on the line for 45 minutes,
0:25:55 > 0:25:58reassuring her that help is coming.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01But the injured nurse is obviously distressed.
0:26:07 > 0:26:11Police finally trace Sarah's phone signal and 30 minutes later find her
0:26:11 > 0:26:14car parked next to a church.
0:26:14 > 0:26:16But they still need to find Sarah.
0:26:17 > 0:26:21Officers search the area and eventually locate her on a public
0:26:21 > 0:26:23footpath in a farmer's field.
0:26:24 > 0:26:28Paramedic Wendy Coghill has also been searching for Sarah.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31Police direct her to the remote field.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34When we arrive at the scene, we found that Sarah
0:26:34 > 0:26:36was lying on her back.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39Both her arms were fractured.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42She had bruising to the chest area.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45She couldn't actually communicate very well with us due to the
0:26:45 > 0:26:48facial injuries, to tell us what had actually happened
0:26:48 > 0:26:52and where it hurt her or where the pain was or anything like that.
0:26:52 > 0:26:56And there's no doubt in Wendy's mind that for whatever reason,
0:26:56 > 0:26:58Sarah has been crushed by the herd.
0:26:58 > 0:27:02There was feet prints within the soil that was around her.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05And the cows were there when she was found.
0:27:05 > 0:27:10She realises Sarah has become one of scores of people badly injured or
0:27:10 > 0:27:13killed in cow attacks every year in the UK.
0:27:15 > 0:27:19With Sarah's terrified spaniel, Meggie, nowhere to be seen,
0:27:19 > 0:27:21she is taken to Lincoln County Hospital
0:27:21 > 0:27:24for emergency life-saving surgery.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27She spends two and a half weeks in intensive care
0:27:27 > 0:27:31before waking up with no memory of the event.
0:27:31 > 0:27:32I broke both my arms.
0:27:32 > 0:27:36My left arm was crushed at the elbow.
0:27:36 > 0:27:37I had a collapsed lung.
0:27:37 > 0:27:41I broke my left collarbone, my jaw and most of my ribs
0:27:41 > 0:27:43down the left side.
0:27:44 > 0:27:4924 hours after Sarah's accident, the police revisited the field
0:27:49 > 0:27:53and found Sarah's dog, Meggie, cowering in a hedgerow.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56Three weeks later, they were reunited in the hospital ward.
0:27:58 > 0:28:03Sarah spends a further five months recovering at home.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06She'll always be grateful to the police and ambulance crews
0:28:06 > 0:28:08for finding her.
0:28:08 > 0:28:10I really am thankful.
0:28:10 > 0:28:12Sorry, it's bringing tears to my eyes.
0:28:15 > 0:28:17I am amazed at what they did.
0:28:26 > 0:28:29That's all today. Join us next time for more Close Calls.