0:00:02 > 0:00:04A close call, a moment of danger when life can hang in the balance.
0:00:04 > 0:00:07I could die here, this is really serious.
0:00:08 > 0:00:11A split second where the outcome could go either way.
0:00:11 > 0:00:12Right, call 999 now!
0:00:12 > 0:00:15The difference between disaster and survival.
0:00:15 > 0:00:19You could see it on the faces of the crew how life-threatening this was.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21Why would he need to swim? They're supposed to still be on a boat.
0:00:21 > 0:00:25These are the people that have been there and lived to tell the tale.
0:00:25 > 0:00:26I thought she had died.
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 > 0:00:52Emergency workers flood the scene of an accident
0:00:52 > 0:00:53on a busy dual carriageway.
0:00:53 > 0:00:56The victim is one of their own.
0:00:56 > 0:01:01A traffic officer hit by a car while racing to an accident nearby.
0:01:01 > 0:01:05His police motorcycle lays mangled and abandoned in the road.
0:01:05 > 0:01:08Air Ambulance trauma medics battle to save him.
0:01:08 > 0:01:10His body is shattered and broken.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12We just had, literally,
0:01:12 > 0:01:15a minute or two to sort him out before his heart actually stopped,
0:01:15 > 0:01:18he was that poorly. He was trying his best to die.
0:01:18 > 0:01:22And an animal charity worker is charged by an elephant
0:01:22 > 0:01:24he's trying to help.
0:01:24 > 0:01:28And I'm catching a glimpse of this elephant closing on me.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31The five tonne beast sends him flying.
0:01:31 > 0:01:33I could see this is going to hurt.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45The A31 near Alton, Hampshire.
0:01:45 > 0:01:49A shattered police motorcycle lays abandoned in the road,
0:01:49 > 0:01:53and debris is strewn across both carriageways.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56The rider's helmet, boots and leathers have been discarded.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01Their owner, a traffic cop racing to a road accident,
0:02:01 > 0:02:04has been hit by a car and catapulted more than 100 metres
0:02:04 > 0:02:06down the busy dual carriageway.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08Now he's fighting for his life.
0:02:08 > 0:02:12Another policeman at the scene of the original accident
0:02:12 > 0:02:13witnessed the collision.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16It was horrific, the way that he kind of bounced, if you like.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20Rushing to the side of the injured man, he makes a shocking discovery.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23It's one of his closest colleagues.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26I guess my heart almost stopped.
0:02:26 > 0:02:28Because it's almost like a family member.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40Retired police officer Nick Barman lives in the countryside
0:02:40 > 0:02:43on the outskirts of Arbroath in Scotland.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46He recently moved here from the south of England.
0:02:46 > 0:02:50It's become a haven, one he shares with his girlfriend, Alice.
0:02:50 > 0:02:51It is a slow pace of life,
0:02:51 > 0:02:54and in actual fact, this suits me a lot better, being up here.
0:02:54 > 0:02:58Their new home has also given Nick plenty of space
0:02:58 > 0:03:02to indulge his passion for restoring vintage vehicles.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05I've always renovated old cars, and also my motorbikes,
0:03:05 > 0:03:07more often than not at the same time.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13In the past, Nick combined his love of cars and bikes with work.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17He joined the police force at 25 and was overjoyed when he was posted
0:03:17 > 0:03:19to the traffic department.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22I did traffic in cars, and then on the bikes.
0:03:22 > 0:03:26The freedom of being on a bike, there was days when I used to think,
0:03:26 > 0:03:28I can't believe I'm getting paid to do this.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31Every day I looked forward to going to work,
0:03:31 > 0:03:34and I wouldn't have swapped places
0:03:34 > 0:03:36with anyone for anything.
0:03:36 > 0:03:40One of Nick's closest colleagues on the force was PC Tristan Flanagan.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44They worked together on and off for ten years.
0:03:44 > 0:03:48Nick was such a lovely, approachable chap, always happy, funny,
0:03:48 > 0:03:52telling silly jokes, and a very good mechanic,
0:03:52 > 0:03:54so he was sort of the go-to guy
0:03:54 > 0:03:57if you had any questions about your car or your motorbike.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01It's quite an involving job in the police,
0:04:01 > 0:04:05and so generally a lot of your friends tend to be in the job.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08And we work together and get to know one another well.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10It's almost like a family.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16Working in the police force also brought Nick together
0:04:16 > 0:04:18with his girlfriend, Alice.
0:04:18 > 0:04:20Alice worked in the admin department
0:04:20 > 0:04:23on the traffic division, where I was stationed.
0:04:23 > 0:04:27He would come down to the station and we were friends
0:04:27 > 0:04:30for quite a while before we were dating.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33They have been together now for more than four years.
0:04:33 > 0:04:35He is my best friend.
0:04:35 > 0:04:37He's just a really good person.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39He loves what he does,
0:04:39 > 0:04:42and when he loves something he's very passionate about it,
0:04:42 > 0:04:45be it his job, cars, bikes.
0:04:49 > 0:04:53It's a Monday morning in February, the start of the working week,
0:04:53 > 0:04:56and the roads in Hampshire are heavy with traffic,
0:04:56 > 0:04:58when Nick gets an urgent call-out.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00His pal Tristan is already at the scene.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04It came over the radio, could I attend an accident,
0:05:04 > 0:05:07which occurred on the A31 at Alton,
0:05:07 > 0:05:10where a motorcyclist had been knocked off by a vehicle.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14We sorted out the initial traffic issues,
0:05:14 > 0:05:17let the ambulance, which had quite quickly turned up,
0:05:17 > 0:05:22assess the rider that was still laying partially in lane two
0:05:22 > 0:05:23of the dual carriageway.
0:05:25 > 0:05:29Needing help with controlling the traffic, Tristan calls for backup.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32He is unaware it's Nick who's nearest and responds.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35And I set off on blues and twos.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39Minutes later, Tristan hears a siren approaching.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41I looked up to see who it was,
0:05:41 > 0:05:45and it was a traffic motorcyclist coming up the opposite carriageway.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48To reach the scene of the accident,
0:05:48 > 0:05:51Nick has to travel down the southbound carriageway,
0:05:51 > 0:05:53cross over and head back.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57A highly skilled and trained emergency biker,
0:05:57 > 0:06:01he's travelling at around 100 miles an hour with blue lights flashing
0:06:01 > 0:06:05when a yellow car in the nearside lane catches his attention.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08I could see the driver was looking at the accident,
0:06:08 > 0:06:11and he was also closing on the vehicle ahead.
0:06:12 > 0:06:14On the other side of the carriageway,
0:06:14 > 0:06:17Tristan also sees the car suddenly pull out,
0:06:17 > 0:06:21straight into the path of the approaching police biker.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27There was a huge collision,
0:06:27 > 0:06:33and the police motorcyclist and the motorbike went sort of flying
0:06:33 > 0:06:34through the air,
0:06:34 > 0:06:37sort of pitched and landed on the central reservation,
0:06:37 > 0:06:39which then threw the rider off.
0:06:41 > 0:06:43I do remember thinking, I'm in trouble,
0:06:43 > 0:06:47because I had become separated from the bike.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52It was horrific, the way that he kind of bounced, if you like.
0:06:53 > 0:06:59And there was debris and paperwork and bike parts all over the show.
0:07:01 > 0:07:02I knew it wasn't going to end well,
0:07:02 > 0:07:05and I knew I was still travelling at quite a high speed.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10He slides along the rough ground of the central reservation,
0:07:10 > 0:07:16eventually coming to a halt 125 metres from the point of impact.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19A police helicopter later films the wreck of his mangled bike.
0:07:21 > 0:07:25I do remember lying there for a second feeling winded, and thinking,
0:07:25 > 0:07:28I've got away with this.
0:07:28 > 0:07:35And... Not smug, but thinking, actually, this has ended OK.
0:07:38 > 0:07:40But it hasn't.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43Nick's in shock, adrenaline is masking the pain.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46For experienced traffic officer Tristan, however,
0:07:46 > 0:07:49there's no doubting the horror he has just witnessed.
0:07:49 > 0:07:51Straight away he calls the Air Ambulance,
0:07:51 > 0:07:53then heads to the injured biker.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56I ran towards the police rider,
0:07:56 > 0:07:59not knowing what condition he was going to be in,
0:07:59 > 0:08:02if he was even going to be alive, to be brutally honest.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04He is, but only just.
0:08:04 > 0:08:08His pelvis was at a horrible 45 degree angle,
0:08:08 > 0:08:12with sort of one leg over the other at quite a skewed angle,
0:08:12 > 0:08:15with sort of blood inside his visor.
0:08:16 > 0:08:20But the helmet does not hide the identity of the injured man.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22When I first realised it was Nick...
0:08:24 > 0:08:26..I guess my heart almost stopped
0:08:26 > 0:08:30because it was that dawn of realisation it was someone you knew.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33It's almost like a family member.
0:08:33 > 0:08:37And you want to do absolutely everything you can to help them,
0:08:37 > 0:08:40and that's why it was very, very difficult to then...
0:08:41 > 0:08:45..separate yourself, have that emotional connection,
0:08:45 > 0:08:48kind of stop that, and start doing your job.
0:08:48 > 0:08:53Fighting back a wave of emotion, that's what Tristan does.
0:08:53 > 0:08:57The best thing I could do until one of the paramedics came up to help us
0:08:57 > 0:09:01was just get hold of his head and neck and make sure
0:09:01 > 0:09:03I kept him still and he couldn't move,
0:09:03 > 0:09:06and he didn't try to take his helmet off, or anything like that.
0:09:06 > 0:09:07Just reassure him.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09He's overwhelmed by the feeling
0:09:09 > 0:09:13that, at any moment, his friend could die in his arms.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18Later, the Air Ambulance arrives.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21A specialist trauma doctor is on board.
0:09:21 > 0:09:26But it's going to take all his skill to save the dying policeman.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28We just had, literally, a minute or two to sort him out
0:09:28 > 0:09:31in terms of particularly his airway and breathing,
0:09:31 > 0:09:33before his heart actually stopped. He was that poorly.
0:09:33 > 0:09:37And Nick's girlfriend rushes to his side.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41I just remember staring at him thinking, you can't die.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54Mount Elgon National Park, Kenya.
0:09:54 > 0:09:58A British wildlife expert is filming a unique herd of elephants.
0:09:58 > 0:10:03But one of them is about to single him out for some special attention.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05I never expected to be hurt by an elephant.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08I thought I was fairly good at reading them,
0:10:08 > 0:10:11but on this occasion, things kind of went wrong.
0:10:11 > 0:10:15Without warning, a five-tonne female elephant charges
0:10:15 > 0:10:17and smashes him to the ground.
0:10:17 > 0:10:19She was trying to squash me.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35With more than 36 years' experience,
0:10:35 > 0:10:39Ian Redmond is a renowned wildlife consultant and conservationist,
0:10:39 > 0:10:42who's been awarded an OBE for his efforts.
0:10:42 > 0:10:46One of his passions is following the Mount Elgon elephants in Kenya,
0:10:46 > 0:10:49a herd world-famous for their unusual habit
0:10:49 > 0:10:52of venturing into the area's large caves.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55The Elgon elephants are the only elephant tribe
0:10:55 > 0:10:57that goes deep underground.
0:10:57 > 0:10:59One of the most exciting things on the planet
0:10:59 > 0:11:03is a herd of elephants disappearing into the black maw of a cave,
0:11:03 > 0:11:05and then coming out several hours later.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08What were they doing in there? Why so long?
0:11:08 > 0:11:11And that was what got me hooked.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14It's since been discovered the elephants have a taste
0:11:14 > 0:11:16for the salty rocks in the caves.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19To help protect them from ivory hunters,
0:11:19 > 0:11:21Ian set up a monitoring unit.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24His family often join him in Kenya when he's working with the team.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27My wife is understanding of my
0:11:27 > 0:11:30passion for wildlife, and my desire to conserve it.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32She has been in Elgon.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34She lived in the cave with me for six weeks before we got married.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36Kind of a field test!
0:11:36 > 0:11:38And it worked! And we're still married.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41So, Elgon means a lot to both of us.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46Ian's work is sponsored by the Born Free Foundation,
0:11:46 > 0:11:48an international wildlife charity.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50Its president is Will Travers.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53I would regard Ian as
0:11:53 > 0:11:56one of the world's top elephant and great ape specialists.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59I don't know anybody quite like him.
0:11:59 > 0:12:03The nearest person that I can think of who is a bit like Ian
0:12:03 > 0:12:04is actually Sir David Attenborough.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11It's a Sunday in April.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14Ian and Will have travelled to Nairobi, Kenya,
0:12:14 > 0:12:20to witness a landmark destruction of 105 tonnes of confiscated ivory.
0:12:21 > 0:12:27It's designed to show ivory hunters they won't profit from their crimes.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29What we're really at is a mass funeral,
0:12:29 > 0:12:32it's a cremation for thousands of elephants.
0:12:34 > 0:12:39We had both been to see this huge bonfire of the vanities,
0:12:39 > 0:12:43bearing witness to something that we have been fighting together
0:12:43 > 0:12:45for more than 25 years.
0:12:45 > 0:12:49To me, what was significant was the fact that several of those tusks
0:12:49 > 0:12:52came from elephants on Mount Elgon,
0:12:52 > 0:12:55because elephants have very close-knit family groups.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58Mothers and daughters stay together for life -
0:12:58 > 0:13:01perhaps 50, 60 years of relationship,
0:13:01 > 0:13:05and when someone in that kind of tight family group is killed,
0:13:05 > 0:13:08the other members of the family mourn.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13Leaving Will in Nairobi, Ian then travels north
0:13:13 > 0:13:16to continue monitoring the elephants at Mount Elgon.
0:13:16 > 0:13:18The big question is, how many are there?
0:13:18 > 0:13:20Each time we get an opportunity to film them,
0:13:20 > 0:13:23we try and look for characteristics on the individual elephants
0:13:23 > 0:13:26and give them names, so that we will eventually
0:13:26 > 0:13:29know the society of Elgon elephants.
0:13:32 > 0:13:36But, when Ian goes out with park rangers to look for the elephants,
0:13:36 > 0:13:38they find evidence of charcoal production.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42This illegal activity scares the elephants,
0:13:42 > 0:13:45and destroys the trees they eat from.
0:13:45 > 0:13:47The team records what they find.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51The elphants are just a few yards away down there.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54It looks as though they have been feeding on the leaves
0:13:54 > 0:13:55of this massive branch.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58Afterwards, it's hard to catch the frightened herd on camera
0:13:58 > 0:14:01as they hide in the deep foliage.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04But Ian does manage to film one lone male.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07Trying to get close to elephants when they are already frightened,
0:14:07 > 0:14:10when you have to work on foot,
0:14:10 > 0:14:13is clearly going to be potentially dangerous.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18Ian needs to record large numbers of elephants at the same time
0:14:18 > 0:14:20to help identify them.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25So, the next day, the team set up at the edge of a glade
0:14:25 > 0:14:27where the herd often cross.
0:14:30 > 0:14:31And they get lucky.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34Around 40 elephants cross the glade right in front of them.
0:14:34 > 0:14:38It's one of the things I live for, it's wonderful!
0:14:38 > 0:14:42But on this occasion, things kind of went wrong.
0:14:43 > 0:14:48Giving them space, Ian and the team are filming from 150 metres away.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50They think it's a safe distance.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55I never expected to be hurt by an elephant.
0:14:57 > 0:14:59As the last of the elephants cross the clearing,
0:14:59 > 0:15:01the team prepare to pack up.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06But this large female splits from the herd.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11Then we noticed that the last one had actually turned
0:15:11 > 0:15:12and was running towards us.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15Ian runs as the elephant heads straight for him.
0:15:15 > 0:15:17I peer over my shoulder,
0:15:17 > 0:15:20catching a glimpse of this elephant closing on me.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24Ian's camera captures the terrifying moment
0:15:24 > 0:15:26the five-tonne elephant attacks him.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28I could see this is going to hurt,
0:15:28 > 0:15:31so I didn't want to be hit from behind...
0:15:32 > 0:15:33..and I turned around.
0:15:42 > 0:15:46As the elephant rams Ian, it smashes him to the ground.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49There's a sort of moment where everything seems to slow down,
0:15:49 > 0:15:54and my hand hit her face as I went over backwards,
0:15:54 > 0:16:00and I have a sensory memory of the cool, hard ivory,
0:16:00 > 0:16:02and the warm, soft upper lip,
0:16:02 > 0:16:05that contrast.
0:16:05 > 0:16:06Before he drops the camera,
0:16:06 > 0:16:10this last freeze-frame shows Ian under the elephant
0:16:10 > 0:16:12as he struggles to avoid being crushed.
0:16:12 > 0:16:17The next memory is looking up at her chest, with my feet pushing off her chest.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19She was trying to squash me.
0:16:19 > 0:16:23I remember at one point I had hold of her front right leg.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26She started to squash me, but I wriggled.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28The next thing I know,
0:16:28 > 0:16:32I've been kicked or flicked out from underneath her,
0:16:32 > 0:16:34and land on the grass to one side.
0:16:34 > 0:16:38Ian's flailing legs can be seen as he is kicked away by the elephant.
0:16:38 > 0:16:42And barely had I landed there, when the first shot rang out.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45A ranger fires his gun into the air.
0:16:45 > 0:16:47GUNFIRE
0:16:47 > 0:16:49It scares off the elephant.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52Then the only noise is Ian gasping for breath.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55HE GASPS
0:16:55 > 0:16:58The shots rang out, I'm still here,
0:16:58 > 0:17:04and I got up, but as I got up, a sharp pain in my neck
0:17:04 > 0:17:10and ribs, and a buzzing sensation in my fingers.
0:17:15 > 0:17:20Fearing he may have damage to his spine, Ian lies down again.
0:17:22 > 0:17:23Will is still in Nairobi
0:17:23 > 0:17:26when he hears about the elephant attacking Ian.
0:17:27 > 0:17:29We don't know the extent of his injuries,
0:17:29 > 0:17:32they're taking him down on a stretcher,
0:17:32 > 0:17:35they lashed some ponchos together.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38I guess they were carrying me for an hour, hour and a half,
0:17:38 > 0:17:41before we got to the Land Rover.
0:17:41 > 0:17:43But we got him back down to Nairobi
0:17:43 > 0:17:46using the flying doctor service in Kenya.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49Ian gets thoroughly checked over at the hospital.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53I had what's known as a stove-in chest,
0:17:53 > 0:17:57where intense pressure on the sternum squashes your chest,
0:17:57 > 0:17:59but in fact nothing had broken.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02It obviously stretched a bit.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05But it had managed to remain intact,
0:18:05 > 0:18:08so I have got an elephant-proof skeleton, guaranteed!
0:18:09 > 0:18:13Ian is found to have a partially dislocated shoulder
0:18:13 > 0:18:16and soft tissue damage to his head and chest.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19He is still undergoing physiotherapy,
0:18:19 > 0:18:21but knows he had a lucky escape.
0:18:21 > 0:18:23I am very aware of that.
0:18:23 > 0:18:28If there hadn't been a ranger to fire a shot, um...
0:18:28 > 0:18:29then...
0:18:29 > 0:18:33I'd got through round one, I don't think I'd have managed round two.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38Nobody can be sure exactly what caused the elephant
0:18:38 > 0:18:42to run 150 metres to attack Ian, but he has a theory.
0:18:42 > 0:18:46I think it happened because the elephants were stressed
0:18:46 > 0:18:48and frightened from the charcoal burners,
0:18:48 > 0:18:51and it's only a couple of years since they lost several members
0:18:51 > 0:18:53of their family to ivory poachers,
0:18:53 > 0:18:56and really, when you think about that elephant,
0:18:56 > 0:18:59she had obviously just had enough of humans,
0:18:59 > 0:19:04and wanted to come and bring the fight to the enemy.
0:19:06 > 0:19:08Carly, as the team have named her,
0:19:08 > 0:19:11has been near humans since without problems,
0:19:11 > 0:19:14and Ian certainly hasn't taken it personally.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17I haven't finished yet, I've got a lot that I want to do
0:19:17 > 0:19:20to try and make the world a safe place for apes and elephants.
0:19:31 > 0:19:33Great that Ian is still carrying on his good work.
0:19:33 > 0:19:35Now, back to that earlier story.
0:19:35 > 0:19:40Our emergency services do great work helping us when we're in trouble.
0:19:40 > 0:19:42But sometimes, they have to help each other.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52The A31 near Alton in Hampshire.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55A mangled police motorbike lies in the road,
0:19:55 > 0:19:57its debris is strewn across both carriageways.
0:19:57 > 0:20:01Nearby Air Ambulance medics are fighting to save the life
0:20:01 > 0:20:03of its rider, PC Nick Barman.
0:20:03 > 0:20:08Travelling at more than 100mph on his way to a traffic accident,
0:20:08 > 0:20:10Nick was hit by a yellow car.
0:20:10 > 0:20:14Accident investigators take these pictures, detailing the path
0:20:14 > 0:20:18of his powerful motorbike as it careered 75 metres
0:20:18 > 0:20:21along the central reservation.
0:20:21 > 0:20:25Its front wheel then hit a drain gully, catapulting him into the air.
0:20:25 > 0:20:31Nick landed between the carriageways narrowly missing a silver Volvo.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34Video from a police helicopter captures images of the bike,
0:20:34 > 0:20:37plus Nick's boots and leathers.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39Nick's friend and colleague, Tristan,
0:20:39 > 0:20:42witnessed the whole shocking incident.
0:20:42 > 0:20:45Obviously a bit of a heart in your mouth moment,
0:20:45 > 0:20:48and you kind of can't believe what you're seeing.
0:20:49 > 0:20:51Tristan has attended many accidents,
0:20:51 > 0:20:55but this time it's a friend whose life is hanging in the balance.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58To his relief, a motorist comes to help.
0:20:58 > 0:21:02There was a paramedic in the queueing traffic
0:21:02 > 0:21:04on the opposite carriageway,
0:21:04 > 0:21:08who was some kind of expert with the nature of Nick's injuries.
0:21:08 > 0:21:10He knew exactly what to do.
0:21:10 > 0:21:14Tristan quickly closes down the entire southbound carriageway
0:21:14 > 0:21:18to allow access for emergency vehicles and the Air Ambulance.
0:21:19 > 0:21:21The helicopter is minutes away,
0:21:21 > 0:21:25specialist trauma doctor Professor Charles Deakin is on board.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28As we were overhead, I had a chance to look and see
0:21:28 > 0:21:31what had actually happened at the incident below.
0:21:31 > 0:21:33It was obvious that he'd been travelling at very high speed,
0:21:33 > 0:21:36had come off his bike, and had tumbled down the road.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38That's a long way to bounce,
0:21:38 > 0:21:44so I was expecting a very seriously ill person when I got to the scene.
0:21:45 > 0:21:47Nick's leathers are quickly cut away
0:21:47 > 0:21:50so Professor Deakin can assess his injuries.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53We just had literally a minute or two to sort him out,
0:21:53 > 0:21:55particularly in terms of his airway and breathing,
0:21:55 > 0:21:58before his heart actually stopped. He was that poorly.
0:21:58 > 0:22:02Nick is struggling to breathe, and has multiple fractures.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05The medical team works quickly to stabilise him.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08Behind a screen held by firefighters,
0:22:08 > 0:22:11Professor Deakin puts Nick into an induced coma.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14Normally that's only something we'd do in hospital,
0:22:14 > 0:22:17so it's quite a delicate procedure to do out on the road side,
0:22:17 > 0:22:20and is not without its challenges.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23Nick's airway is clear, but he can't breathe.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25His lungs have collapsed.
0:22:25 > 0:22:30The way to treat that is to make an incision through the chest wall,
0:22:30 > 0:22:32in both sides of the chest, just under the armpit,
0:22:32 > 0:22:34which goes through all the muscles,
0:22:34 > 0:22:37between the ribs and into the chest cavity itself.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40The purpose of that is to let the air out,
0:22:40 > 0:22:43which has accumulated outside the lungs,
0:22:43 > 0:22:46and the lungs are then able to re-inflate,
0:22:46 > 0:22:51so that is done very quickly just with a scalpel,
0:22:51 > 0:22:53but is immediately life-saving.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56But Nick has additional injuries.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59They're extensive and complicated.
0:22:59 > 0:23:04He has internal bleeding and his arms, legs and pelvis are shattered.
0:23:04 > 0:23:08We worked our way round, and splinted his arms and his legs.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11Also we were concerned about his pelvis, that was probably broken.
0:23:11 > 0:23:13So that can bleed very significantly,
0:23:13 > 0:23:16so we needed to put a splint around his waist
0:23:16 > 0:23:19to try and hold his pelvic bones together, and reduce the bleeding.
0:23:21 > 0:23:23There's no more they can do at the scene.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25Nick's blood pressure is falling.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27They must get him to hospital.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30The Air Ambulance rushes him to Southampton General,
0:23:30 > 0:23:32a specialist trauma centre.
0:23:32 > 0:23:36Back at police HQ, word of the accident has spread.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39Nick's girlfriend Alice is not on shift,
0:23:39 > 0:23:43so it falls to a senior officer to make the difficult call.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46He was very frank, he was very calm,
0:23:46 > 0:23:50he didn't give me very much detail.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53I don't think I really thought too much about it.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56My main concern was to get to the hospital.
0:23:57 > 0:24:01It takes 15 minutes for the Air Ambulance to reach Southampton General.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04An emergency trauma team is waiting.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07They rush Nick straight into resuscitation,
0:24:07 > 0:24:08and operate immediately.
0:24:10 > 0:24:14He has a torn bowel and concussion, and his entire body is shattered.
0:24:15 > 0:24:20He has broken both knees, all his ribs on the left side, a shoulder,
0:24:20 > 0:24:22an ankle, one of his feet,
0:24:22 > 0:24:24and his pelvis.
0:24:24 > 0:24:28After long and complicated surgery, he is taken to intensive care.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31Alice is at the hospital,
0:24:31 > 0:24:34but must endure an agonising eight-hour wait
0:24:34 > 0:24:36before she can be with him.
0:24:36 > 0:24:40Seeing someone that you care about like that,
0:24:40 > 0:24:42with a machine breathing for them...
0:24:43 > 0:24:45..it's very difficult.
0:24:45 > 0:24:46Very difficult.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49And I think it also...
0:24:50 > 0:24:54..in that second, you can't do anything.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00I just remember staring at him thinking,
0:25:00 > 0:25:02you can't die.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07The accident has an effect on all Nick's colleagues.
0:25:07 > 0:25:11Those of us that were involved went home feeling extremely low,
0:25:11 > 0:25:15not knowing what the outcome the following day was going to be.
0:25:15 > 0:25:19My wife knew something has gone wrong. A, because I was so late off,
0:25:19 > 0:25:23and that's I think when you just sort of let it all out.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25I burst out in tears that night,
0:25:25 > 0:25:30because up until that point you just feel you can't let that emotion out
0:25:30 > 0:25:32because you've got to do your job.
0:25:32 > 0:25:36The following day, Nick regains consciousness
0:25:36 > 0:25:40and becomes aware of the shocking reality of his injuries.
0:25:40 > 0:25:43I couldn't move, I couldn't turn over,
0:25:43 > 0:25:46there wasn't a part of me that actually, other than my right arm,
0:25:46 > 0:25:47that actually moved.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51Tristan visits his friend and is shocked by his appearance.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54I've never seen anything like it, to be honest.
0:25:54 > 0:25:58The pins and the bars and everything that were in his legs,
0:25:58 > 0:25:59there were just so many of them.
0:26:01 > 0:26:05After two more successful operations in the next 48 hours,
0:26:05 > 0:26:09and five days in intensive care, Nick is out of danger.
0:26:11 > 0:26:12He's moved to a general ward,
0:26:12 > 0:26:16where he starts a gruelling daily regime of physiotherapy
0:26:16 > 0:26:18in an attempt to get him back on its feet.
0:26:18 > 0:26:20But the medics aren't hopeful.
0:26:20 > 0:26:25My legs didn't go straight any more, they were so bent in one position,
0:26:25 > 0:26:28and my back also didn't go straight,
0:26:28 > 0:26:31and I remember thinking at that point, this actually feels like
0:26:31 > 0:26:34this is never going to be right again.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38But, thanks to Nick's sheer determination,
0:26:38 > 0:26:40and against all the odds,
0:26:40 > 0:26:46just 14 weeks after his accident, Nick takes his first steps.
0:26:46 > 0:26:51I managed to go from walking one or two lengths of the parallel bars
0:26:51 > 0:26:55to walking outside the parallel bars,
0:26:55 > 0:26:59and then walking between cones and things like that.
0:27:01 > 0:27:05Nick later returned to work, but due to the extent of his injuries,
0:27:05 > 0:27:08eventually he had to give up life with the police.
0:27:09 > 0:27:13The driver of the yellow car was fined for careless driving
0:27:13 > 0:27:15and given nine points on his licence.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18I don't hold any ill will towards him.
0:27:18 > 0:27:22He made a mistake, we all make mistakes.
0:27:23 > 0:27:27After taking medical retirement, Nick moved to Scotland with Alice,
0:27:27 > 0:27:30where he's settled for a slower pace of life.
0:27:30 > 0:27:35I can't walk very far, I can't walk on uneven ground.
0:27:35 > 0:27:39If I step on something uneven, my ankle goes over,
0:27:39 > 0:27:42followed by my knee, and then I'll fall.
0:27:42 > 0:27:43And I fall quite regularly.
0:27:43 > 0:27:48He will push himself, sometimes to his detriment,
0:27:48 > 0:27:50because he doesn't want to feel he can't do things.
0:27:50 > 0:27:54I just have to accept there are a lot of things I can't do any more,
0:27:54 > 0:27:57and I've just had to change the way I go about life.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00But he knows it's a miracle he survived at all.
0:28:00 > 0:28:04So many circumstances worked out in my favour,
0:28:04 > 0:28:06I don't think you could have got a closer call than that.
0:28:15 > 0:28:19Unbelievable to think anyone could survive that crash,
0:28:19 > 0:28:20but thank goodness Nick did.
0:28:20 > 0:28:24Join me next time on Close Calls for more amazing stories
0:28:24 > 0:28:27from people who've lived to tell the tale.