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 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 > 0:00:18You could see it on the faces of the crew how life-threatening this was.
0:00:18 > 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 > 0:00:26I 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 > 0:00:51An emergency call handler tries
0:00:51 > 0:00:53to reassure two distraught little girls.
0:00:53 > 0:00:55GIRL SOBS
0:00:55 > 0:00:57Their mum has fallen from the loft.
0:01:04 > 0:01:09The 999 operator urges the children to find someone nearby to help.
0:01:09 > 0:01:11They rush next door.
0:01:16 > 0:01:18A neighbour takes over the call.
0:01:23 > 0:01:27And two best friends are climbing when one slips and plummets onto
0:01:27 > 0:01:29- the rocks below.- For a split second,
0:01:29 > 0:01:33in my head, I was like, "Am I going down to him dead here?"
0:01:36 > 0:01:41Also today, a lorry driver's dashcam captures the moment another trucker
0:01:41 > 0:01:43comes round a blind bend...
0:01:43 > 0:01:46..on the same side of the road.
0:01:54 > 0:01:55Plymouth, Devon.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01A 999 operator takes a call from a distressed eight-year-old girl.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08Daisy's mum has fallen from the loft, hitting her head hard.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11She's unconscious and moaning in pain.
0:02:24 > 0:02:26We were all very scared.
0:02:35 > 0:02:39The beautiful port city of Plymouth in Devon is home to nurse Sarah,
0:02:39 > 0:02:43her husband Nick and their two daughters - Daisy, aged eight,
0:02:43 > 0:02:46and Esme, who's six.
0:02:47 > 0:02:49Daisy's quite sensible.
0:02:49 > 0:02:50She likes her rules.
0:02:50 > 0:02:54She likes to have a set order to do things.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56Esme is more of a free spirit.
0:02:58 > 0:03:00Boing!
0:03:00 > 0:03:02My little sister's six.
0:03:02 > 0:03:07She's sometimes a little bit annoying, but most of the time,
0:03:07 > 0:03:10- she's very nice.- They're really good friends, yeah.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12They always want to be together.
0:03:12 > 0:03:16Playing games, cricket, swimming, body boarding,
0:03:16 > 0:03:18and just generally having a good time.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21But one summer morning in August,
0:03:21 > 0:03:23the girls' teamwork is put to the test.
0:03:26 > 0:03:30The family had just returned from a caravan holiday.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33We'd had a great week, it had been sunny all week, playing on a beach,
0:03:33 > 0:03:36playing cricket, out to the lake every night,
0:03:36 > 0:03:40eating fish and chips on the beach. Fantastic holiday.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42Dad Nick is at the gym,
0:03:42 > 0:03:46and sisters Daisy and Esme are watching TV in the lounge.
0:03:46 > 0:03:50Upstairs, mum Sarah is unpacking from the holiday.
0:03:50 > 0:03:51I had to empty all the suitcases,
0:03:51 > 0:03:54it was our first day back, and I'd done all the washing.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57And I looked at the clock and thought,
0:03:57 > 0:04:01"I have enough time to put the suitcases away in the loft.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03"I won't wait for Nick to do it
0:04:03 > 0:04:05"because he might not do it straightaway,"
0:04:05 > 0:04:07and I like things done straightaway.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13Keen to get cracking, Sarah pulls the loft ladder down
0:04:13 > 0:04:15onto the landing.
0:04:17 > 0:04:21We've got quite high ceilings, so it's quite a long ladder.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23But it is attached to the loft,
0:04:23 > 0:04:25so I felt it was quite safe to go up there.
0:04:25 > 0:04:27The suitcases are empty
0:04:27 > 0:04:30and Sarah successfully lifts them up the ladder.
0:04:32 > 0:04:34I do remember putting them down
0:04:34 > 0:04:39near to the loft hatch where they go, just to the side.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42And that's where I don't remember anything else after that.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45In a split second, she somehow loses her footing,
0:04:45 > 0:04:48and plunges eight feet to the bottom of the ladder,
0:04:48 > 0:04:52crashing onto the landing at the top of the stairs.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55Below in the lounge, Daisy and Esme hear a fall.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58We just heard a big bang.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01And we thought, "She's probably just dropped something.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04"Like, knocked off a photo frame."
0:05:04 > 0:05:07The girls rush upstairs to see what's happened.
0:05:07 > 0:05:11When you hear a bang, you think it's just something knocked off.
0:05:11 > 0:05:12And when we saw her on the floor,
0:05:12 > 0:05:15she'd obviously been the thing that made the bang.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22At the top of the stairs, the sisters find their mum
0:05:22 > 0:05:24sprawled on the floor groaning in pain.
0:05:24 > 0:05:30She was putting her head right near the banister and she kept on doing
0:05:30 > 0:05:33this - "Urgh," really loud.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37It wasn't nice to see what she was doing and I was worried
0:05:37 > 0:05:39that my sister was going to be very scared.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44Daisy goes to her mum's side.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47I checked, she was breathing and she didn't cut herself.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51But when she wasn't getting up, that's when I started to think,
0:05:51 > 0:05:53"What am I going to do now?"
0:05:53 > 0:05:57Daisy has the presence of mind to use her mother's mobile phone
0:05:57 > 0:05:59to call for help.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01I tried to call my dad, but because he was in the gym,
0:06:01 > 0:06:03he didn't have his phone out.
0:06:03 > 0:06:05So I decided to call 999.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09This is that 999 call.
0:06:15 > 0:06:19When I got the phone, I was so scared that I just cried.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32At the other end of the phone is emergency call handler Tracy.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35You never know what call you're going to take and
0:06:35 > 0:06:39total shock to have two little screaming children
0:06:39 > 0:06:41at the end of the phone,
0:06:41 > 0:06:44trying to calm them and find out what the situation was.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47But to get help to the girls, Tracy needs to know their exact location.
0:06:57 > 0:06:59Tracy must assess mum Sarah's injuries,
0:06:59 > 0:07:02but the girls are clearly distressed.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06One minute, they were calm and they were advising me what was going on.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10The next minute, there was screaming that was so high-pitched that...
0:07:10 > 0:07:14Obviously you could hear the trauma in their voices.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44I could hear the mum in the background, she was groaning.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46She was making like gurgling noises.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49I thought that something really, really serious
0:07:49 > 0:07:50had happened to Mummy.
0:07:50 > 0:07:54I was really scared that she'd injured herself badly
0:07:54 > 0:07:58and it would ruin part of our lives, like what we'd do again.
0:08:06 > 0:08:10Tracy wants to make sure the emergency services can reach Sarah
0:08:10 > 0:08:13and the girls quickly. She gives Daisy instructions.
0:08:24 > 0:08:25I wanted to make sure they knew
0:08:25 > 0:08:28which house they were attending, because time is paramount.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30So having the front door open,
0:08:30 > 0:08:33I made sure that my colleagues that were dealing with the police
0:08:33 > 0:08:36knew that it would be the house with the front door open.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38Anxious to calm the little girls,
0:08:38 > 0:08:41Tracy suggests they try and find help nearby.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54And she said to go and get our next-door neighbour.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57So I got our next-door neighbour.
0:08:57 > 0:08:59Next-door neighbour Annette
0:08:59 > 0:09:02is a family friend who has known the girls since they were born.
0:09:03 > 0:09:08I found Esme and Daisy in floods of tears, almost hysterical.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11They hadn't shoes or socks on their feet,
0:09:11 > 0:09:14so obviously had just run out from the house.
0:09:14 > 0:09:15The 999 call picks up Daisy's
0:09:15 > 0:09:18frantic explanation to her neighbour.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26THEY SCREAM AND SOB
0:09:31 > 0:09:35Annette rushes next door, as Tracy fills her in on the situation,
0:09:35 > 0:09:37and asks for more information.
0:09:54 > 0:09:59The ambulance arrives within minutes of Daisy's call.
0:09:59 > 0:10:03As paramedics attend to Sarah, Annette comforts the children.
0:10:03 > 0:10:07I took the girls and I sat them in the lounge and I shut the door
0:10:07 > 0:10:09so they couldn't hear what was going on upstairs.
0:10:09 > 0:10:13They just kept saying, "Is Mummy going to be all right?"
0:10:13 > 0:10:16Upstairs, Sarah is beginning to stir.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19I have a very vague memory at one point,
0:10:19 > 0:10:22a paramedic leaning over me.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25The ambulance crew put Sarah on a stretcher to get her downstairs.
0:10:25 > 0:10:27They had to carry her down the stairs
0:10:27 > 0:10:32and out the front door into the ambulance. So she had to go on
0:10:32 > 0:10:35a plastic board for carrying people on.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40At the same time, dad Nick is about to head home.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43I came out of the gym, and as soon as I got in my car,
0:10:43 > 0:10:45and saw I'd missed three calls from Sarah's phone,
0:10:45 > 0:10:48I thought there's something possibly wrong.
0:10:48 > 0:10:51When he arrives at the house, he finds medics about to load Sarah
0:10:51 > 0:10:54into an ambulance. She's now conscious.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58She was moaning in pain. And you think, you know, the worst,
0:10:58 > 0:11:00that she could be paralysed.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02And she was saying she couldn't feel her legs at the time.
0:11:02 > 0:11:04So, it was a worry.
0:11:04 > 0:11:08With Nick at her side and the girls being cared for by Annette,
0:11:08 > 0:11:12Sarah's taken by ambulance to nearby Derriford Hospital.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15The first thing I remember was being pushed
0:11:15 > 0:11:18along a corridor on a trolley,
0:11:18 > 0:11:21and I recognised the ceiling because I work in the hospital.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25And I asked the person pushing me if they'd put me to sleep.
0:11:25 > 0:11:26It felt like I'd just woke up.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31Sarah suffered a concussion and a broken hand,
0:11:31 > 0:11:35but remarkably was discharged less than 24 hours later.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38The family were relieved to have her home.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41My mum means a lot to me.
0:11:41 > 0:11:44If I didn't have her, I don't know what I'd do.
0:11:44 > 0:11:52She's fun, kind and...I just really love her.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55Both Daisy and Esme were officially commended
0:11:55 > 0:11:59by Devon & Cornwall Police for their actions and bravery that day.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02It was a close call for Sarah.
0:12:02 > 0:12:06Without the girls knowing what to do in an emergency,
0:12:06 > 0:12:08who knows what could have happened?
0:12:08 > 0:12:13If I'd have fallen even another few centimetres, or to the side,
0:12:13 > 0:12:17I could've been paralysed or worse.
0:12:17 > 0:12:19So I know how lucky I was.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24I'd like to thank my little girls for saving me,
0:12:24 > 0:12:27my neighbour for coming round and helping,
0:12:27 > 0:12:30all the emergency services that came that day.
0:12:30 > 0:12:32They did a fantastic job.
0:12:32 > 0:12:36And the family now have a new set of rules to keep Mum safe.
0:12:37 > 0:12:39Now, if Sarah goes in the loft,
0:12:39 > 0:12:43we try to encourage her only to go in the loft whilst I'm at home.
0:12:43 > 0:12:48Well, we don't allow going in the loft without an adult in the house.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55Coming up later, two heavy-goods vehicles about to meet on a bend -
0:12:55 > 0:12:57one's on the wrong side of the road.
0:12:58 > 0:13:04The first moment I saw that wagon, I went rigid with fear.
0:13:04 > 0:13:05It just looked unavoidable.
0:13:13 > 0:13:17North Berwick on the east coast of Scotland.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20A rock climber crashes down a 100-foot cliff face.
0:13:21 > 0:13:25Hitting the rocks below, he lies motionless.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28I didn't know if he was dead or alive.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31The climber needs urgent medical help,
0:13:31 > 0:13:33but there's no mobile phone signal.
0:13:43 > 0:13:45Cousins Jamie and Jason are best mates.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48Growing up in Glasgow, they were inseparable.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51As kids, me and Jason were called double trouble.
0:13:51 > 0:13:57We were never apart and always doing crazy stuff together,
0:13:57 > 0:13:59so it was great.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02He's like a brother to me. You know, he's just the same as a brother.
0:14:02 > 0:14:05Always been there. Staying over every weekend.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07From when we were pups up to now.
0:14:07 > 0:14:09So he's just exactly like a brother.
0:14:09 > 0:14:13As youngsters, they both developed a love of rock climbing.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17Just as a kid, I was always looking for something to climb,
0:14:17 > 0:14:21as in a tree, or when other people were wanting to go on the swings,
0:14:21 > 0:14:23I was not interested in swings.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26I would rather climb on the frame that the swing was on.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29Climbing's just my sport.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32It's just everybody's got one thing that they just absolutely love,
0:14:32 > 0:14:33and rock climbing's mine.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36I don't know, it's just you and the rock face.
0:14:36 > 0:14:38It's just, I don't know, it's just peace and quiet,
0:14:38 > 0:14:41and all you're thinking about is your next move.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44You're not thinking about anything else in the world - bills, anything
0:14:44 > 0:14:47like that. It's just you and the rock face, climbing. That's it.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52Their close bond makes them perfect climbing partners.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57Jason's smarter when it comes to safety-wise as well,
0:14:57 > 0:14:59when I kind of want to push it,
0:14:59 > 0:15:03but we work great as a team because of that fact, you know?
0:15:05 > 0:15:09It's a bright but cold winter's day in February.
0:15:09 > 0:15:13Jamie and Jason are preparing to climb a 100-metre-high sea stack
0:15:13 > 0:15:15off the coast of North Berwick.
0:15:17 > 0:15:21We got there. Just blown away, how beautiful it looked.
0:15:23 > 0:15:27Sea stacks are naturally occurring vertical rock formations
0:15:27 > 0:15:31on the coast, formed by wind and water.
0:15:31 > 0:15:33It's beautiful, it's perfect.
0:15:33 > 0:15:37A rock climbing wall is normally like that.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40A sea stack is like that.
0:15:40 > 0:15:44It's just like a big needle sticking generally out of the ocean.
0:15:44 > 0:15:45And it's just perfect.
0:15:45 > 0:15:49It's like a man-made wall, but in the right shape to go up.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52They'd been training for this climb for months.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56When you get there, it's exciting. You cannot wait to get on the face.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01They rope up, ready to tackle the steep, challenging sea stack.
0:16:01 > 0:16:05Jamie is lead climber, Jason is the belayer.
0:16:05 > 0:16:09It's his job to keep the tension on the rope attached to Jamie.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11If he doesn't, Jamie could fall,
0:16:11 > 0:16:14crashing down onto the sharp, jagged shoreline.
0:16:14 > 0:16:18The first route felt really good, comfortable, strong.
0:16:18 > 0:16:22Apart from getting dive-bombed by seagulls, it went great.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24Next, it's Jason's turn.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28Once both men have successfully completed their first climb,
0:16:28 > 0:16:30they opt for a tougher challenge.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33We picked a harder route the second time,
0:16:33 > 0:16:35round the other side of the stack, and climbed up that,
0:16:35 > 0:16:38which is the more treacherous side, with less protection.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42This time, Jason is first.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44But it's not a climb he enjoys.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50It was quite brittle and you could just, I don't know,
0:16:50 > 0:16:53just something told me that something wasn't going to be right
0:16:53 > 0:16:56that day. I don't know what it was, but as you were climbing,
0:16:56 > 0:16:57it just felt like sand.
0:16:57 > 0:17:01Undeterred by Jason's concerns, Jamie starts HIS climb.
0:17:01 > 0:17:06He places special devices known as cams into the rock face
0:17:06 > 0:17:07every few feet.
0:17:07 > 0:17:11These spring-loaded safety hooks are designed to prevent Jamie from
0:17:11 > 0:17:14falling down the cliff face if he slips or loses his grip.
0:17:14 > 0:17:20I started up the route, quite comfortable, got some protection,
0:17:20 > 0:17:25but once I started climbing, maybe 10-15 feet above the ground level,
0:17:25 > 0:17:28that's when stuff started popping.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31Jamie climbs higher up the 100-foot sea stack,
0:17:31 > 0:17:34but the hooks are failing to hold to the cliff face.
0:17:35 > 0:17:39Every second hold I was pulling on was just popping off
0:17:39 > 0:17:42and half knocking Jason out on the way down.
0:17:42 > 0:17:46So, that was the dangerous part of it,
0:17:46 > 0:17:49but I kept trying to get safe as much as possible.
0:17:51 > 0:17:55Jamie's now climbing with very few secure connections into the rock.
0:17:55 > 0:17:59He's relying entirely on Jason and the belay to save him if he falls.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02Every move he makes is risky,
0:18:02 > 0:18:04but Jamie feels he doesn't have much option.
0:18:05 > 0:18:10I felt safer to continue up on my strength, which is climbing up,
0:18:10 > 0:18:14to get to the solid anchor, than weight the gear.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17That would also mean I was trying to down-climb,
0:18:17 > 0:18:20which is more dangerous than climbing.
0:18:20 > 0:18:24This footage taken from Jason's helmet camera below
0:18:24 > 0:18:27shows Jamie close to reaching the top of the stack.
0:18:29 > 0:18:33But then, with just over a metre to go, disaster.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41Jamie suddenly falls, banging into the rock,
0:18:41 > 0:18:44then somersaulting and plummeting down the stack.
0:18:45 > 0:18:49Unable to right himself, he crashes headfirst into the rocks below.
0:18:49 > 0:18:53When I got to three quarters of the way up,
0:18:53 > 0:18:57I reached out to the right-hand side, went to weight it,
0:18:57 > 0:18:59and it just popped right off,
0:18:59 > 0:19:03came down, and then my footing slipped off it, and then...
0:19:05 > 0:19:07Cheerio. Bye-byes.
0:19:07 > 0:19:08Down I go.
0:19:10 > 0:19:11YELLING
0:19:15 > 0:19:19His holds have came loose, and he's actually started to come down.
0:19:19 > 0:19:21Within about two seconds,
0:19:21 > 0:19:23he had actually done a full backflip and went by me
0:19:23 > 0:19:25and hit off the ground below me.
0:19:25 > 0:19:29The video captures Jason's shouts of horror as he watches his best mate
0:19:29 > 0:19:32plunging down the rock towards him.
0:19:32 > 0:19:34JASON YELLS
0:19:34 > 0:19:37But there's nothing he can do to help.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40I actually heard the thud, it was a pretty horrific thud,
0:19:40 > 0:19:42and I didn't know where...
0:19:42 > 0:19:45For a split second in my head, I was like, "Am I actually going down
0:19:45 > 0:19:48"to him dead here, or is he still alive?"
0:19:48 > 0:19:50Cos he made a horrific noise when he hit the ground,
0:19:50 > 0:19:51and then it was just silence.
0:19:52 > 0:19:56Jamie is left dangling just inches from the rock floor.
0:19:56 > 0:19:58He's dazed and confused.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00Jason desperately tries to revive his mate.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05So I'm up, trying to wake him up, and he just wouldn't come to
0:20:05 > 0:20:08at first, and I didn't know if he was dead or alive.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11Slowly, Jamie comes round.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15Kind of sitting up and saying to myself,
0:20:15 > 0:20:18"How did I get down here so fast?"
0:20:18 > 0:20:20The adrenaline is still pumping.
0:20:20 > 0:20:22He thinks he's escaped without injury.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27First thing that came up in my mind is...
0:20:27 > 0:20:29.."Everything works, I'm fine."
0:20:29 > 0:20:31But then the pain kicks in
0:20:31 > 0:20:34and he begins to check himself over for wounds.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37My elbow's burst open and my ribs are killing me and my back's sore.
0:20:37 > 0:20:42Then I start to realise the extent and then I hear...
0:20:43 > 0:20:47..the fear and how scared Jason is, cos he's seen it all.
0:20:48 > 0:20:52Jason knows Jamie needs urgent medical attention,
0:20:52 > 0:20:55but he can't get a mobile phone signal.
0:20:55 > 0:20:59They must get back to their car so Jason can drive Jamie to hospital.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03But the vehicle is parked more than two miles away.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06They're going to have to walk.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09The journey seemed to take forever. It was a scramble just to get
0:21:09 > 0:21:13up onto the moorland, and then it maybe took 20 minutes,
0:21:13 > 0:21:17where it would normally have taken me...five to get up to the top.
0:21:17 > 0:21:22Then it's over fields and over fences.
0:21:22 > 0:21:26In pain and still in shock, Jamie quickly starts to tire.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29Just trying to keep him awake and keep him perked up
0:21:29 > 0:21:30to try and get back to the car.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35Eventually, they make it to the car and Jason drives Jamie
0:21:35 > 0:21:36straight to Edinburgh Hospital.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41An MRI scan shows Jamie hasn't damaged his spine,
0:21:41 > 0:21:44but he does have a broken elbow, a broken leg
0:21:44 > 0:21:47and numerous cuts and bruises.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51They also discover just how close he was to breaking his neck.
0:21:51 > 0:21:56When I was falling, the rope must have wrapped round my neck
0:21:56 > 0:21:58and caused a big cut right down my neck,
0:21:58 > 0:22:02which has left me with that big scar down the back of my neck
0:22:02 > 0:22:04and onto my chest.
0:22:04 > 0:22:08The accident hasn't put Jamie off his favourite pursuit.
0:22:08 > 0:22:10A couple of months later, he's back climbing,
0:22:10 > 0:22:12although with SOME trepidation.
0:22:12 > 0:22:16The first climb since the accident was indoors.
0:22:16 > 0:22:20I felt pretty comfortable going up, but since the accident,
0:22:20 > 0:22:24it was coming back down again, kind of flashbacks would happen.
0:22:24 > 0:22:28That was the hardest part, coming back down.
0:22:28 > 0:22:30Jason has noticed a change in his cousin's attitude
0:22:30 > 0:22:34- to the sport they both love.- Jamie's more calculated in his climb now.
0:22:34 > 0:22:36He's not taking as much risks, probably,
0:22:36 > 0:22:39and obviously it's still in the back of his head what happened,
0:22:39 > 0:22:42just how quickly it can happen and we managed to escape this time,
0:22:42 > 0:22:44just with a bit of luck.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47I definitely think that day, somebody was watching over me.
0:22:47 > 0:22:48I was lucky.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51Jamie now has a permanent reminder
0:22:51 > 0:22:54of just how close he came to disaster.
0:22:54 > 0:22:58I got a monument tattoo of the sea stack,
0:22:58 > 0:23:02and the Grim Reaper is sitting at the bottom of the sea stack,
0:23:02 > 0:23:03ready for me.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06But that day, he didn't quite get me.
0:23:14 > 0:23:16We often feature stories from Britain's roads,
0:23:16 > 0:23:19but this next one from Wales might make you jump a bit.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22And you'll understand how the driver who filmed it felt.
0:23:23 > 0:23:26The A40 near Llandovery in Wales.
0:23:27 > 0:23:31A dashcam films the view from the driving seat of a 40-tonne truck.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35It's approaching a bend.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38Suddenly, out of nowhere, another lorry appears.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41It's on the wrong side of the road.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43They're about to meet head-on.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54Chris Sherburne, from Selby in Yorkshire,
0:23:54 > 0:23:58drives an HGV for a living, a job he instantly fell in love with
0:23:58 > 0:24:00the first time he sat behind the wheel.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02I like being your own boss.
0:24:02 > 0:24:07I enjoy the challenge and the variations of places that we go to.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10But there is one downside to all the travelling.
0:24:10 > 0:24:14It takes him away from his family for long periods of time.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17He has two daughters, a son and two grandchildren.
0:24:17 > 0:24:21They're all grown up now and left home, and they mean the world to me,
0:24:21 > 0:24:23these three kids and the grandchildren.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28Chris is a former soldier, another job that involved
0:24:28 > 0:24:29a lot of travelling.
0:24:29 > 0:24:35I served with the Royal Engineers and served in countries like Kenya,
0:24:35 > 0:24:38Germany and Northern Ireland.
0:24:38 > 0:24:39When he does have free time,
0:24:39 > 0:24:42his passion is to get straight back on the road.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44On two wheels.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47I love the open road, the freedom,
0:24:47 > 0:24:50the camaraderie with fellow bikers, and, yeah,
0:24:50 > 0:24:53we're all on each other's same wavelengths.
0:24:53 > 0:24:55Chris has put plenty of miles under his belt
0:24:55 > 0:24:57with both forms of transport,
0:24:57 > 0:25:01but he's never been involved in a serious road accident.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04He puts this down to some advice from his dad.
0:25:04 > 0:25:08I remember me dad saying once, "Always expect the unexpected,"
0:25:08 > 0:25:11and it's helped me a lot, actually.
0:25:12 > 0:25:14It's a sunny spring day in April.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17Chris is at the wheel of his 40-tonne lorry,
0:25:17 > 0:25:20and has just finished making a delivery in South Wales.
0:25:20 > 0:25:24He's now heading 50 miles east to Abergavenny.
0:25:24 > 0:25:26It was a beautiful day. I was enjoying
0:25:26 > 0:25:28the scenery and the nice weather.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31The roads were quiet as well so, yeah,
0:25:31 > 0:25:33it was made out to be a nice run.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38The camera in his cab gives Chris's view of the road ahead,
0:25:38 > 0:25:41as he travels along at a steady 40mph
0:25:41 > 0:25:44on the A40 in Carmarthenshire -
0:25:44 > 0:25:46a road he knows well.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49I have been on this road numerous times.
0:25:49 > 0:25:51We do a lot of work down in Wales.
0:25:51 > 0:25:55But as he comes to a bend in the road, this is what he sees.
0:25:59 > 0:26:05Within two and a half seconds, I'd gone from 40 to 0.
0:26:06 > 0:26:10The enormous 40-tonne lorry hurtles towards him.
0:26:12 > 0:26:16The first moment I saw that wagon coming round that bend,
0:26:16 > 0:26:23I went rigid with fear and my foot went rigidly on that pedal,
0:26:23 > 0:26:26the middle pedal. It just looked unavoidable.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29The other lorry swerves to the left
0:26:29 > 0:26:32as Chris hurls his vehicle towards the bank.
0:26:32 > 0:26:34It's such a narrow road.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37There was no veering off, hardly, I could do.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40So I had to rely on braking, my instincts,
0:26:40 > 0:26:42and also his instincts as well.
0:26:42 > 0:26:48You've got two 40-tonne wagons doing 40mph towards each other,
0:26:48 > 0:26:53and meeting on a blind bend. It's quite scary, actually.
0:26:55 > 0:26:57QUITE scary! Miraculously,
0:26:57 > 0:27:01the two lorries narrowly miss a potentially fatal head-on collision.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05I did think, at one point, my days were up.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08He pulled to his left and I pulled to my left.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10We JUST missed each other.
0:27:10 > 0:27:14And he carried on, on his way, and I've not seen him since.
0:27:14 > 0:27:19Chris is in shock and stops his lorry at the first opportunity.
0:27:19 > 0:27:23How we never made contact is unbelievable.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26If we'd have had an actual collision,
0:27:26 > 0:27:29I wouldn't have been here. It'd have killed me.
0:27:29 > 0:27:31Yeah.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37And Chris is convinced those wise words from his father
0:27:37 > 0:27:39kept him safe once again.
0:27:39 > 0:27:42I think my dad was sat with me that day.
0:27:42 > 0:27:44Always expect the unexpected.
0:27:44 > 0:27:46Didn't expect that.
0:27:57 > 0:27:58Now, that WAS a close call.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01It's unbelievable those two lorries didn't collide head-on.
0:28:01 > 0:28:02See you next time.