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 > 0:00:15- Right, call 999 now.- The 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 > 0:00:22Why would you need to swim? Apparently, 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...
0:00:50 > 0:00:53..two walkers and their dog are lost in the Cairngorms.
0:00:53 > 0:00:55They've been missing for 24 hours.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57Rescue workers battle through a blizzard,
0:00:57 > 0:01:01but hopes of finding them are fading fast.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04There was no question just how serious it was.
0:01:04 > 0:01:06They would not survive another night.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11And...a mum driving home with her two young daughters
0:01:11 > 0:01:15collapses at the wheel. Nine-year-old Lily calls 999.
0:01:26 > 0:01:30Also today...a regular customer at a local bakery.
0:01:30 > 0:01:34He's about to open the door when a car comes from nowhere and crashes
0:01:34 > 0:01:38into the shop front. Staff find him collapsed outside.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41It looked to me like his legs were broken.
0:01:41 > 0:01:42He was dazed.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45It's like he didn't know where he was or who he was.
0:01:53 > 0:01:57The Cairngorm Mountains in the Eastern Highlands of Scotland.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00A mountain rescue team battle through a blizzard,
0:02:00 > 0:02:03desperately searching for two walkers who've been lost
0:02:03 > 0:02:05on the hills for more than 24 hours.
0:02:08 > 0:02:12Chances of finding the couple alive are vanishing by the second.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15Winter mountaineering in the Highlands, here in the Cairngorms,
0:02:15 > 0:02:18is really quite a serious undertaking.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21If something goes wrong, it could easily become quite tragic.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34Bob and Cathy live in a rural area of Leicestershire
0:02:34 > 0:02:36and both love the outdoor life.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40We don't really like being stuck inside.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43We'd much sooner go for a walk than sit and watch the television.
0:02:43 > 0:02:47Their holidays always revolve around adventure.
0:02:47 > 0:02:49Walking, we enjoy skiing, cycling.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52Mainly outdoor activities, really.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55Joining Cathy and Bob on many of their trips is eight-year-old Meg,
0:02:55 > 0:02:57their Border collie.
0:02:57 > 0:02:59She's just got such a fantastic personality.
0:02:59 > 0:03:01She's a very happy, friendly little dog.
0:03:02 > 0:03:06One of their favourite places to go walking is the Scottish hills.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09We've been doing it for 30 years now, walking the Scottish hills,
0:03:09 > 0:03:13right from the north of Scotland, down to Glencoe.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15We just like the wildness.
0:03:15 > 0:03:16Some of the sites, in Scotland,
0:03:16 > 0:03:19when you're up on these mountains, is absolutely breathtaking.
0:03:20 > 0:03:24It's New Year's Day in the Cairngorm National Park.
0:03:24 > 0:03:28Bob, Cathy and Meg are spending the festive period in their caravan
0:03:28 > 0:03:30on the Glenmore campsite.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33We've been going to Scotland now every Christmas and New Year
0:03:33 > 0:03:36in the caravan for the last 20-odd years.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38We always go to the same place.
0:03:38 > 0:03:43Today, the keen walkers are heading out with Meg on a 25km hike.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47Their route will take them 1,245 metres up
0:03:47 > 0:03:51to the summit of Cairngorm, then back home on established paths.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56This should take them about nine hours, but with the sun setting
0:03:56 > 0:03:58at around 3pm during the Highland winter months,
0:03:58 > 0:04:02it's an ambitious plan. However, the experienced walkers
0:04:02 > 0:04:04are fully equipped, with a compass, food,
0:04:04 > 0:04:07warm drinks and survival bags.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10I knew it was going to be a long walk.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13Probably, we would need the head torches for the last, sort of,
0:04:13 > 0:04:14three or four hours.
0:04:14 > 0:04:18Cathy checks the notoriously unpredictable Highland weather.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21But it's looking good, so at 10:30am, they set off.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28We start off on this walk, a little bit of snow, but it wasn't too bad.
0:04:28 > 0:04:32But three hours into the walk, the snow gets deeper underfoot.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37We were up to our sort of knees and thighs in the snow in places
0:04:37 > 0:04:39where the snow had built up by the wind.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41Cathy's finding it hard going,
0:04:41 > 0:04:45and by 3:30pm, they're severely behind schedule.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48Plus it's almost dark and the weather is deteriorating.
0:04:49 > 0:04:54After about five or six hours, cos I was so slow, it really,
0:04:54 > 0:04:56really hampered the walk.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59The couple have no option but to push on.
0:04:59 > 0:05:03The quickest route back to safety is now up to the summit and down.
0:05:06 > 0:05:10Back at the campsite, it's snowing hard and a blizzard is forecast.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13One of Cathy and Bob's neighbours is concerned.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18She calls the police, who send out an alert
0:05:18 > 0:05:20to the Cairngorm Mountain Rescue team.
0:05:20 > 0:05:22Willie Anderson is team leader,
0:05:22 > 0:05:27and with 35 years' experience, he knows this treacherous terrain
0:05:27 > 0:05:28better than anyone.
0:05:28 > 0:05:32Winter mountaineering in the Highlands, here in the Cairngorms,
0:05:32 > 0:05:33is really quite a serious undertaking.
0:05:33 > 0:05:38If something goes wrong, it could easily, easily become quite tragic
0:05:38 > 0:05:39and very serious.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44Temperatures are now well below freezing.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47Willie knows anyone still out on the mountain is in great danger.
0:05:49 > 0:05:53Straight away, he deploys a Search and Rescue helicopter
0:05:53 > 0:05:56and a 12-strong team on foot to scour the 100 square miles
0:05:56 > 0:05:58of Cairngorm National Park.
0:05:58 > 0:06:02We had an idea of the route that they were planning,
0:06:02 > 0:06:05and I knew myself that the weather had been terrible
0:06:05 > 0:06:07and that night was shaping up with a blizzard.
0:06:08 > 0:06:10Still some way below the summit,
0:06:10 > 0:06:13Cathy and Bob battle on, using small head torches to navigate
0:06:13 > 0:06:15their way in the pitch-black.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20We'd been walking the best part of, maybe, ten or 11 hours.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23Cathy was really struggling. So she was really tired.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27In fact, she's utterly exhausted.
0:06:27 > 0:06:28They have to stop.
0:06:30 > 0:06:34The temperature is now -25.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36If you've got to spend the night on a mountain,
0:06:36 > 0:06:39and the weather's not good, what is your chance of survival?
0:06:39 > 0:06:42Theirs is getting slimmer.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45It's gone 1am, they're nearly 1,000 metres up,
0:06:45 > 0:06:47and all that's between them and freezing to death
0:06:47 > 0:06:52is a thin survival bag. They climb in with Meg between them.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55You don't go to sleep. If you did, you probably wouldn't wake up again.
0:06:55 > 0:06:59The search teams have been out on the mountain for seven hours
0:06:59 > 0:07:02before they get a breakthrough. At 4:30am,
0:07:02 > 0:07:06the helicopter crew spot a trail of footprints and paw prints.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10But the aircraft can't continue to fly.
0:07:11 > 0:07:13They couldn't get any higher, because the clag was down,
0:07:13 > 0:07:16the mist was down, and it was snowing on the tops.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19So they had to return to base.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22And after 12 arduous hours on the mountain,
0:07:22 > 0:07:26the search party on the ground are also forced to withdraw to rest.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30Somewhere near the summit of Cairngorm,
0:07:30 > 0:07:35huddled in their survival bag, Bob, Cathy and Meg face the night alone.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41Later, the couple make another attempt
0:07:41 > 0:07:43to get back down the mountain,
0:07:43 > 0:07:46but once again, conditions are against them.
0:07:46 > 0:07:48We were just headed into this white oblivion.
0:07:48 > 0:07:50It was like one step forward and two steps back.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02Boothstown, Greater Manchester.
0:08:02 > 0:08:03It's a winter's evening
0:08:03 > 0:08:06when a 999 call comes into the emergency services.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09It's from a terrified nine-year-old girl.
0:08:09 > 0:08:13CHILD SCREAMING:
0:08:13 > 0:08:16The girl's mother has suddenly blacked out in the car.
0:08:21 > 0:08:22Her eyes were rolled upwards
0:08:22 > 0:08:25and she just looked like the sickest thing ever.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42Boothstown is a residential area in Greater Manchester.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45It's home to Claire and her two daughters - Lily, aged nine,
0:08:45 > 0:08:48- and Eva, who's six. - What are you drawing?
0:08:48 > 0:08:51- I'm drawing a doggy. - A cat crossed with a horse.
0:08:51 > 0:08:53Me and my children, it's just the three of us.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56I worked a long time in the travel industry, which I loved...
0:08:56 > 0:08:58Draw a picture of me and Lily.
0:08:58 > 0:09:00..but now I'm a dedicated mum.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05Yeah, I really love her very much, she looks after us very well.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08Lily's my eldest and she's very confident.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12I kind of like acting a little and singing.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15I want to be a lawyer when I'm older, though.
0:09:15 > 0:09:18And then Eva, she's very matter-of-fact,
0:09:18 > 0:09:21but she's very loving.
0:09:21 > 0:09:22I love my mummy very much.
0:09:22 > 0:09:24Too much to describe.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28Claire values every moment spent with her children.
0:09:28 > 0:09:30She very nearly lost her own life
0:09:30 > 0:09:32when she was younger than they are now.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34When I was very young, around five,
0:09:34 > 0:09:36I was unlucky to contract meningitis,
0:09:36 > 0:09:38and that left me with a condition
0:09:38 > 0:09:40that's really been with me all my life.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43As a child, and later as a teenager, Claire was often ill
0:09:43 > 0:09:45and suffered blackouts.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48She hasn't had one for 16 years, but has still made sure Lily
0:09:48 > 0:09:52and Eva know what to do if ever she's taken ill.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56Most mums tell their children how to dial 999,
0:09:56 > 0:09:59but with having a pre-existing medical condition,
0:09:59 > 0:10:01I think it's been quite important.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04One Sunday night in November, Claire's precautions pay off.
0:10:06 > 0:10:10The family have been out for a roast dinner at a friend's house
0:10:10 > 0:10:13in nearby Wigan. They head home just after 8pm.
0:10:13 > 0:10:15I'd say we'd been driving about five minutes,
0:10:15 > 0:10:17and I started to feel quite unwell.
0:10:17 > 0:10:19Sick, really, with a bit of a headache.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21It's a cold evening.
0:10:21 > 0:10:23Claire's keen to get home and put the girls to bed.
0:10:23 > 0:10:27She hopes her symptoms may just be the start of a winter bug
0:10:27 > 0:10:28and keeps driving.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31As I progressed down the East Lancs,
0:10:31 > 0:10:34which is a very, very busy road, I realised that it was possibly more.
0:10:34 > 0:10:36I thought, "Oh, no."
0:10:36 > 0:10:38Claire hasn't had this feeling for 16 years,
0:10:38 > 0:10:41but she knows she needs to get off the busy dual carriageway fast,
0:10:41 > 0:10:43for everyone's safety.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46All of a sudden, she said that she started feeling sick,
0:10:46 > 0:10:48and then Mummy said, "I'm going to have to pull over."
0:10:49 > 0:10:51Claire manages to pull into a lay-by,
0:10:51 > 0:10:53but doesn't get a chance to tell Lily and Eva
0:10:53 > 0:10:55she's about to have an attack.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58The last thing I really remember, pulling over at the side,
0:10:58 > 0:11:00and the girls saying, "What's wrong, Mummy?"
0:11:00 > 0:11:01And then it all started.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05Claire blacks out in front of her terrified children.
0:11:05 > 0:11:09Her face was all white, and her eyes were rolled upwards,
0:11:09 > 0:11:12and she just looked like the sickest thing ever.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15Lily realises it's down to her to get help.
0:11:15 > 0:11:20As Mum has taught her, she grabs Claire's phone and dials 999.
0:11:20 > 0:11:21This is that call...
0:11:44 > 0:11:46It was difficult to try and figure out what to do,
0:11:46 > 0:11:48as I was in a very bad panic.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03Worried their mum may be dying,
0:12:03 > 0:12:05the girls try to do what they can to help.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08Lily told me to whack her chest.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13So I literally whacked her chest.
0:12:25 > 0:12:30Emergency call taker Stephanie needs to know the girls' exact location.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47Police officers in the area are dispatched
0:12:47 > 0:12:50to look for the girls in the car. One of them is Simon Quinn.
0:12:50 > 0:12:54The East Lancs Road is a very busy road in the area
0:12:54 > 0:12:56and knowing that children there are in distress, obviously,
0:12:56 > 0:12:58it's quite an emotional call,
0:12:58 > 0:13:00and you want to get there as soon as possible.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16Suddenly, mum Claire comes to in a state of confusion.
0:13:31 > 0:13:35Confused and disorientated, Claire starts moving away from the vehicle
0:13:35 > 0:13:41and alongside the carriageway, where traffic is flying past at 50mph.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50Frightened for her mum's safety, Lily wants to go after her.
0:14:04 > 0:14:06As Claire staggers along the road,
0:14:06 > 0:14:10traffic officer Simon and a colleague spot the family's car
0:14:10 > 0:14:12with its hazards flashing.
0:14:12 > 0:14:16When I approached, the children were gesturing and indicating
0:14:16 > 0:14:18that the mother was further up the road.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24She'd gone quite a distance from the vehicle.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26Simon takes the phone from Lily.
0:14:31 > 0:14:33His colleague grabs Claire just in time,
0:14:33 > 0:14:36as she stumbles into the carriageway.
0:14:36 > 0:14:38I was, like, "Oh, thank God for that."
0:14:38 > 0:14:41Claire recalls little of what happened that night.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44The next thing I really remember was sirens
0:14:44 > 0:14:47and a policeman grabbing my arm.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50They took me into the ambulance to ensure that I was OK and safe
0:14:50 > 0:14:54and they'd taken the girls to my sister's.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56My main concern, really, was the girls,
0:14:56 > 0:14:59getting to them and making sure they weren't too scared
0:14:59 > 0:15:02and they could see Mummy was all right.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05Now she knows her medical condition has returned,
0:15:05 > 0:15:07Claire is able to keep it under control
0:15:07 > 0:15:09and she's very proud of her girls.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13Lily dealt with the situation amazingly.
0:15:14 > 0:15:16My mum, she taught me really well,
0:15:16 > 0:15:20and she's probably the best mum anyone could wish for.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23Both Lily and Eva were officially commended
0:15:23 > 0:15:27by Greater Manchester Police for their actions and bravery.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30I'm very lucky that it wasn't worse than it was.
0:15:30 > 0:15:32I'm more lucky that I've got two amazing little girls
0:15:32 > 0:15:33that not only love me,
0:15:33 > 0:15:36but, you know, they want to protect me as well.
0:15:40 > 0:15:44Coming up....a car ploughs into a bakery's shop front...
0:15:45 > 0:15:48..narrowly missing shoppers inside.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51But a customer on the way in isn't so lucky.
0:15:59 > 0:16:03Back in the Cairngorm mountain range in Scotland, walkers Bob,
0:16:03 > 0:16:04Cathy and their dog Meg
0:16:04 > 0:16:08have been lost in a blizzard for nearly 24 hours.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11They've spent the night huddled together in one survival bag.
0:16:12 > 0:16:16As the sun rises, the couple are relieved to have made it through,
0:16:16 > 0:16:18but the danger hasn't passed.
0:16:19 > 0:16:20I said to Cathy, I said, "Come on,"
0:16:20 > 0:16:23I said, "We've got to get going now."
0:16:23 > 0:16:25I was hoping for clear conditions,
0:16:25 > 0:16:28but unfortunately it was basically white out conditions up there.
0:16:28 > 0:16:32It didn't matter which way you looked, everywhere was white.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34By this time, we realised, when we went to look for the map,
0:16:34 > 0:16:36that the map had gone.
0:16:36 > 0:16:40So we had to basically rely on the compass.
0:16:42 > 0:16:48As Cathy and Bob struggle on, a fresh Mountain Rescue team set out.
0:16:48 > 0:16:50Hopes of finding the couple alive are fading,
0:16:50 > 0:16:56so as well as the helicopter, there are now 50 searchers on foot.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59This footage, filmed from a camera worn by one of the search team,
0:16:59 > 0:17:05shows them battling through thick snow and over uneven, icy ground.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08Cathy and Bob have now been out on Cairngorm Mountain
0:17:08 > 0:17:10for over 24 hours.
0:17:13 > 0:17:14For a time, we were up to our waist in the snow.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17Just heading into this white oblivion.
0:17:17 > 0:17:19It's, like, one step forward and two steps back.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23Steve Broadhurst, one of the rescue team on the ground,
0:17:23 > 0:17:25is climbing just below the summit
0:17:25 > 0:17:29when he suddenly spots a shadowy figure in the distance.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32So I went down to see who this person was.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34Sure enough, it was, it was Robert.
0:17:36 > 0:17:37We just didn't have a clue
0:17:37 > 0:17:40that anybody was looking for us whatsoever.
0:17:40 > 0:17:42We were really grateful to see them.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48Following just a few metres behind Bob is a weakened Cathy.
0:17:48 > 0:17:50We were very glad to see them!
0:17:50 > 0:17:54Despite their ordeal, Bob appears to be in fairly good condition,
0:17:54 > 0:17:57but Steve is immediately worried about Cathy.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00She was showing signs of early hypothermia, as well as...
0:18:00 > 0:18:03Combine that with the exhaustion, she was in a pretty bad way.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07Cathy needs urgent care. This footage,
0:18:07 > 0:18:11taken minutes after they were found, shows Bob and Cathy,
0:18:11 > 0:18:14both covered in a fine layer of ice,
0:18:14 > 0:18:16being given food and warm drinks,
0:18:16 > 0:18:19but Cathy has no energy left.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22Somebody in the team offered Cathy a sandwich
0:18:22 > 0:18:25and she just physically wasn't able to eat the sandwich.
0:18:25 > 0:18:28Alarm bells ring for the rescue team.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31If someone gets really cold, it's good to give them some food
0:18:31 > 0:18:32and drink and get them warmed up,
0:18:32 > 0:18:36but if they can't swallow, that becomes more and more difficult.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39Cathy urgently needs to be taken off the mountain.
0:18:39 > 0:18:41Steve radios Willie back at control
0:18:41 > 0:18:44and requests an all-terrain track vehicle.
0:18:44 > 0:18:48He felt that the couple could not make their way off the mountain
0:18:48 > 0:18:50without a lot of assistance.
0:18:52 > 0:18:54One of the rescue teams liaises with Willie,
0:18:54 > 0:18:56who's driving the rescue vehicle.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10But the rescue vehicle can't quite reach them.
0:19:18 > 0:19:22Bob and Cathy are going to have to walk the last 100 metres.
0:19:22 > 0:19:24But it's too much for Cathy.
0:19:24 > 0:19:25She's close to collapse,
0:19:25 > 0:19:28and is helped down the slope by two of the team.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32My whole leg, by that time, was aching, absolutely throbbing,
0:19:32 > 0:19:34and all I wanted to do was get down.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37They virtually carried me, I don't think I actually walked.
0:19:39 > 0:19:44Eventually, Cathy makes it to the vehicle, with Bob close behind.
0:19:44 > 0:19:46- Right foot up.- Right foot up.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49On you go.
0:19:49 > 0:19:54Totally exhausted, she can't even lift her leg to get on board.
0:19:54 > 0:19:56Just step on here, look.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59Willie kneels down in the snow to form an additional step.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02You weigh nothing. Right, OK.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04So Cathy got in the front
0:20:04 > 0:20:07with the driver. Me and Meg, we got in the back.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14With Cathy deteriorating, time is critical.
0:20:16 > 0:20:18We need to get them out of that environment as quickly
0:20:18 > 0:20:20and as smoothly as possible.
0:20:20 > 0:20:21- OK.- See you later.
0:20:21 > 0:20:25It's just a kilometre drive to the nearby mountain restaurant
0:20:25 > 0:20:29where Bob, Cathy and Meg are met by members of the local ski patrol,
0:20:29 > 0:20:32and given more food and warm drinks,
0:20:32 > 0:20:33as well as a physical checkup.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39Slowly, Cathy begins to warm up, and an hour later,
0:20:39 > 0:20:42they're taken back to the campsite.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47When we got back to the caravan, we were reminiscing
0:20:47 > 0:20:51of how lucky we were, how things could have been different.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54- How could we have been so stupid? - SHE LAUGHS
0:20:54 > 0:20:56Yes, we're very grateful to them.
0:20:57 > 0:21:02If we'd have had any doubts at all that we couldn't complete that walk,
0:21:02 > 0:21:03we wouldn't have done it.
0:21:03 > 0:21:07The experience hasn't taken away their love of hill climbing...
0:21:07 > 0:21:10We will be back to do more Scottish hills.
0:21:10 > 0:21:14..but when planning their next walk, Cathy will be more cautious.
0:21:14 > 0:21:18We'll have had to think more carefully about what the conditions
0:21:18 > 0:21:19will be like further up.
0:21:19 > 0:21:24Willie is in no doubt that Cathy and Bob had an extremely close call.
0:21:24 > 0:21:28I'm not sure that they realised just how serious it was.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31There's no question, if we had not found them,
0:21:31 > 0:21:33they would not have survived another night.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35Bob has taken this on board
0:21:35 > 0:21:38and has words of advice for even the most experienced walker
0:21:38 > 0:21:40setting out into the mountains.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43All I can say is that, you know, make sure you go prepared
0:21:43 > 0:21:47and don't underestimate the mountains in winter.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00It just goes to show, it doesn't matter how experienced people are,
0:22:00 > 0:22:02the weather can catch us all out.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04It's all about proper planning.
0:22:04 > 0:22:06But there are some things you can't plan for,
0:22:06 > 0:22:08like popping out of the office for a quick sandwich
0:22:08 > 0:22:10and almost walking straight into disaster.
0:22:12 > 0:22:14Coleshill, near Birmingham.
0:22:15 > 0:22:20Customers wait to be served. Another shopper approaches the door.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24Suddenly, from nowhere, a car smashes into the shop front.
0:22:26 > 0:22:30Shocked customers freeze for an instant, then head outside.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32They find a man collapsed on the pavement.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35One of my colleagues had run to the front, and was shouting,
0:22:35 > 0:22:38"Phone the ambulance! They've hit him, they've hit him!"
0:22:45 > 0:22:49Shop owner Jeanette James loves running her bakery
0:22:49 > 0:22:51in the small market town of Coleshill.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54She's dedicated 15 years to making it a success.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57This shop means a lot to me.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00It's like another one of my children, I think.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03I must love it, for the hours I put here.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05The shop is extremely popular with the locals.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08You get to know them as friends
0:23:08 > 0:23:10and you see their children grow up.
0:23:11 > 0:23:15The bakery is also convenient for local businesspeople
0:23:15 > 0:23:16wanting to grab a quick bite to eat.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19One of Jeanette's regulars is Simon, who works nearby,
0:23:19 > 0:23:24and lives just ten miles away with his wife and ten-year-old daughter.
0:23:24 > 0:23:28We're a very close family. We go jogging together, play board games,
0:23:28 > 0:23:32and the sort of things that, you know, families do.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35Simon is based a couple of days a week in an office
0:23:35 > 0:23:38opposite the bakery. He often pops in around lunchtime.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42It's convenient and there's good food,
0:23:42 > 0:23:44so I've eaten a fair few sandwiches from that shop.
0:23:46 > 0:23:48It's a busy day midweek,
0:23:48 > 0:23:51and in the bakery, Jeanette and her staff are just preparing
0:23:51 > 0:23:52for the lunchtime rush.
0:23:52 > 0:23:54It was an ordinary day.
0:23:54 > 0:23:58We'd opened up early in the morning, everybody was working.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01Across the street, Simon is in his office.
0:24:01 > 0:24:05Feeling a bit peckish, he decides to grab some lunch from the bakery.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08I walked out from the office to the sandwich shop,
0:24:08 > 0:24:12passed a brand-new car, and I noticed, in the corner of my eye,
0:24:12 > 0:24:16that there was somebody in the car that was looking at the manual.
0:24:16 > 0:24:18At first, thinking nothing of it,
0:24:18 > 0:24:20he carries on walking towards the sandwich shop,
0:24:20 > 0:24:23but then his attention goes back to the car.
0:24:24 > 0:24:29Behind me, I began to hear this sort of very loud revving.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33Inside the bakery, CCTV footage shows customers
0:24:33 > 0:24:38waiting to be served. Outside, on the left, Simon, in a dark suit,
0:24:38 > 0:24:41can be seen, about to open the door.
0:24:41 > 0:24:42Something distracts him.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44I didn't have time to turn around.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47I just instantly jumped.
0:24:49 > 0:24:51From behind him, a car shoots forward,
0:24:51 > 0:24:54slamming into the outside of the shop front.
0:24:54 > 0:24:56There was the most almighty bang.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59I actually thought it was, like, a bomb had gone off.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04The car takes out the main window, ploughing into the shop,
0:25:04 > 0:25:07sending shelving and display fridges flying.
0:25:09 > 0:25:13Outside, Simon stumbles, then collapses to the ground.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18The front of the shop was completely smashed in.
0:25:18 > 0:25:22The whole front of a white car was inside the shop.
0:25:22 > 0:25:27Customers and staff are left in shock, unsure what just happened.
0:25:27 > 0:25:31Bewildered, they open the door and find Simon lying on the pavement.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34One of my colleagues had run to the front and was shouting,
0:25:34 > 0:25:37"Phone the ambulance! They've hit him! They've hit him!"
0:25:37 > 0:25:41Jeanette emerges from behind the counter and heads outside.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43Straight away, she recognises Simon.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45He was lying on the pavement.
0:25:45 > 0:25:49It looked to me like his legs were broken.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52He was dazed. It was like he didn't know where he was or who he was.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55He didn't know what was going on, I don't think.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00Simon is conscious but confused.
0:26:01 > 0:26:05I was on the floor. I think the next time I saw something
0:26:05 > 0:26:09was probably someone approaching me. I believe it was a nurse.
0:26:10 > 0:26:12More people come to his aid.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15All the people at the sandwich shop were brilliant.
0:26:15 > 0:26:19I mean, they were out instantly and Jeanette was one of those.
0:26:20 > 0:26:21As they wait for the ambulance,
0:26:21 > 0:26:24Jeanette grows increasingly concerned about Simon.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26He wasn't moving.
0:26:26 > 0:26:30Nobody wanted to move him or touch him, just in case.
0:26:30 > 0:26:34Simon starts to respond just as the emergency services arrive.
0:26:34 > 0:26:36While the ambulance crew check him over,
0:26:36 > 0:26:39the Fire Service turn their attention to the bakery.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43Because the car had hit the building,
0:26:43 > 0:26:45they cordoned off the area.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48We all had to evacuate, in case the building was unsafe.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51As firemen examine the damage to the shop,
0:26:51 > 0:26:54Simon is given the all clear by the medics.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57To everyone's surprise, he's uninjured.
0:26:57 > 0:27:02I went into the ambulance, had a check and carried on a normal day.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05It was like he kind of shook his shoulders and thought,
0:27:05 > 0:27:08- "Oh, well, it's all in a day..." - SHE LAUGHS
0:27:11 > 0:27:13Relieved Simon isn't hurt,
0:27:13 > 0:27:17Jeanette begins to worry about her beloved business.
0:27:17 > 0:27:23It started to hit me then - my third child, as it is, had been injured.
0:27:23 > 0:27:27My shop. And then I was told that it would have to be boarded up.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29And if the building was unsafe,
0:27:29 > 0:27:32I didn't know how long it would be shut for.
0:27:32 > 0:27:36Simon knows he had a slice of good fortune that day.
0:27:36 > 0:27:40Had I not reacted quickly, it would have crushed my legs.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42And despite the damage to the bakery,
0:27:42 > 0:27:45Jeanette's main concern was for Simon.
0:27:45 > 0:27:47He's a very, very lucky man.
0:27:48 > 0:27:53The driver of the car was later prosecuted for dangerous driving.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56Luckily for Jeanette, the bakery was only shut for a day
0:27:56 > 0:28:00while the building was made secure. And when she reopened,
0:28:00 > 0:28:03Simon was one of the first customers back through the door.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06The first time he came in after the incident,
0:28:06 > 0:28:09I think we were all so pleased to know that he was OK.
0:28:09 > 0:28:11But, yeah, he comes in most days.
0:28:21 > 0:28:22Simon was really lucky.
0:28:22 > 0:28:24That was too close for comfort.
0:28:24 > 0:28:26Join me next time for some more Close Calls.