0:00:02 > 0:00:04A close call, a moment of danger when life can hang in the balance.
0:00:04 > 0:00:06I could die. 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 > 0:00:20Why would you need to swim?
0:00:20 > 0:00:22Apparently they're supposed to still be on a boat.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25These are the people that have been there and lived to tell the tale.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27I thought she had died.
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 Calls...
0:00:49 > 0:00:53A teacher at a school swimming lesson calls the emergency services
0:00:53 > 0:00:56after one of his pupils is pulled lifeless from the water.
0:01:00 > 0:01:02Medics fear the worst.
0:01:02 > 0:01:04He had no pulse at that point.
0:01:04 > 0:01:05He was essentially dead.
0:01:08 > 0:01:12Also today, black ice on the road causes a car to lose control.
0:01:14 > 0:01:18An unsuspecting woman leaving her vehicle is right in its path.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20We heard an almighty bang.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23As I looked out of the curtains, I saw the carnage on the road.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25I ran out to see the cars all over the place.
0:01:29 > 0:01:33And a group of motorcycling buddies on a day out.
0:01:33 > 0:01:34Then this happens.
0:01:43 > 0:01:45Luton, Bedfordshire.
0:01:45 > 0:01:49Ambulance control receives a panicked 999 call from a teacher.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01A young schoolboy's heart has suddenly stopped beating.
0:02:01 > 0:02:03Lifeguards rush to him.
0:02:03 > 0:02:04He was laying there lifeless.
0:02:04 > 0:02:06You could hear the gurgling in his throat.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10There was no breathing and that is when we started the CPR.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28Based in Bedfordshire, the Ewingtons are a large family.
0:02:28 > 0:02:32Mark and Sam have four children - three daughters and one son,
0:02:32 > 0:02:3311-year-old Cade.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36Cade means everything to us.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39He's just a lovely, likeable little lad.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41My family are my favourite thing ever.
0:02:41 > 0:02:45They mean the world because, like, my mum is just amazing,
0:02:45 > 0:02:46my dad is just amazing.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49My sisters can be, yeah, pretty annoying,
0:02:49 > 0:02:52but you still have to love them, so I guess they're amazing as well.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55Unlike his father, Cade is a very active boy.
0:02:55 > 0:02:57Thoroughly enjoys football, plays twice a week,
0:02:57 > 0:02:59and then when the football season is over,
0:02:59 > 0:03:02he switches to motocross and then rides whenever he can.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05So many people would just sit in silence and play games and stuff,
0:03:05 > 0:03:09but it's quite fun being outside and getting muddy.
0:03:09 > 0:03:11He just puts everything into everything he does.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14He is my life. I love the boy.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19And it's the family's closeness that helps them pull through when Cade
0:03:19 > 0:03:21is left fighting for his life.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26It's June and one of Cade's teachers, Richard Kingham,
0:03:26 > 0:03:29is taking the class swimming at the local leisure centre.
0:03:29 > 0:03:33It was first time that that class had been swimming and they were all
0:03:33 > 0:03:35extremely excited, as you can imagine.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38Mr Kingham, who's probably my favourite teacher,
0:03:38 > 0:03:40he's just amazing and phenomenal.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44I've known Cade for six years. Cade is an extremely popular child.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47His politeness always shone through, the adults just love him for that.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50Sometimes I can wind him up a bit.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53Tracy is one of the swimming teachers on duty that day.
0:03:53 > 0:03:57We had a really big swimming group which Cade was part of,
0:03:57 > 0:03:59and we had a small non-swimming group.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02All the weaker swimmers stayed by the wall,
0:04:02 > 0:04:03but Cade wasn't one of those,
0:04:03 > 0:04:05he swam through the middle of the pool.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08The last thing I remember was one of my friends,
0:04:08 > 0:04:10he was complaining that he was in the bottom group
0:04:10 > 0:04:12when he should've been in the top.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15Lifeguard Rebecca's job is to keep an eye on the school party.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18She notices Cade swim past.
0:04:18 > 0:04:20I watched him go across the deep end
0:04:20 > 0:04:24and then I looked back for the next child coming.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28When I turned back, he was just still in the water.
0:04:30 > 0:04:34He was under the water, but his arms and legs were up,
0:04:34 > 0:04:36so it was like he was in a little ball.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39We was looking at Cade and, is he mucking around?
0:04:39 > 0:04:42Because we have seen it happen so many times -
0:04:42 > 0:04:45every child wants to play dead in the pool.
0:04:45 > 0:04:46Another boy is swimming past.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49They shout at him to check on Cade.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52I said, "Grab him, you know, pull his arm."
0:04:52 > 0:04:54And there was no response from him at all.
0:04:54 > 0:04:58Taking no chances, Tracy dives straight in.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01Straight away I knew it was serious because of the weight of him.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04He was very, very heavy and very limp.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08And he just sort of like... Trying to pick up jelly,
0:05:08 > 0:05:10there was just no control over it.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14At the other end of the pool, teacher Richard hears the commotion.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17Saw Cade lying in the water, you think the worst.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20Complete shock.
0:05:20 > 0:05:22Rebecca tried to pull him out but he was just so heavy
0:05:22 > 0:05:25and the position in the pool, I couldn't lift him right up.
0:05:25 > 0:05:29And then the schoolteacher came out of nowhere and picked him up
0:05:29 > 0:05:32under the arms and helped me get him onto the side.
0:05:32 > 0:05:36He was making some sounds like he was struggling to breathe.
0:05:36 > 0:05:38She was doing the checks and everything and she said,
0:05:38 > 0:05:39"I can't keep his airways open."
0:05:39 > 0:05:42So I knelt down and I held his head back.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45His face was as white as I have ever seen a human being.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48I was just so thankful that the lifeguards were there.
0:05:48 > 0:05:52Richard's teaching assistants quickly take the other children
0:05:52 > 0:05:54outside while he phones the emergency services.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56This is his 999 call.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11His voice breaking with emotion, Richard is trying to keep calm.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22Suddenly, Cade's condition gets worse.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25He was basically laying there lifeless,
0:06:25 > 0:06:27you could hear the gurgling in his throat.
0:06:27 > 0:06:31And there was no breathing and that is when we started CPR.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04Luton and Dunstable Hospital is only minutes from the leisure centre.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06Paramedic Michael Harnell
0:07:06 > 0:07:09and his colleague have just finished a job.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11They're sent out again immediately,
0:07:11 > 0:07:14told to expect a patient in cardiac arrest.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18When you see that it's a younger person,
0:07:18 > 0:07:20your pulse rate goes up significantly.
0:07:20 > 0:07:24For every minute that somebody doesn't perform CPR on somebody
0:07:24 > 0:07:28in cardiac arrest, the chances of survival drop by 11%.
0:07:29 > 0:07:33But at the pool, lifeguard Rebecca is giving Cade CPR.
0:07:33 > 0:07:37This was the first time I had to do CPR on a real person.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40In staff training, we practise every month on a mannequin.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44Rebecca had... Was in total control of what she was doing.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46My training took over.
0:07:46 > 0:07:48It is important to try and stay calm.
0:07:48 > 0:07:50Obviously, someone's life is in your hands.
0:08:16 > 0:08:20Quite difficult seeing someone do CPR on an 11-year-old boy
0:08:20 > 0:08:22that you've known for several years.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24It was very traumatic.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28As the call taker issues instructions down the phone line,
0:08:28 > 0:08:30she hears Cade stir.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41I do remember at one point he burped and we all looked at each other
0:08:41 > 0:08:43with almost a smile on the face as if something,
0:08:43 > 0:08:46there was a reaction to what they were doing.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55You sort of go on anything at that point, any slight reaction.
0:08:55 > 0:08:59But as soon as hope grows, it fades again.
0:09:13 > 0:09:17His eyes were wide open and they were just staring straight up.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19He couldn't see us or anything
0:09:19 > 0:09:23and then he started to go blue around the lips,
0:09:23 > 0:09:26he wasn't able to respond to us in any way.
0:09:28 > 0:09:33Later, paramedics reach Cade, but fear it could be too late...
0:09:33 > 0:09:37He had no pulse at that point, he was essentially dead.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40..and his father arrives at the pool.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43A dozen faces just looked at me as if to say, "Oh, you're the dad.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46"Who's going to break the news to you?"
0:09:46 > 0:09:47Your whole world falls apart.
0:09:55 > 0:09:59A truly terrible ordeal for Cade, his family and his teacher.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01Now, close calls can take many forms, but next,
0:10:01 > 0:10:05a single dramatic moment for someone who is totally unaware of what's
0:10:05 > 0:10:08about to happen and isn't even sure what has happened
0:10:08 > 0:10:09until after it's happened.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11Well, you'll see what I mean.
0:10:13 > 0:10:17Bradford, Yorkshire. A home security camera captures
0:10:17 > 0:10:21the moment a car skids out of control on black ice.
0:10:22 > 0:10:24The noise was so loud I thought,
0:10:24 > 0:10:26"This is going to be something really bad."
0:10:27 > 0:10:30A second camera reveals how bad.
0:10:30 > 0:10:32A woman is sandwiched between two cars,
0:10:32 > 0:10:35thrown across the bonnet, and crashes to the ground.
0:10:37 > 0:10:38Was just sort of carnage,
0:10:38 > 0:10:41everybody was running around like headless chickens.
0:10:41 > 0:10:43It was quite a scary moment.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58Helen and Jack are devoted to each other.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00They met 16 years ago in the local pub
0:11:00 > 0:11:03and have been inseparable ever since.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06Helen, she's a loving person and she looks after me.
0:11:06 > 0:11:08He just makes me laugh.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10I've only to look at him and he just cracks me up.
0:11:11 > 0:11:15The couple do everything together, and love going on cruises.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19But there's one thing Jack leaves entirely to Helen.
0:11:19 > 0:11:23We don't share cooking. Helen is the cook.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26He just eats anything that I give him really, never questions it,
0:11:26 > 0:11:28just eats.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30Helen's sausage and mash are to die for.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32Absolutely superb.
0:11:32 > 0:11:33And I wouldn't say any different
0:11:33 > 0:11:35because I might have to make them myself.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40Helen and Jack are at the centre of a really close family.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43Between them, they have three grown-up children
0:11:43 > 0:11:44and two grandchildren.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47Helen's 91-year-old mum also lives nearby.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50She's very independent. She does a lot of cooking
0:11:50 > 0:11:53and just needs a bit of help with ironing and cleaning.
0:11:53 > 0:11:55Helen often provides some of that help.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58And that's her plan one cold winter's day in January
0:11:58 > 0:12:00when she sets off to pick up her mum
0:12:00 > 0:12:03and take her for a hospital appointment.
0:12:03 > 0:12:04As I was driving down to my mum's,
0:12:04 > 0:12:07I just noticed that the fields were really icy.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10Helen has driven this route many times before,
0:12:10 > 0:12:13but today the winter road conditions are making her nervous.
0:12:14 > 0:12:15She arrives safely, although
0:12:15 > 0:12:18getting out of the car is a different matter.
0:12:19 > 0:12:23Parked up, turned the engine off, put my feet out of the car,
0:12:23 > 0:12:27tried to stand up and both feet slipped.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30And I didn't realise there were so much black ice on the road.
0:12:30 > 0:12:32Held on to the car, locked the car door.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37Helen has parked outside a house which has a security camera.
0:12:37 > 0:12:41It's recording, and captures her getting out of the car
0:12:41 > 0:12:43and beginning to turn away.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45Then, this happens.
0:12:50 > 0:12:54As Helen steps cautiously onto the icy road and closes the door,
0:12:54 > 0:12:56she turns her back to the oncoming traffic.
0:12:58 > 0:13:02Another CCTV camera in the street shows an approaching car braking.
0:13:03 > 0:13:07A second vehicle behind starts to brake too,
0:13:07 > 0:13:08but skids on the black ice.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11Out of control, it bounces off the car in front,
0:13:11 > 0:13:13slamming into Helen's car
0:13:13 > 0:13:16and sandwiching her between the two vehicles.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20She is thrown backwards over her own car bonnet.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24Anthony Durkin, who lives on the road,
0:13:24 > 0:13:26is one of the first on the scene.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29I heard an almighty bang, and as I looked out of my curtains,
0:13:29 > 0:13:30I saw the carnage on the road.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33I ran out to see the cars all over the place
0:13:33 > 0:13:35and Helen sat on the floor.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37Anthony rushes over to Helen.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40He's amazed to find her conscious and talking.
0:13:40 > 0:13:42I asked her if she was OK,
0:13:42 > 0:13:45she said that she was just... a pain in the side,
0:13:45 > 0:13:47which I couldn't believe.
0:13:47 > 0:13:51I was just sat on the floor thinking, this is really cold.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54Looked to my right and the front end was off my car.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57I just couldn't believe that she wasn't, like, cut to bits.
0:13:57 > 0:14:01Anthony phones the emergency services as the driver of the car
0:14:01 > 0:14:04that hit Helen rushes over to comfort her.
0:14:04 > 0:14:06And she was holding on to my hand and just said,
0:14:06 > 0:14:07"Oh, God, please tell me you're all right."
0:14:07 > 0:14:09And that's when I realised something was wrong.
0:14:09 > 0:14:11I thought I'd literally slipped.
0:14:11 > 0:14:12I didn't realise I'd been hit by a car.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18Police and medics arrive.
0:14:19 > 0:14:23Helen's taken straight to the Bradford Royal Infirmary.
0:14:23 > 0:14:27On the way, she calls husband Jack who dashes over to meet her.
0:14:27 > 0:14:31She was in the minor injuries department.
0:14:31 > 0:14:33It was brilliant to see that she was OK.
0:14:34 > 0:14:38If Helen had been shutting the door and facing the car,
0:14:38 > 0:14:40it could've been completely different.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43But I think because she didn't know what was going to happen,
0:14:43 > 0:14:47obviously she was a little bit more relaxed.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50I think that's what could've probably saved her.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53With Helen's car completely written off by the accident,
0:14:53 > 0:14:57it's obvious how lucky she was to escape without serious injury.
0:14:57 > 0:15:01Had Helen taken a step to her right or to her left,
0:15:01 > 0:15:03it could've been the end of the line.
0:15:03 > 0:15:07Helen's aware just how much of a close call she had.
0:15:07 > 0:15:12You have this horrendous accident which could've ended so differently.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15My husband could've lost, you know, lost me,
0:15:15 > 0:15:19and the children could've lost a mum, stepmum.
0:15:19 > 0:15:21The grandchildren could've lost Grandma.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24I was so lucky that day that I got up and just walked away from it all.
0:15:28 > 0:15:33Coming up, motorists rush to the aid of a biker who's crashed into
0:15:33 > 0:15:36the back of his mate at a busy junction.
0:15:45 > 0:15:47On a school swimming trip in Luton,
0:15:47 > 0:15:5011-year-old Cade has suddenly stopped breathing while in the pool.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54His teacher has dialled 999.
0:16:03 > 0:16:07Rebecca and fellow lifeguards have been trying to resuscitate Cade
0:16:07 > 0:16:08for five minutes.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11He wasn't able to respond to us in any way.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17But then, vital help arrives.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29Paramedic Michael Harnell and his colleague
0:16:29 > 0:16:33know instantly that Cade's life is hanging in the balance.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35We're looking at him, we're looking at his skin colour,
0:16:35 > 0:16:38which was grey, he wasn't breathing for himself,
0:16:38 > 0:16:39he had no pulse at that point.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41He was essentially dead.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46Rebecca is still performing CPR,
0:16:46 > 0:16:50but the look on the paramedics' faces leaves her shaken.
0:16:50 > 0:16:54That's when I started to panic a bit,
0:16:54 > 0:16:58the realisation of how serious this was.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00Michael urges her to keep going.
0:17:01 > 0:17:05It helps us massively, so we allowed them to continue.
0:17:05 > 0:17:07This leaves him free to attach a monitor to Cade
0:17:07 > 0:17:10to see what's happening with his heart.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12His heart was essentially quivering.
0:17:13 > 0:17:17There was no organised contracting of the muscles.
0:17:17 > 0:17:21The paramedics need to use the defibrillator to shock Cade's heart
0:17:21 > 0:17:23and hopefully get it beating again.
0:17:23 > 0:17:28Everybody paused, we delivered the first shock.
0:17:28 > 0:17:32Cade convulsed, which is quite natural when you deliver a shock.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35And after that, we carried on the CPR.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38Cade starts showing the faintest signs of life.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41His pupils were reacting sluggishly at times.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44So you know that he hasn't been...
0:17:44 > 0:17:47Well, there's no other term for it, dead for too long,
0:17:47 > 0:17:50that you do have a chance to resuscitate this person.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53But crucially, Cade's heart still isn't beating.
0:17:55 > 0:17:56They must get him to hospital.
0:17:56 > 0:18:01They shock him again then put him on a stretcher, still performing CPR.
0:18:02 > 0:18:06Cade's teacher, Richard, is outside with the rest of his class.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09When I saw them doing CPR out of the swimming centre
0:18:09 > 0:18:12and onto the ambulance, that was really tough to see.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15They hadn't managed to get him back.
0:18:15 > 0:18:20In 25 minutes, Cade has not had one single full heartbeat.
0:18:21 > 0:18:23But in the ambulance on the way to hospital,
0:18:23 > 0:18:25something remarkable happens.
0:18:26 > 0:18:30We noticed that his heart had come back to an organised rhythm
0:18:30 > 0:18:31and we discovered he had a pulse,
0:18:31 > 0:18:34which was one of the greatest feelings
0:18:34 > 0:18:36I think I've ever had in my career thus far,
0:18:36 > 0:18:39and that essentially we'd got him back.
0:18:41 > 0:18:45A team of specialists greet Cade at the hospital's resus department.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48Minutes later, his dad Mark arrives.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53I just remember walking in there and just...
0:18:53 > 0:18:57A dozen faces just turned to me and looked at me as if to say,
0:18:57 > 0:18:58"Oh, you're the dad."
0:18:58 > 0:19:01You know, "Who's going to break the news to you?"
0:19:01 > 0:19:04Out of the corner of my eye, I could see directly into the crash room
0:19:04 > 0:19:07and I could see him lying there on the table unconscious.
0:19:09 > 0:19:11Your whole world falls apart.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17Cade's mum, Sam, gets there shortly after.
0:19:17 > 0:19:22The doctors were actually working on him at the time and I remember then,
0:19:22 > 0:19:26I just stood there and looked across at Mark and said, "What's gone on?"
0:19:26 > 0:19:28And then, he was...
0:19:28 > 0:19:29Mark couldn't really speak.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32He started to come round at some point and...
0:19:35 > 0:19:38He was delusional and didn't know what was going on.
0:19:40 > 0:19:41But very strong.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43HE LAUGHS
0:19:43 > 0:19:45He was really strong. The nurses had to hold him down.
0:19:47 > 0:19:53And they were worried that... That it might do more damage.
0:19:53 > 0:19:55So they sedated him.
0:19:55 > 0:19:59Cade's condition stabilises, and after 24 hours,
0:19:59 > 0:20:02he's slowly brought out of sedation.
0:20:02 > 0:20:06And he came round, was probably about five o'clock that evening.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09Mouthed, "I love you, Mum," and, yeah,
0:20:09 > 0:20:12that will stay with me for the rest of my life.
0:20:12 > 0:20:16So lucky, so blessed that he made a full recovery.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19He's a remarkable young lad.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22Like, for the first day, I wasn't told, I was just saying,
0:20:22 > 0:20:25"What's happened to me?" I probably was told but I couldn't really
0:20:25 > 0:20:27understand it because it was a lot of words, really.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31Cade is diagnosed with Long QT syndrome, a rare disorder
0:20:31 > 0:20:36that causes problems with the electrical activity of the heart.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38He's now on medication
0:20:38 > 0:20:41and has been a fitted with an internal defibrillator.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45So in the event he has another episode,
0:20:45 > 0:20:46another cardiac arrest,
0:20:46 > 0:20:51this defibrillator should kick in and bring him back round again.
0:20:51 > 0:20:56Cade's survival is down to the swift CPR given to him by Rebecca,
0:20:56 > 0:20:59her fellow lifeguards and the paramedics.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02It meant oxygen still got round his body,
0:21:02 > 0:21:05preventing irreparable brain and kidney damage.
0:21:07 > 0:21:09I think Cade's extremely fortunate.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12One in ten survive their cardiac arrest
0:21:12 > 0:21:14that doesn't happen in a hospital.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17And if it had happened at home, on the school playing fields,
0:21:17 > 0:21:20out with his friends, he wouldn't have survived it,
0:21:20 > 0:21:23because he wouldn't have had the CPR that he needed.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26I was told that if it wasn't for the lifeguards' reactions,
0:21:26 > 0:21:29I wouldn't be here right now, which is, like, insane.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32He came to visit us a couple of weeks after the incident.
0:21:32 > 0:21:36It was the best possible outcome you could ever hope for.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38Defibrillators can save anyone's life
0:21:38 > 0:21:40and CPR is such an amazing skill.
0:21:40 > 0:21:42I think it should be taught everywhere.
0:21:53 > 0:21:57An agonising time for a lovely family, but mercifully,
0:21:57 > 0:21:59with a happy ending.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02Now, a motorcyclist who's enjoying a day's run out with friends
0:22:02 > 0:22:05but ends up having a run-in with danger.
0:22:08 > 0:22:13The A41 on the Wirral. The rider of a three-wheel motorbike
0:22:13 > 0:22:16pulls up sharply at a traffic light.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19His friend on a motorbike behind can't stop in time.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23Smashing hard into the rear of the stationary trike,
0:22:23 > 0:22:27he's propelled into the air then comes crashing down onto the road.
0:22:28 > 0:22:30He's not moving.
0:22:37 > 0:22:41Railway engineer Stephen Foster loves trains,
0:22:41 > 0:22:44but he's just discovered a new passion for a different form
0:22:44 > 0:22:46of transport - learning to ride a motorbike.
0:22:48 > 0:22:52The thrill, the taking the bends, taking the junctions,
0:22:52 > 0:22:53taking the traffic.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56It gives you a sort of buzz.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02It's also a pastime Stephen can enjoy with his wife, Flo.
0:23:02 > 0:23:06He discovered she was a keen motorcyclist when they began dating
0:23:06 > 0:23:08two years ago.
0:23:08 > 0:23:10But as Steven hadn't yet passed his test,
0:23:10 > 0:23:13he decided to join a local motorbike club
0:23:13 > 0:23:15to get more experience on two wheels.
0:23:15 > 0:23:20At the open-air riders' meetings, he found plenty of like-minded folk.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23It's a community, and we all help each other out
0:23:23 > 0:23:26and talk to each other and encourage each other.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29We're a community of folks that's there for each other, basically.
0:23:29 > 0:23:30It really has been good for me.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38It's a bright July morning and Stephen and two friends
0:23:38 > 0:23:41from the motorcycle club are off on a road trip.
0:23:41 > 0:23:46We were heading out to a cafe somewhere in Wales.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49It was a bit of a mystery to me where this cafe was.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52But experienced rider Ian Carter knows the way
0:23:52 > 0:23:55and is leading the group on his trike.
0:23:55 > 0:24:00Generally, if you're riding in a group, you'll stagger the bikes
0:24:00 > 0:24:04so that you've actually got more braking distance.
0:24:04 > 0:24:08The three bikers set off from Bromborough on the A41.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12Stephen is excited about the prospect of
0:24:12 > 0:24:14biking through the Welsh countryside.
0:24:14 > 0:24:18I'd really been looking forward to, you know, learning a bit more about
0:24:18 > 0:24:22my bike and enjoying the companionship of my pals.
0:24:23 > 0:24:28Heading out of town, the group keep to a steady 30mph.
0:24:28 > 0:24:32They're approaching a set of traffic lights at a major junction.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35See the lights changing to amber, getting ready for red.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38The other two didn't know where we were going.
0:24:38 > 0:24:42I thought, well, I'll put the anchors on and come to a stop
0:24:42 > 0:24:43so we don't lose them.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47What happens next is captured by a dashcam
0:24:47 > 0:24:50from a stationary lorry on the other side of the junction.
0:24:53 > 0:25:00Steven slams straight into the back of Ian's stationary trike at 30mph.
0:25:00 > 0:25:02The footage from the lorry's dashcam
0:25:02 > 0:25:04shows Ian is stopping for the red light,
0:25:04 > 0:25:06Stephen doesn't brake in time
0:25:06 > 0:25:09and smashes hard into Ian's trike.
0:25:10 > 0:25:16He flies through the air then crashes down onto the tarmac.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18I hadn't got time to think,
0:25:18 > 0:25:21I just ploughed into the back of him and flew over the handlebars.
0:25:24 > 0:25:26So, I've basically braked for the lights,
0:25:26 > 0:25:29I've come to a stop just on the white line.
0:25:29 > 0:25:34Next minute, bang, I've been punted forward, like, two trike lengths
0:25:34 > 0:25:36in front of the line, wondering what the hell is going on.
0:25:42 > 0:25:47Ian turns to find his friend lying motionless on the road to his right.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52He gets off his trike as the third biker jumps off his bike
0:25:52 > 0:25:56and rushes over to Stephen. They call 999.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59I don't know whether I passed out. I just thought, "Oh!"
0:26:00 > 0:26:02And that was it, I was on the ground hurting.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05And I didn't know what to do.
0:26:05 > 0:26:09I was a bit upset, you know, I was in a right old way.
0:26:09 > 0:26:13Another motorcyclist pulls over and goes to help, shortly followed by
0:26:13 > 0:26:17a young woman who turns out to be an off-duty nurse.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21They're joined by three more motorists.
0:26:21 > 0:26:26The pain I was in was really intense and the whole of my back hurt
0:26:26 > 0:26:28and I wondered what on earth I had broken.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31You know, I was sure that quite a lot of bones were broken in there.
0:26:31 > 0:26:32Am I going to be paralysed?
0:26:34 > 0:26:36How bad is it? Am I going to be OK after this?
0:26:36 > 0:26:38Will this stop me riding my bike?
0:26:40 > 0:26:43The emergency services are on the scene within ten minutes
0:26:43 > 0:26:47and Stephen is taken to Arrowe Park Hospital in Birkenhead.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50Extensive tests reveal he has somehow escaped
0:26:50 > 0:26:54without serious injury, and eventually he's allowed home.
0:26:54 > 0:26:56It's some sort of a miracle.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59I was so lucky to be not worse injured than I was.
0:27:03 > 0:27:07Also intact, despite Stephen smashing into his trike,
0:27:07 > 0:27:09is his friendship with Ian.
0:27:09 > 0:27:11We're still mates, we still get on well.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14This year we're going to basically be going for a few more ride outs,
0:27:14 > 0:27:16so hopefully he'll be joining us all.
0:27:17 > 0:27:22He's lucky to have come off without serious injury, to say the least,
0:27:22 > 0:27:25and it's been very fortunate.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28The accident hasn't put Stephen off motorbiking.
0:27:29 > 0:27:32Six weeks later, he passed his motorcycle test
0:27:32 > 0:27:34and has now treated himself to a new bike.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39The best thing I did was to get back on the bike and keep riding,
0:27:39 > 0:27:41and it feels great to be back on the road again.
0:27:52 > 0:27:53That's it for today.
0:27:53 > 0:27:57Join me to meet more lucky survivors next time on Close Calls.