Episode 8 Real Rescues

Today on Real Rescues... A fire burns on the 12th floor of university accommodation.

Guys, I need you all out the way, over there.

A student fears her friend could still be inside.

A distraught 999 call after a toddler plunges 20 feet.

It's all happened too quickly for the boy's father.

I don't think I will forgive myself for leaving the window open.

And a pony is trapped six feet down after a muddy sinkhole opens up beneath it.

Stay where you are a minute. He's stressing on you.

Hello and welcome to Real Rescues

and to the work of Britain's emergency services.

Let's get started. In the middle of the night, a high-rise building has caught fire

and inside are hundreds of young people.

With the fire alarm screeching and people flooding out,

firefighters have to work out how many people are still inside.

Hampshire Fire and Rescue Control Room...

An emergency call has come in from a high-rise building.

It's student accommodation, a large block of flats.

It's potentially a very difficult fire to tackle.

Green Watch from St Mary's Station is one of the first crews on scene.

It's the early hours of the morning and hundreds of students are milling around in their night clothes.

Accounting for all the students is going to be a problem.

Entering the building has major risks.

There's no sign of smoke from the outside,

but it's reported that a fire is raging on the 12th floor.

The students are still dazed and are too close to the building.

Watch manager Sean Foster secures the area.

Guys, I need you all out the way, over there.

Guys, get out of there!

Now the students are clear,

the first job is to get water to the dry riser...

..a pipe that can be used to pump water to every floor of the building.

Crew manager Steve Evans and three firefighters are first inside.

They can't risk using the lift and have to heave their heavy kit up 12 flights of stairs.

As they arrive on the landing,

they confirm the fire is in flat 1201.

Heavy smoke is already escaping into the corridor.

They need breathing apparatus before they can go any nearer.

Alex Spreadbury and Charlie Quinn get kitted up.

They'll make up the first BA Team.

It's their job to enter the burning flat.

They complete their final checks.

Their names are registered and so is the time on the control board by Rich Green.

It's a routine part of maintaining safety.

While they wait for the water jets to be set up,

they want to get a look at what they might be up against.

With a thermal imaging camera, they can detect heat behind the door of the flat.

We don't know how long the fire's been burning in that compartment,

so, basically, you're introducing oxygen into a compartment

that hasn't had oxygen for an unknown amount of time,

so by introducing that oxygen into the compartment, you could cause a backdraft,

so we're using techniques when we're opening the door

to check the door, check what's coming out of the door.

As Alex and Charlie measure the heat,

outside the building, there's suddenly news from one of the students.

She can't get hold of her flatmate.

Is someone in 1202? Is there someone in there still?

..priorities change as the firefighters' search for the student intensifies.

PHONE RINGS

Ambulance Service.

It's a busy Saturday evening in the South Western Ambulance call centre in Exeter.

Ali Newcombe has just taken a 999 call from a worried grandmother.

The Fernando family has been enjoying a day in the sun,

but it's the children's bedtime and, suddenly, everything changes.

I went to get their bedtime story, they went in to go and play with their dad

and that's when it all happened.

Dad Anthony has no idea that the bedroom window is open.

I thought the window was shut. I couldn't see the window because of the curtain,

we pulled the curtain because the sun was coming through.

Suddenly Jay said, "Daddy, Leo's outside."

Anthony saw him hanging onto the window sill for a second.

He opened the curtain, I can see the fingers,

and... that's it, he gone.

I heard Anthony scream, "Leo!"

I got closer to the bedroom and I heard him screaming, "Oh, my God!"

As I opened the bedroom door, he shouted, "He's fallen out the window."

Two-year-old Leo has plummeted 20 feet

onto the concrete patio below.

His terrified mum Emma shouts to her own mother to dial 999.

My heart was in my mouth and I ran straight down the stairs shouting, "Phone an ambulance!"

I could hear him crying and that's all I could really hear.

To call-handler Ali, the sound of crying is a good sign.

I'm a mum and you're immediately sure that the worst has not happened.

Ali's advice not to move Leo is to prevent exacerbating any hidden spinal or neck injuries,

but it's too late.

I didn't even think about not moving him, or any broken bones,

I just - mother's instinct - grabbed him

and ran back upstairs.

He had blood coming out of his nose

and the blood was all down his face and in his eyes.

Paramedic Lee Hilton is the first person to assess Leo's injuries.

He had this lump on his forehead, which was a soft tissue swelling.

There was no evidence to suggest a skull fracture.

His potential of injuries, aside from having a brain injury,

would've been neck, back injuries, pelvic, abdominal or chest injuries.

Incredibly, test results at the hospital were nothing but good news.

All the scans were clear.

There was no evidence of any brain injury, no evidence of bleeding,

no evidence of brain swelling,

and so it did confirm that the only injury was this swelling on his forehead,

so an incredibly lucky 23 month old.

The doctors and nurses were astounded.

They couldn't believe that he hadn't had a serious injury at all.

So, how did Leo survive a fall of over 20 feet?

It was mentioned to us -

and I think it was important - that because he wasn't frightened,

he didn't tense up and he just fell quite floppy.

And it seems that the inspiration for Leo's unplanned take-off

may've been his favourite film character.

TOY BUZZ: "To infinity and beyond!"

He likes to jump off things and shout "And beyond!"

He absolutely loves Toy Story.

Buzz Lightyear's his favourite and his big brother's favourite, as well.

Maybe that was why he jumped out the window. I recall Buzz Lightyear jumping out a window!

Hopefully, now he knows he can't fly, he won't do it again!

Leo's now back at home with his very relieved parents,

who are still haunted by the events of that day.

When I saw him, I thought he was dead.

That's something I don't think I'll ever forget.

I don't think I'll ever, I don't know,

forgive myself for leaving the window open.

However, Anthony and Emma have made sure

that Leo won't be tempted to jump to infinity and beyond ever again.

As soon as we came home, we got double locks put on all the windows.

We've really taken every measure possible to make sure he's safe now

and he won't be opening the window again like that.

In a call centre like this communication is the key,

but you'd be surprised how many people come through to speak to operators

who can't necessarily speak.

If Brigitte is free... Yes.

Did I overhear you saying to someone,

"If you can't speak, tap the phone." Yes.

What's going on there? Why would they not be able to speak but still tap the phone.

There's so many different reasons, but the pros and cons is that

maybe it's accidental, it's inside your pocket.

So you might get an accidental 999 call.

Or if they actually can't speak, so it's not safe for them to do so.

There could be somebody around them, that they just want the police but they just can't speak,

so we prompt them by saying, "If you're unable to speak, tap the keypad for me."

That makes sense if someone's terrified. People can go catatonic but still be able to dial a number.

Is there some way you can get a response? What would you ask them to do, tap the keyboard?

Tap the keypad so at least we know they are responding

and that they still want us to stay on the line,

so that is the procedure that we would follow.

OK, so that's if someone's in danger.

What if someone's ill? Give us an example of a call like that.

An elderly gentleman called through who was unable to speak, whether for a medical reason or not,

and his communication was grunting.

So he did a series of grunts. I was perplexed at the beginning to find out what's going on,

and, erm, through his grunts,

we got a location of whereabouts he was in an area

and I asked, "Are you in a nursing home?" to which case, his grunt changed.

That's quite clever. It was an acceptance grunt to say yes.

So you asked closed questions. Closed questions, narrowed it down,

used Google Maps to try and find a list of nursing homes in that area,

even to the point of, to describe the nursing home, we went onto Google Maps again,

so looked at the front and said,

"Is this what your nursing home looks like from the front?"

and, again, the acceptance grunt, it's a different kind of grunt.

I can see that. But why isn't there someone in the home? Why isn't he ringing his alarm?

As it transpired afterwards, because we don't know that,

that's not important, I've got to deal with it at that moment in time,

it was just the fact that you have the panic buttons... Yes.

..it was too far away,

but his mobile phone, which he hadn't used before,

then he dialled 999

because he was in agony and needed his medication.

So that was... And you were able to get that to him? Yes.

If you get a call through and you don't get a response, you'll stay on for a while, then?

As long as we can, until we can understand, you know...

Sometimes you can tell whether it is a silent call,

as in, it's inside someone's phone, but we still have to get in contact with them.

We still have to remain on the phone as much as we can. That's reassuring.

If you dial 999, if you're in danger but you can't speak,

when the operator answers... Yes.

..if you tap your keyboard, they know that you are in difficulty.

That's quite interesting to know. Smashing. Thank you very much. You're welcome.

It's before 6am in Somerset.

A rescue operation is under way in thick mud to save a 16-year-old horse.

There's more control on this one.

The animal, Harvey, is stuck fast. The ground has opened up beneath him.

There's a fork there if you want it.

Devon and Somerset Fire Service Animal Rescue Team

are digging out the mud, to try to attach straps.

An hour has passed since Harvey's owner Phoebe woke up to the sound of other horses whinnying.

I knew something was wrong immediately.

As soon as I heard the first neigh, I was bolt upright in bed.

I jumped out of bed, threw on any clothes

and just grabbed a torch and ran down to the fields.

And I couldn't see my horse Harvey and I didn't know where he'd gone

because it literally was like he'd vanished.

As I got closer, I sort of saw that there was a massive trench underneath the fence

and Harvey was just at the bottom of it.

I could see he was struggling

and I just presumed that he was struggling to get up

and he couldn't get up because he'd broken all of his legs or one of his legs or something.

You could hear his heart thumping so loudly.

I thought, "OK, he might not have a broken leg

"but he might die of a heart attack from the stress."

The rescue plan is to lift Harvey out.

First, the team from Bridgwater have to get straps underneath.

But the horse is almost up to its shoulders in mud.

It's far worse than Incident Commander Mike Cross had expected.

I was quite shocked and surprised to see it in such a deep hole.

I was expecting it to be in some mud.

Looking down into the hole, it's like it's sat on a lump of jelly

and every time the horse moved,

the whole ground was floating underneath it.

Before the fire crews could start working around Harvey, he had to be sedated,

a precarious job for vet Emma Hamilton.

Hold up. Stay where you are a minute. He's stressing on you.

'We wouldn't let her into the danger zone, so we gave her the right equipment.'

We fitted her up with one of our rescue helmets, a harness,

and when she goes into the hole, we make sure, if anything goes wrong, we can pull her out.

It's now safe for the fire crews to dig around the animal

and pass the straps underneath his body.

The sedation is preventing Harvey from struggling,

but the animal's weight means he's sinking deeper into the sticky clay.

We used a probe,

which is a metal band which pushes under the side of the horse.

We push it through to the bottom, try and reach it from the other side and pull it through.

We use that to pull the harness through. They were really struggling to get it through.

It's slow, difficult work and the team are against the clock.

Once the sedation runs out, it's too dangerous to be this close to Harvey.

Harvey's head is so close to the bank,

a towel has been placed over his eye to protect it.

At last, the straps are in place.

They need to get Harvey out as soon as possible.

There's more control on this one.

Do you think we could actually lift the horse?

Neighbouring farmer Philip is on site.

He's offered his powerful tractor to lift the animal.

It's like a mini crane and you can put forks or any attachment on the end.

On this one, we just had a hook that we could attach our slings to.

We carry what we call a Hampshire harness.

This is specially designed by Hampshire Fire and Rescue

and it's large animal-rescue harness, which makes it really safe.

It's skilful, precise work.

Farmer Philip can't afford to get too close to the edge.

The bank is sodden and could collapse under the machine's weight.

Go there!

The harness is safely connected. The lift can begin.

Carefully, they inch him up.

Can you come this way? MACHINES DROWNS OUT SPEECH

Only now will they discover the extent of any injuries to his limbs.

I was just worried, because there must've been such a suction formed on his legs

that just pulling him up out of it must've been really harsh on his limbs

and I thought, "If he has got a broken leg, that's going to make it worse."

We were desperately looking at his legs

to see if anything was hanging off or anything.

So far so good. Harvey is not making any attempt to free himself.

Whoa! Whoa, whoa, whoa, stop!

Farmer Philip reverses the tractor away from the hole.

Once the horse was lifted, it was a bit of a surreal moment

because you see it coming up in the field, suspended in a harness.

HORSE WHINNIES

Hovering over firmer ground, Harvey can now be lowered.

It's a crucial moment.

If any of his limbs are broken, he'll not be able to take his own weight.

Normally with horses, when they're sedated,

they can sort of stumble or fall over,

and I thought, "If he has got a broken leg, this is when he's going to fall down."

Everything is now up to Harvey.

He's standing, but the straps are still bearing most of his weight.

The vet, again, was on the ball.

She gave him a prod in the right place to make sure she woke him up!

Vet Emma can see no obvious injury. It's time to release the straps.

So he sort of stumbled and everyone was sort of silent, just watching and waiting.

Luckily, he found his feet.

Once the harness was released, it was such a good thing to see.

He was standing and responding to the owner and the vet.

It was a good result.

Vet Emma can now take an even closer look at Harvey's limbs.

And Phoebe can at last reassure her horse

after his freak morning accident.

I think that what must've happened was that the stream at the bottom of the hill

had sort of eroded in a bit,

and with the really dry weather and then the torrential downpour,

it must've weakened the earth

and he must've been at the wrong place at the wrong time.

After a good hose down, Harvey is finally free of his muddy ordeal.

He was just really, really stiff afterwards

and I think a bit shell-shocked.

I was terrified that he would have some kind of behavioural problem

or emotional disorder afterwards,

but luckily, he seems to be absolutely fine and making a full recovery.

Coming up on Real Rescues...

Paramedics treat a man who collapses in front of them.

The indications are that he could be having a stroke.

All right, darling? Yeah, fine.

You just had another little funny episode.

It's a worrying time for his family.

And a car crashes into a woman's house

moments after she walks through the door.

I was in the office and I just heard a loud bang.

It was really scary.

In Southampton, a fire is burning on the 12th floor of a student block of flats.

A text has just come through from a student off the site.

She can't get hold of her flatmate and worries that she's still in the building.

The missing girl lives next to the flat where the fire has broken out.

Is someone in 1202? Is there someone in there still?

Crew manager Steve Evans has to quickly change priorities.

We can't concentrate solely on fire-fighting.

We have to divert some of our resources

to searching the floor areas.

Water jets have now reached the 12th floor.

While one team searches for the missing student,

the first firefighters to go in, Alex and Charlie,

are now out and have an update on the fire.

You open the door a little bit, observe what comes out through the crack in the door,

and that night, just cold but very black smoke came out,

which indicates it hadn't had oxygen for a long time.

So then you move into the compartment,

but introducing water into the compartment to disperse the gases

and to cool any heat that may be in there.

Water fills the jet hoses on the 12th floor.

The second team, with breathing apparatus,

enters the neighbouring flat to search for the missing student.

Down on level nine, a control centre has been set up.

Rich Green waits for the news from the BA crew.

RADIO COMMS

It's hard to believe that anyone wouldn't hear the fire alarm.

If there is still someone in the flat,

they could've been overcome by smoke and unconscious.

Paramedic Chris Crosby has arrived, ready to give emergency treatment

IF the missing student is found.

The BA crew has tracked the fire to the flat kitchen.

Before they tackle it, they want to be sure no-one is in this flat either.

I searched the bedrooms before we went in,

because we knew where the fire compartment was

so we had a quick look round into the sleeping accommodation before we went to the kitchen.

With the fire under control, the next job is to clear the flat of toxic smoke.

Red control to red one, permission granted.

The girl still hasn't been found.

Steve orders another crew to help.

Request two more BA to the ninth floor.

Red control, go ahead.

Finally, after a very thorough search...

The missing student emerges.

Paramedic Chris is going to give her a health check.

It was Adam Bundle who found the student.

I went through all the rooms

and then I went into the first room,

and, like a gerbil, all tucked up under her blanket, hiding away,

found the person who was missing, completely oblivious that there was a fire.

Very deep sleep. I was literally shaking her shoulder and no movement at all.

And then suddenly, she came round, quite shocked,

looking at me as if I was her mum waking her up for school.

The first thing student Elyse does is text her worried flatmate

to say she's out and safe,

not quite believing she slept through the alarm.

It took me a few minutes to adjust

and to realise that there was someone in my room shaking me awake.

After the initial realising what was going on,

it wasn't really particularly scary, it was more trying to find out because it was a bit chaotic,

so it was very disorientating, is probably the best word for it.

Inside the neighbouring flat, it's become clear how close to danger Elyse was.

The fire, on a sofa, had reached an intense heat

and filled the flat with hot, poisonous gases.

All right? Cheers, mate, good.

The team that fought the fire, Alex and Charlie, are cooling off.

Have you got a drink on you?

The last room we got to was the kitchen, which was the affected room.

Right in the corner, the farthest part of the flat, was a sofa showing flames,

slow and smouldering, so lots of smoke rather than lots of heat,

although the windows have cracked, so it must've got quite hot at one point.

If the windows had cracked, the fire would've had a real good supply of oxygen

and it may've become more serious.

I feel very lucky because it could've ended up a lot worse than it did.

I wasn't actually in the flat where the fire was. I was next door to it.

The fire service believe the most likely cause of the blaze

was a naked flame or discarded cigarette.

The management company who run the building are going to reiterate fire safety.

It's been a good job for Green Watch.

The fire was contained to one room, nobody was harmed

and the building has survived.

The students should now all be able to get back to bed

and catch up on their sleep after their early rude awakening.

PCs Ray McNaught and Neil Stevenson have just started their shift on the roads of Milton Keynes.

We just had a report of a two-vehicle collision.

It's coming in as an injury, but we're not sure until we get there what we're going to find.

It's back there.

It's looking like one car has gone into the back of the other.

Do we need an ambulance?

Any sign of neck pain could indicate serious injury,

so the two occupants must keep as still as possible until the ambulance arrives.

It makes interviewing difficult.

Don't turn your head. Just keep looking forward.

You've both got your phones. Is everyone calling you?

I don't understand how the woman hit us so hard. No.

She hit us so hard, both our sunglasses flew off!

It's quite surprising, just any sort of impact to the rear of your car

will feel like some sort of major impact.

We'll sort out everything, we'll give you all her details.

Have you got your licence on you? I do, yeah, the pink part.

Where is it? It's in my bag, down here.

Do you mind me looking in your bag?

Ooh, nice handbag! My monkey bag! I can't believe this.

Stay there. Keep looking forward. Don't move too much.

The ambulance will be here as soon as possible.

If no-one is hurt in a collision,

the police may leave drivers to sort it out with their insurance companies.

But with potential injuries, they need to gather evidence

in case the crash has to go to court.

They were saying there was lots of cars and they were wanting to get into the middle lane.

But should you go up there and try and go in? I don't know.

Do you want some photographs?

May as well. I'll do them.

An ambulance has now arrived at the scene.

The crew want to take a look at the damage to the cars.

It gives them an idea of the impact and what injuries that could cause.

I'll just have a look at the damage.

The lady said maybe about five miles per hour, possibly.

TRAFFIC DROWNS OUT SPEECH

The collision happened at crawling pace.

It's unlikely driver Patricia and daughter Toyah have suffered a major impact,

but they're complaining of neck pain

so the paramedics must treat for the worst.

Although both women have been out of the car and walking,

that doesn't necessarily rule out injury.

The woman said they'd both been out and walking about

and then, I think, when the shock or whatever has kicked in,

they've got back in the car.

Luckily, they can get both women out without cutting the car.

Do you need an extra pair of hands?

Do you want to swap so you can start getting some stuff?

First, Ray has to climb in the backseat with the shopping.

Ooh, yeah! I'm feeling a bit peckish!

Is it a birthday, is it?

Ooh, look.

There's some crumpets, as well. Who likes crumpets?

A second ambulance has arrived. Only one patient can be carried in each vehicle.

Everything is ready to get them out of the car.

Both women now have collars in place.

They're safe to be moved to a long board, each one adjusted so it's the right fit.

Patricia has contacted relatives to let them know what's happened.

My brother lives in Milton Keynes and he's on his way.

With the board adjusted to the right length,

they're ready to get Toyah out of the car first.

Very slowly, she's supported

as she moves herself out of the seat.

As soon as she's upright, the board is placed behind her

and she is carefully lowered backwards.

All is going to plan, until one of the paramedics suffers some damage.

You've split Andy's trousers! My trousers have just split!

I split mine yesterday, don't worry about it!

Although the mood is light, they take no risks with Toyah's neck.

Foam wedges are placed on either side to keep it immobilised.

Are you all right there? Yes. Ready, steady, lift.

Finally secured, Toyah's lifted to the stretcher and into the ambulance.

Mum Patricia is still in the car, with Ray still supporting her head.

Very gently, she swings around and slowly emerges from the driver's seat.

The board is put into place and she's safely on the ground.

Ray and Neil replace the shopping that had to be dumped at the side road.

Are you keeping the cakes? We'd love to.

As Patricia is secured on the stretcher,

her brother Alan, a non-driver, arrives.

Your holiday's out the window, girl. No, it isn't.

The keys are on the dash, Alan. They're what?

They keys are on the dash. The keys? I know you can't drive it - I ain't going near it!

No, you need to empty it. I got Martin to bring me down. You need to empty it.

No problem. There's cakes or something.

There's loads of stuff. Anyone want a cake?

She's buying cakes for everybody.

Patricia and Toyah are off to hospital.

Ray moves the car to the nearest car park, taking a rather unorthodox route.

Later,

Neil gets to see the spectacular results of a car going off-road.

Look at the crack in the inside edge. Oh, yeah.

This is Karen, who's an administrator now,

but you used to be on the beats... I did.

..and has, well, tell us about

a real Starsky & Hutch-style chase that happened.

Near a river. A river. The river in Oxford, just outside Oxford,

where there was a burglary in progress.

Myself and my partner ended up near a remote cottage,

couldn't drive to it, so I got out, was met by the householder, a bit flustered,

"He's just run off."

This offender had run across a bridge, across the river.

I wasn't going to run after him,

he was far too far in front of me,

but there was a bike against the fence so I said, "Whose bike is this?"

Somebody said, "It's mine." I said, "Can I borrow it?" So I was on the bike!

Luckily, you can cycle up the towpath on that part of the river. He was on the other side.

You're hurtling along on a bike... I'm on one side of the river.

He's legging it away on foot. He's on the other side, on foot.

Now, the bank was quite wide there

so he had quite a distance to do to get undercover,

to try and seek some cover and get out the way, and I managed to catch up with him.

As luck would happen, and it was pure luck,

the helicopter was in the area.

So the helicopter was directed in

and he was arrested by the police officers on the helicopter.

The helicopter landed to get him? Yes, the helicopter landed.

They called out to him first and he ended up on the ground,

well, safety, as much as anything because you've got to know where everybody is on the ground.

I love this chase. It's extremely low-tech...

Very low-tech! ..and extremely hi-tec! Yes!

The two things came together quite nicely.

Were you able to direct in the helicopter? I did. Oh, yes, absolutely.

Although there were a few people on the bank, it wasn't very busy,

but obviously, I was directing them to where I could see the offender.

I had a lovely view because I had a view of the whole bank from the other side.

Do you miss that, now that you're flying a desk? A bit!

Do you really? A little bit! I'm not surprised!

Thank you for telling us about the chase. You're very welcome.

SIRENS WAIL

Mid-summer in Portsmouth

and an ambulance is heading to an emergency

at one of the city's most famous landmarks.

On board, paramedic Jane Peters and technician Stacy Blackmore...

Inside the tower, a family has been given refuge in an office

after Dad Eric started behaving oddly.

What's happened, darling? Can you remember?

We were just driving this thing along

and it wouldn't... I couldn't control it.

What do you suffer with, then? I started to have strokes.

I had one in this right arm.

I lost the use of it for a while. Right.

Eventually, I've had five strokes. OK.

Paramedic Jane is cautious not to jump to conclusions.

This might not necessarily be another stroke.

Did you feel a little bit confused at the time? Yes. Yeah.

Eric's blood-sugar levels are on the low side.

Jane wants to see if his blood pressure gives any more clues.

190 over 100, so that's a little bit up.

It's a bit high, which could indicate a stroke,

so Jane needs to check for any one-sided weakness.

Give me a nice smile. That's lovely.

You just wanted to get me on the good side!

The next thing I'll ask you to do, Eric, if you can close your eyes for me

and put your hands straight out in front and try and keep them...

He won't raise this arm. That's sort of as you normally would do it? OK.

Right, with your eyes closed,

can you touch the tip of your nose with that forefinger?

Lovely. Can you do it with the other hand?

Do you have difficulty raising that? This arm. OK.

It's looking more likely that Eric has had a small stroke.

I think you've had another little TIA event today.

That's what's happened.

But I think you've recovered really well.

I'm feeling better now.

100 percent? Not 100,

but I'm feeling a lot better than when I came in here.

He's recovered so well, he can't resist ribbing son Tim

when he gets the family's holiday address wrong.

We're staying in Chichester. No, in Christchurch. Christchurch!

OK. Chichester! What's the matter with him?

Better have him checked out!

Eric seems to be fine and the crew's about to leave.

All of a sudden, Eric doesn't seem with it any more.

All right, darling? Yeah, fine.

You just had another little funny episode.

I've had them for years.

I know, but I don't like it when it happens in front of me again.

We're just going to give you a little bit of oxygen to try and perk you up, clear your head a bit.

This second episode means Eric will definitely need a trip to hospital.

You'll come with us.

Bless him.

Eric's family are now feeling very worried.

They're all very concerned about what might be going on.

Come towards Tim a little bit.

He worried about me, this boy. Course he does! He's allowed to.

Come to the left, Dad.

Here we go! Thank you very much for all your help.

They soon get Eric in the ambulance,

not what he expected on the family holiday to the south coast.

But he's a man who likes to look on the bright side.

Can I undo a button? Oh, you devil! I know! I know!

Happy with that. Blood pressure's all right?

158-74 now. That's good. That's better, isn't it?

Jane gives him some glucose to improve his low blood-sugar levels.

The family were about to stop for lunch when Eric's behaviour changed.

We were going to walk to the Mary Rose.

I said to him, "Shall we have something to eat now?"

He said yes, but he was sort of... gone.

But Eric does have a knack of bouncing back, and quickly.

Did you hear that, Stace? Very good!

He said, "Oh, my God! Now she's going forwards."

As they arrive at the hospital in Portsmouth, everything seems to be going back to normal.

We're just pulling into the hospital, Eric.

We'll hear later whether that's true.

How do you feel? I feel fine. Good.

That's what we like to hear.

I'm coming!

In Milton Keynes, traffic police Ray McNaught and Neil Stevenson

have been dealing with a two-car collision on a busy junction.

The two women suspected of being injured in the collision are on their way to hospital

and Ray is still needed at the scene.

But Neil is following up on an unusual call they received earlier.

There's a report of a car gone into a house

on an estate in Milton Keynes.

That's all we know. It's an injury accident at the moment.

Neil makes his way to the house.

The car has gone straight into the front wall.

Ray's colleague, Dave Morgan, is already at the scene.

An ambulance has taken the car's driver to hospital,

suffering, not surprisingly, from shock.

Look at the crack on the inside edge. Oh, yeah.

BACKGROUND CHATTER

The impact has been so hard, the front end of the car has penetrated the wall.

There are cracks going all the way up on the outside

and the inside.

The other side of that wall is the staircase

and it's moved the staircase away from the wall.

The tenant, Flaviana,

had stepped through the front door just moments before.

I was in the office and I just heard a brake

and a very bang, a loud bang,

and, er, and then I came out to see what happened.

It was just a very strong noise.

Actually, I hadn't realised what happened

until the ambulance arrived and they were checking the lady, the driver,

so only after that, I could relax and see what happened

and, er, see the extent of the damage!

The outside wall and Flaviana's car have been hit,

but the inside of the house has also been affected.

The staircase block moved a little bit

and, er, the cupboard under the staircase,

all that was in it came out!

The door opened and everything was out.

Flaviana is remarkably relaxed about the incident,

but other occupants of the house weren't so laidback.

The poor thing was my dog! She was upstairs!

She heard the noise and was crying

and peering downstairs to see what happened!

The fire crew have already been and declared the house structurally safe

so there's nothing more for Neil to do.

For Flaviana, there's going to be a lot of disruption

before her house is back to normal.

After a sudden collapse during his south coast holiday,

Eric spent two days in hospital being thoroughly checked out.

The good news is, he didn't suffer another stroke.

Back home in Essex, his own GP diagnosed a mild infection.

That, combined with the summer heat, was enough to give him a funny turn.

Eric hasn't had any more episodes and is feeling fully recovered.

The police took no action against the driver

who went into the back of a car in Milton Keynes.

Mum and daughter, Patricia and Toyah, had whiplash

after their rear-end shunt at a junction.

Both are now recovering well.

There were no charges against the driver whose car ended up embedded in the front of a house,

but there was significant damage inside the property.

Tenant Flaviana is still living with the consequences.

The biggest part damaged is the staircase.

So the staircase moved towards the hall when the car hit the wall

and then, as a result, you can see the cracks.

I think to repair this,

they will need to demolish the whole staircase and repair the blockwork.

Definitely we'll need to move out of the house when the repairs are done.

But it's not just the damage to the bricks and mortar that's still affecting Flaviana.

It was really scary. I'd just arrived home.

I had just closed the door and was walking towards the office when I heard the noise.

If she did this earlier, I would be pinned on the wall!

Definitely something was, er, watching over me that day!

Once again, we've seen today that the emergency services are there,

ready and waiting, in our moments of greatest need.

That's it for today's Real Rescues. See you next time.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd