0:00:02 > 0:00:05Imagine turning up for work every day knowing you could face a life-or-death situation.
0:00:05 > 0:00:09That's what it's like for the men and women of the emergency services.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12They often have to put their lives on the line to save us.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15This is Real Rescues.
0:00:31 > 0:00:35Tonight, a 16-year-old girl suffers a broken back in a car crash.
0:00:35 > 0:00:40One false move by the paramedics and her spine could be severed.
0:00:40 > 0:00:44If she wasn't treated very carefully, she'd never walk again.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46The firefighters are called to a treetop rescue.
0:00:46 > 0:00:50A paraglider clings on to branches 70ft up.
0:00:50 > 0:00:54Any movement by him to try and climb down would result in
0:00:54 > 0:00:57possible broken neck, possible death.
0:00:57 > 0:01:00Animal rescuer Jim Green can't believe his ears...
0:01:00 > 0:01:04Got called to a snake in a car.
0:01:04 > 0:01:06..or his eyes.
0:01:06 > 0:01:10It's an 11ft python stuck halfway in a wheel arch.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21An emergency call has come through to traffic cop Tony Flatman.
0:01:22 > 0:01:24RADIO CHATTER
0:01:26 > 0:01:29We're on our way to this RTA in Langstone,
0:01:29 > 0:01:34they're calling for the fire brigade to cut one of the people out.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37It's a head-on collision close to the marina on Hayling Island.
0:01:37 > 0:01:42- Hello, Phil. You all right? - We'll get Sam to do a road closure.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45Local police are already on scene and gathering information.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48The young driver of the blue Renault misjudged a 90 degree bend
0:01:48 > 0:01:52and ploughed straight into the Rover coming the other way.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55RADIO CHATTER
0:01:56 > 0:01:58John Bailey, the driver of the Rover,
0:01:58 > 0:02:00is on holiday with his wife's parents
0:02:00 > 0:02:03and they were in the back seat of the car.
0:02:22 > 0:02:27Luckily, none of the people in John's car has any serious injuries.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30The other driver and two of the youngsters in his car are also fine,
0:02:30 > 0:02:34but it's a different story for 16-year-old Charlotte.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37You're doing well there, Charlotte.
0:02:37 > 0:02:38My back really hurts!
0:02:38 > 0:02:41Paramedic Dick Tyne is calling the air ambulance
0:02:41 > 0:02:44after finding a lump on Charlotte's spine.
0:02:44 > 0:02:48I've got a 16-year-old female, middle-seat passenger
0:02:48 > 0:02:51with just a lap restraint in a Renault Clio,
0:02:51 > 0:02:54with a quite a bit of deformity on a frontal impact.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57She's actually got quite pronounced seat-belt burn marks
0:02:57 > 0:03:00on both sides abdo, and she's got back pain.
0:03:00 > 0:03:02Now, we're on Hayling,
0:03:02 > 0:03:05and it's gonna be a bit of a lumpy journey to get her off.
0:03:05 > 0:03:07The accident's in a remote spot,
0:03:07 > 0:03:11so the air ambulance is needed to transfer her to hospital safely.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13Heli Meds are scrambling.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19Although Charlotte's lap belt has given her some protection,
0:03:19 > 0:03:23it's not as protective as the more usual three-point seatbelt.
0:03:23 > 0:03:27The actual impact with a lap belt
0:03:27 > 0:03:30tends to throw the whole of the body forwards,
0:03:30 > 0:03:34placing a lot of strain on the lower back, the spine.
0:03:34 > 0:03:38We've got the chopper coming down to take her up to QA.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40We need some way of getting her out
0:03:40 > 0:03:42with the least possible aggro to her back.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44When we examined the patient
0:03:44 > 0:03:47we found she had what we call a step in the spine, a lump.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51'Now, this shows the vertebrae are now out of their alignment,
0:03:51 > 0:03:55'and there is pressure on the spinal cord that runs down the middle.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57'If you move it fractionally more,
0:03:57 > 0:04:00'that can cut that spinal cord completely.'
0:04:00 > 0:04:03If you do that, they will be paraplegic at the very least.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07This day out was part of the driver's birthday celebrations,
0:04:07 > 0:04:08but it's turned into a day
0:04:08 > 0:04:12which could change the future for this teenager.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15- We've got him marking it.- Yeah. - We get the others to do glass.- Yeah.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17- And then we go from there.- Good-o.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20Mark, can you sort something out on glass management?
0:04:20 > 0:04:22Crew manager Nev Lewindon and his team
0:04:22 > 0:04:24decide that they will have to cut the roof off the car
0:04:24 > 0:04:26before Charlotte can be freed.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32Before they can start cutting, the car must be stabilised.
0:04:32 > 0:04:33Any sudden movement
0:04:33 > 0:04:36could have disastrous consequences for Charlotte.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40Paramedic Joe Robb is inside,
0:04:40 > 0:04:43monitoring her for any change in her condition.
0:04:44 > 0:04:48Now the car is stable, the fire crew can cut through the post
0:04:48 > 0:04:50and windscreen to take off the roof.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54It's a noisy and frightening ordeal for Charlotte.
0:05:03 > 0:05:08The next step is to get her safely out of the car without allowing her to move at all.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13It's going to take all the expertise of the emergency services
0:05:13 > 0:05:16to save Charlotte from permanent paralysis.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18In a few minutes we'll see
0:05:18 > 0:05:21as they start the crucial lift out of the vehicle.
0:05:30 > 0:05:35Imagine heading off to a beautiful hillside, taking your own flying machine out of your rucksack,
0:05:35 > 0:05:38and then silently lifting off into the sky.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42Around 5,000 people go paragliding regularly.
0:05:42 > 0:05:46It's a great way to see the countryside in peace and quiet.
0:05:46 > 0:05:50However, a sudden drop in wind can change all that.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53SIREN WAILS
0:05:56 > 0:05:58We'll be right there.
0:05:59 > 0:06:03An emergency call comes in to Dorchester Fire Fighters.
0:06:03 > 0:06:05It's an accident that's not exactly run-of-the-mill.
0:06:05 > 0:06:09This paraglider pilot is in a very dangerous position.
0:06:09 > 0:06:14He's hanging on to the topmost branches of a 70-foot oak tree
0:06:14 > 0:06:18and no-one knows how long the branches will hold his weight.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21It's going to need advance rescue skills to get him down.
0:06:21 > 0:06:26Incident Commander Dave Cooper and one of his expert climbers from the Special Rescue Unit
0:06:26 > 0:06:31are immediately on their way to the scene in the police helicopter.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35We've had people trapped up trees before,
0:06:35 > 0:06:39but in this incident, the person is right on the very crown of the tree.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42The immediate danger is the casualty will slip and fall.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46On a large tree like this, the branches are not all uniform,
0:06:46 > 0:06:48as it would be on a building or a tower crane.
0:06:48 > 0:06:52How safe are the branches? Are the branches rotted through?
0:06:52 > 0:06:57Any movement by him to try and rescue himself or to climb down
0:06:57 > 0:07:00could easily have resulted in him falling out of the tree,
0:07:00 > 0:07:03which would result in broken bones,
0:07:03 > 0:07:06possible broken neck, possible death.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09The plan was I would climb the tree
0:07:09 > 0:07:11with two lines attached to me,
0:07:11 > 0:07:14setting up safety systems as I went up the tree.
0:07:14 > 0:07:19The plan then was to attach the lines I had attached to myself to the pilot.
0:07:19 > 0:07:23He would be lowered to the ground by the people on the ground.
0:07:23 > 0:07:28So the plan is in place. And when Bob reaches paraglider Roy, he's a welcome sight.
0:07:28 > 0:07:32Roy is clinging on to the branches for dear life.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35He's as high as a four-storey building.
0:07:35 > 0:07:36I knew we had to be quite quick,
0:07:36 > 0:07:38to actually get up there and secure him
0:07:38 > 0:07:41to make him feel safe and reassured.
0:07:41 > 0:07:47They've completed the first stage of the rescue, but Roy is far from home and dry.
0:07:47 > 0:07:52It's vital that he does exactly what the experts tell him if he's to get down in one piece.
0:07:52 > 0:07:54Rescuer Bob is now in the crown of the tree
0:07:54 > 0:07:59Dave and Ben are in the lower branches, controlling things from below.
0:07:59 > 0:08:00Bob's attached to the tree.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04- He understands that both are going on him?- Yeah.
0:08:06 > 0:08:10They've rigged up a pulley system which will be operated from ground level.
0:08:10 > 0:08:15Now Bob just has to get the rescue harness on securely and he's ready to go down.
0:08:15 > 0:08:20- Can you ease the line without getting your fingers trapped cos there's a lot of friction?- Yeah.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23Got that leg down.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29It's a long way down. Fortunately, Roy is able to help himself in this rescue.
0:08:29 > 0:08:35The lower branches could do him some damage, but he is able to push his way through them.
0:08:35 > 0:08:39- If we come in through that tree, through to you, Ben...- Yeah.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43With everybody watching, including his children,
0:08:43 > 0:08:47his relief is as apparent as his embarrassment.
0:08:47 > 0:08:49You have to send me to hospital(!)
0:08:49 > 0:08:51< Daddy!
0:08:51 > 0:08:52Daddy's down now.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55- Just smile this way. - Yeah, thank you very much.
0:08:58 > 0:08:59About six foot, Bob!
0:09:06 > 0:09:09The teamwork has paid off and Roy is back to earth,
0:09:09 > 0:09:13and even his paraglider has survived without a tear.
0:09:15 > 0:09:19But suddenly, there is one member of the family who can contain himself no longer.
0:09:22 > 0:09:27It's Leonardo, the Gordon Setter, overjoyed to see his master back on earth.
0:09:29 > 0:09:34Once safe, Roy recalls how he ended up perching in that tree for nearly two hours.
0:09:36 > 0:09:40I've been flying beats which are just laps up and down the ridge here.
0:09:40 > 0:09:46Heading off along the ridge, I must have hit a pocket of cold air
0:09:46 > 0:09:49and obviously suddenly lost a bit of altitude,
0:09:49 > 0:09:53at which stage my feet managed to hit the top of one of the tree canopies,
0:09:53 > 0:09:58causing the wing to overfly me and me to fall into the oak tree.
0:09:58 > 0:10:04But for the expertise of the specialist Fire and Rescue Unit, it could have been very different.
0:10:04 > 0:10:10Without the backup of our safety systems, there's a very good possibility he'd slip and fall.
0:10:18 > 0:10:20Back on Hayling Island, the emergency services
0:10:20 > 0:10:23are fighting to save 16-year-old Charlotte from paralysis.
0:10:23 > 0:10:27She's trapped in the back seat of a car following a head-on collision.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30Paramedic Dick Tyne has a plan to get her out whilst keeping
0:10:30 > 0:10:32her spine completely immobilised.
0:10:33 > 0:10:39What we'll do, see this thing here, it's a special flexible board
0:10:39 > 0:10:42to put behind your back and strap you to it, all right?
0:10:42 > 0:10:47Once that's done we'll get you a special board, the helicopter will have landed,
0:10:47 > 0:10:51we'll get you on there, and go off up to hospital.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54OK. All you've got to do is relax and keep nice and still.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58'Myself and Joe my colleague decided to use a KED,
0:10:58 > 0:11:01'which stands for Kendrick Extrication Device.'
0:11:01 > 0:11:05To think of it as a girdle, which straps not only the torso
0:11:05 > 0:11:07but the legs and the head.
0:11:07 > 0:11:12'So you can immobilise someone to this before putting them on to a spinal board.'
0:11:18 > 0:11:20The Air Ambulance has just arrived.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23It's ready and waiting to take Charlotte to hospital.
0:11:23 > 0:11:27This young man here is Chris, a friend of mine, he is in the chopper crew.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29All right?
0:11:29 > 0:11:31He's gonna have a little feel down your back,
0:11:31 > 0:11:35and see the bump you've got. OK?
0:11:35 > 0:11:40Chris confirms Dick's fears about Charlotte's spinal injuries.
0:11:40 > 0:11:44He then gives morphine to ease the pain.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48'When we give pain relief, we've got to be very careful
0:11:48 > 0:11:50'so that it doesn't mask your symptoms,
0:11:50 > 0:11:54'because if I anaesthetise you at the scene,
0:11:54 > 0:11:56'I've got no way of ascertaining,'
0:11:56 > 0:11:59whether anything I'm doing is causing any problems
0:11:59 > 0:12:01with the injury you've already got.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04'We gave her enough to relax her slightly.'
0:12:04 > 0:12:06Just enough to take the edge off it.
0:12:06 > 0:12:11Despite her pain, Charlotte is managing to be very brave and calm.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13Meanwhile, traffic cop Tony Flatman
0:12:13 > 0:12:17needs to know how severe her injuries are so he can manage this case correctly.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20Dick grabs a moment to update him.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22I'm not that concerned about the internal injuries
0:12:22 > 0:12:26at the moment because she's not showing any signs of bruising.
0:12:26 > 0:12:28But the main concern is her spine. Yeah.
0:12:28 > 0:12:34It makes a difference to our investigation who we call out, how far we take it,
0:12:34 > 0:12:37whether we're going to be calling crash investigation units,
0:12:37 > 0:12:40scenes of crime, photographers.
0:12:40 > 0:12:44It's the critical moment when Charlotte must be got on to the long board.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57It takes the combined skills of all the emergency services,
0:12:57 > 0:13:0111 people in all, to carefully edge her out of the car wreckage.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08The blocks immobilise her head and neck.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12The foil will be wrapped around to prevent her body temperature from dropping.
0:13:13 > 0:13:17She's out, and Dick's doing his best to put her at ease.
0:13:17 > 0:13:23This is nice and warm now. Wrap you in paper foil, Gas Mark 6, you'll be done in no time!
0:13:27 > 0:13:32On a scale of severity, although it wasn't life-threatening,
0:13:32 > 0:13:36if you put life-threatening into another bracket,
0:13:36 > 0:13:39it was the worst injury you could possibly suffer,
0:13:39 > 0:13:42especially at that age in life.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46It had the certainty that if she wasn't treated
0:13:46 > 0:13:49very, very carefully, Charlotte would never ever walk again.
0:13:49 > 0:13:51Two, three, lift.
0:13:56 > 0:13:58- Charlotte?- Yes?
0:13:58 > 0:14:01You're going to go in to the aircraft now, into a bit of a tunnel,
0:14:01 > 0:14:05- when you come out the other end, I'll be sat next to you, OK? - See you later.
0:14:05 > 0:14:10In just five minutes, the teenager will be in hospital where they can fully assess her injuries.
0:14:10 > 0:14:15If she's damaged her spinal cord, it will mean life in a wheelchair.
0:14:15 > 0:14:20But if it's only the spine itself which is fractured, the prospects are much brighter.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23We'll be talking to Charlotte as she starts her recovery.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31The ambulance service often provides a lifeline to older people,
0:14:31 > 0:14:33always there in case of emergencies,
0:14:33 > 0:14:36but it's wrong to think of their most senior patients
0:14:36 > 0:14:39as the most frail. They may need extra help every so often,
0:14:39 > 0:14:41but they're sometimes the most resilient
0:14:41 > 0:14:44and independent characters, as you're about to find out.
0:14:50 > 0:14:51It's a bright, sunny day,
0:14:51 > 0:14:55and ambulance crew Graham Collins and Gail Inman are on their way
0:14:55 > 0:14:59to help a 94-year-old who's had a fall at a country park.
0:14:59 > 0:15:03Rita Tasker had been enjoying the sunshine with her sister-in-law, Doreen,
0:15:03 > 0:15:06when suddenly she found herself the centre of attention,
0:15:06 > 0:15:08something she hates.
0:15:08 > 0:15:12She's fallen and hit her head, so Doreen's called 999.
0:15:12 > 0:15:14Are you really fed up?
0:15:14 > 0:15:16I don't want to come with you.
0:15:16 > 0:15:21- How about if we just sit you in the ambulance...- How about... Come on!
0:15:21 > 0:15:24- ..have a little look, and go from there.- Yes.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26We can't make you go anywhere.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28If I don't, she'll make me.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31I've got all her medicine things and everything else here.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34Thanks to everybody.
0:15:34 > 0:15:35Thank you.
0:15:35 > 0:15:40Rita's fallen down outside the tea room and has a nasty cut on her ear
0:15:40 > 0:15:41which needs stitches.
0:15:41 > 0:15:47All this fuss is more than enough for Rita - she doesn't want even more when she gets home.
0:15:47 > 0:15:48But Doreen's had other ideas.
0:15:48 > 0:15:52I hope nobody tells my kids, because they'll go mad.
0:15:52 > 0:15:54I've got to let them know, obviously, love. I must.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57Or else I shall be in trouble, you know that!
0:15:57 > 0:16:00You don't mind being in trouble for five minutes, do you?
0:16:00 > 0:16:01I'm not having that!
0:16:03 > 0:16:06Perhaps you won't tell Warren and Barry.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09- Oh, you will, big mouth, you will! - I've got to!
0:16:09 > 0:16:12- I feel responsible for her. - They won't like it very much,
0:16:12 > 0:16:15cos they'll say, "You should have stopped her falling!"
0:16:15 > 0:16:20- They will!- So it serves you right. Your fault!
0:16:20 > 0:16:22They had a very strong relationship,
0:16:22 > 0:16:24I think, because they could say anything to one another
0:16:24 > 0:16:26and it wasn't taken the wrong way.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28We come down here a lot in the summer.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31I said, "We might be able to go down there if we wrap up warm."
0:16:31 > 0:16:35- So it's all your fault, then.- No... - Yes it is, it's all your fault.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38It was like a comedy double act. They were bouncing off each other.
0:16:38 > 0:16:42It's important to get to the bottom of what's caused Rita to fall,
0:16:42 > 0:16:45so Graham needs to get a sample of blood.
0:16:45 > 0:16:50Look, the doctors keep on taking blood, if you keep on taking blood, how d'you expect me to live?
0:16:50 > 0:16:52Where do you want it?
0:16:52 > 0:16:56HE LAUGHS I'll just take it off your finger. Little scratch coming up!
0:16:56 > 0:16:59- We only took a little drop. - I feel all right now.
0:16:59 > 0:17:00You can keep the rest.
0:17:00 > 0:17:05If I thought you could go home, of course we'd let you. We'd even take you home, but we can't.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08After a lot of persuasion, she's on her way to A&E.
0:17:08 > 0:17:13It's a very common occurrence for us to turn up and old people
0:17:13 > 0:17:16not want to go to hospital. They're independent.
0:17:16 > 0:17:20A lot of these people have been through a lot of hard times.
0:17:20 > 0:17:26They won the war for us. They're hard characters, and they're not going to give up their independence easily.
0:17:26 > 0:17:31When she can get a word in edgeways, Gail's still trying to find out more about Rita's general health.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34There's certainly nothing wrong with her wit.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37What health problems do you suffer with, Rita?
0:17:37 > 0:17:39- What do I suffer with?- Yeah.
0:17:39 > 0:17:40Boredom.
0:17:40 > 0:17:44DOREEN: Just before Christmas, she had a slight heart attack.
0:17:44 > 0:17:47Oh, for pity's sake! Oh!
0:17:47 > 0:17:50Gail's bandaging invites more good-natured banter from Rita.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53Do you know, I only had my hair done yesterday.
0:17:53 > 0:17:54I know, it's rotten, isn't it?
0:17:54 > 0:17:57It's not right, is it?
0:17:57 > 0:18:02So far, it's been a light-hearted call-out but suddenly, the mood changes.
0:18:02 > 0:18:04- I've got a pain in my chest now. - Have you, sweetheart?
0:18:04 > 0:18:07- Eh?- Have you got a pain there?
0:18:07 > 0:18:09Well, you know...
0:18:09 > 0:18:11Graham?
0:18:11 > 0:18:12No, I'm all right.
0:18:12 > 0:18:16If you've got pain there, we need to get you at least lying down.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19- No, I'm all right. - Have you still got it there now?
0:18:19 > 0:18:21No, it's gone off again now.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24It's only where I had my coffee. Honestly, I'm all right.
0:18:24 > 0:18:30But Rita's not winning this time. Gail and Graham take the pain very seriously.
0:18:30 > 0:18:32I hope my sister-in-law's enjoying all this.
0:18:32 > 0:18:37I'm sure she's not. I'm sure it's the last thing she wants to see.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40I've always dreaded something like that might happen.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43Well, it hasn't, so you haven't got to worry, have you?
0:18:45 > 0:18:47You two are a pair, aren't you?
0:18:49 > 0:18:53Rita was at her ease. She had somebody with her who knew her
0:18:53 > 0:18:57that she could rely on, and it was a less threatening environment for her.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00Aren't you glad I'm your sister-in-law?
0:19:00 > 0:19:02You wouldn't have all this excitement if I wasn't.
0:19:02 > 0:19:06I don't know what I'm thinking at the moment, I can tell you.
0:19:06 > 0:19:10'Anybody that complains of chest pains, you have to take seriously
0:19:10 > 0:19:12'and I think at that point,'
0:19:12 > 0:19:15she realised that there was something else going on
0:19:15 > 0:19:17or potentially something else that was going on.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19Pain getting worse, is it?
0:19:19 > 0:19:20Yes, it is a bit.
0:19:20 > 0:19:24It's time to get the blue lights on and head for A&E as quickly as possible.
0:19:24 > 0:19:28Rita? I'm going to make a bit of noise going up there, all right?
0:19:28 > 0:19:31So don't be alarmed with me making lots of noise.
0:19:31 > 0:19:32Don't worry about me.
0:19:36 > 0:19:41Gail starts sending all details of Rita's test to the hospital emergency department.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47Graham's in no doubt that Rita's in the best place.
0:19:47 > 0:19:51It could have been quite innocent, but we had to eliminate all possibilities,
0:19:51 > 0:19:54make sure that there wasn't something more sinister happening.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57That's why she's in A&E - not just for the head injury,
0:19:57 > 0:20:02but for the possibility of something underlying that caused her to fall in the first place.
0:20:02 > 0:20:07It turns out that it was absolutely the right thing to persuade Rita to go to A&E,
0:20:07 > 0:20:09as we'll find out later.
0:20:22 > 0:20:26Jim Green is on shift with the Hampshire Animal Rescue Unit,
0:20:26 > 0:20:30when suddenly a call comes in that stops him dead in his tracks.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36- PHONE: 'Hi, Jim. How are you?' - I'm all right, mate.
0:20:36 > 0:20:41Now, listen, I've got a call to a snake in...a car in Southampton.
0:20:41 > 0:20:42Did he say a snake in a car?
0:20:42 > 0:20:46- Apparently it's trapped in a car. - 'Sorry, did you say IN the car?'
0:20:46 > 0:20:48In the car.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50But it's not just any old snake.
0:20:50 > 0:20:54It's a three-year-old, 11-foot-long albino python.
0:20:54 > 0:20:58Not easy for a rescuer who's more used to handling livestock with legs.
0:20:58 > 0:21:02Jim's going to need some help, so he's straight onto his colleagues for back-up.
0:21:02 > 0:21:04Yeah, but it's trapped apparently.
0:21:04 > 0:21:08Jim's tries the RSPCA for support but they're busy, so his next call
0:21:08 > 0:21:11is to Anton Phillips, another animal rescue specialist.
0:21:11 > 0:21:13'It'll be active, very active.'
0:21:13 > 0:21:18Yeah. But I haven't really got anything to put it in, apart from the big dog cage.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23He gets there to find the car parked by a pub close to the common.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26It's packed with people enjoying the sunshine.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30Although it's not venomous, this snake kills its prey by crushing,
0:21:30 > 0:21:33and it could be a danger to the public.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35HX Romeo Oscar One, over.
0:21:40 > 0:21:46Danny, the snake's owner, called in when it started to disappear.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48So what's the score, then?
0:21:48 > 0:21:49Why are they in the car?
0:21:50 > 0:21:56- Because we were going to the common to take them for a walk. - Taking them for a walk?
0:21:56 > 0:21:59Snake-walking is clearly a popular pastime for this family.
0:21:59 > 0:22:03The back of their hatchback is their means of transporting the creature.
0:22:03 > 0:22:09Every member of this family seems happy to be around snakes, large or not so large.
0:22:09 > 0:22:10What's he like with the heat?
0:22:10 > 0:22:14- Yeah, good.- He's all right with heat, is he?- Likes the heat, yeah.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17- Is that the boy one or the girl? Cos we've got two.- Right, OK.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19That one's her.
0:22:19 > 0:22:24Right... I think we'd better get Big Red Toolbox out here, actually.
0:22:24 > 0:22:28Big Red Toolbox is Jim's name for the special equipment unit,
0:22:28 > 0:22:31which will cut the car apart to get at the snake.
0:22:31 > 0:22:35You can just see the python in right-hand corner of your picture.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38The other half has disappeared into the bodywork of the car.
0:22:40 > 0:22:44It found a hole in the boot, in the cowling, where you change your bulbs
0:22:44 > 0:22:46for the rear light cluster,
0:22:46 > 0:22:50and it had disappeared up through there into the skin of the car.
0:22:50 > 0:22:54And then they tried to get the thing out, and all it had done is expanded.
0:22:54 > 0:22:59It had contracted to get into this small hole, disappeared through about two feet and then
0:22:59 > 0:23:03it had just expanded and was not something that you were going to be able to pull out.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06We don't want him to come all the way through. We want him to back-up.
0:23:06 > 0:23:07That's it, yeah.
0:23:07 > 0:23:11- But that's going to be tricky... - He can't go no further anyway.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14You haven't tried pulling him out, have you?
0:23:14 > 0:23:17We tried pulling him out but he keeps like squeezing himself forward.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21He would because animals like to go forwards rather than backwards.
0:23:21 > 0:23:23Let me get a special equipment unit on the road...
0:23:23 > 0:23:26Suddenly, Jack the snake is on the move.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29He's trying to come back, mate.
0:23:29 > 0:23:34Hang on. He's probably better to try and see if he'll do it on his own.
0:23:34 > 0:23:36He's coming back out.
0:23:36 > 0:23:42It's an astonishing sight - 11 feet of snake reversing out of a hatchback's wheel arch.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44I don't know. I'll tell you in a minute.
0:23:44 > 0:23:48Right, we've got to be careful he doesn't hurt himself now.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51He's trying to come out on his own now.
0:23:51 > 0:23:56He's gone in the boot of the car... Oh, he's coming out. That's good.
0:23:56 > 0:24:01- Good boy!- It's all right. I'll give you a ring back in a minute.
0:24:01 > 0:24:02Oh, he's out!
0:24:02 > 0:24:06The family are overjoyed to have Jack the snake back with them.
0:24:06 > 0:24:10He's soon in Danny's arms, getting the once-over for any injuries.
0:24:10 > 0:24:12He's not been damaged at all?
0:24:16 > 0:24:20'As the snake was withdrawing itself, I was a little bit concerned
0:24:20 > 0:24:22'that it would damage itself'
0:24:22 > 0:24:25on the metalwork, because its scales are positioned so that
0:24:25 > 0:24:28it goes through nicely forwards but they were starting
0:24:28 > 0:24:33to get a bit hooked up as it was coming out, so I was concerned it was going to damage itself.
0:24:33 > 0:24:37But, fortunately, there was no problem there.
0:24:37 > 0:24:39- And that's Jill, is it?- No.- No.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41Jill's...this other one.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44- OK. So Jill's at home?- Yeah.
0:24:44 > 0:24:46Thank you ever so much.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48So there you go.
0:24:48 > 0:24:52Must've been your talk that got him out. Your little talk.
0:24:52 > 0:24:54Yeah, he's lovely, isn't he? Lovely.
0:24:54 > 0:24:58This Burmese python is still only half-grown.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01He could get up to 25 feet long.
0:25:01 > 0:25:07People in the snake pet industry don't recommend a Burmese python as your first snake.
0:25:07 > 0:25:12They are quite a handful, they do eat a lot and they have been known to be unpredictable.
0:25:14 > 0:25:18It's not every day your snake gets stuck in the boot of the car, is it?
0:25:18 > 0:25:21How's his...?
0:25:21 > 0:25:23Beautiful.
0:25:23 > 0:25:29Jack's causing quite a sensation in the car park, and even Jim wants his own photo of this one.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32Jim will probably never have a rescue like this again.
0:25:32 > 0:25:37So all's well. Jim can now stand down the special equipment unit, the car's still in one piece,
0:25:37 > 0:25:41and Jack the python and his family can get on with their walk in the park.
0:25:41 > 0:25:45- This is normal, is it, bringing him out for a walk?- Yeah.
0:25:45 > 0:25:47- Fantastic. - Let him run round in the sunshine.
0:25:47 > 0:25:50All the kids like it. It's not very often you see a big snake.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53- No, certainly not.- It's certainly been a rescue to remember.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56- Are you taking that thing in swimming?- Well, he is.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59If they let us put him in, yeah.
0:25:59 > 0:26:01Thanks a lot.
0:26:01 > 0:26:06Legally, a python is not classed as a dangerous wild animal, so the family are quite free
0:26:06 > 0:26:09to take the snake out, so long as it's under control.
0:26:17 > 0:26:21Time to update you on the other people featured on tonight's Real Rescues.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24Charlotte, the back-seat passenger in the car accident
0:26:24 > 0:26:26DID break her back,
0:26:26 > 0:26:30but luckily, her spinal cord wasn't damaged.
0:26:30 > 0:26:32However, she did need surgery.
0:26:32 > 0:26:34Has it? Where's it been hurting?
0:26:34 > 0:26:36At the bottom here.
0:26:36 > 0:26:37- Down here?- Yeah.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40'They put this plate in and they said'
0:26:40 > 0:26:43that's to secure it and then, back in November,
0:26:43 > 0:26:47when they take it out, hopefully it's healed
0:26:47 > 0:26:49and they won't do any damage more,
0:26:49 > 0:26:54but they did say I'll have to just be very careful what I do and stuff like that.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58It shouldn't have any proper long-term damage.
0:26:58 > 0:27:00They said it wasn't far enough up the back.
0:27:00 > 0:27:04It was quite low down, luckily, so that was quite fortunate.
0:27:08 > 0:27:12Roy the paraglider pilot who got stuck 70 feet up when he crashed into a tree -
0:27:12 > 0:27:15well, there's no keeping a good man down.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18As soon as Roy could rescue his paraglider,
0:27:18 > 0:27:20he was back in the air again.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23I'm pleased to say I've not been involved in anything else since then.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26I intend to just enjoy my flying from here on in.
0:27:26 > 0:27:31Leonardo, no doubt, will spend a few more hours watching his master in the sky.
0:27:34 > 0:27:39As for Rita Tasker, she's back out and about again with her sister-in-law, Doreen.
0:27:39 > 0:27:42She did suffer a very mild heart attack after her fall
0:27:42 > 0:27:45and needed five stitches for the cut on her ear.
0:27:45 > 0:27:47'Perhaps I refused to grow really old.'
0:27:47 > 0:27:50Perhaps that's it. I don't know.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53All the while I can do these things, I must do them.
0:27:53 > 0:27:57As for her son and family, they're happy for her to stay just the way she is.
0:27:57 > 0:28:02Ask anyone of the family, and it would be 100% in agreement.
0:28:02 > 0:28:03She's very, very stubborn.
0:28:03 > 0:28:04Very difficult at times.
0:28:04 > 0:28:07We love her to bits, but we still say very stubborn,
0:28:07 > 0:28:10and I think sometimes that's maybe what's kept her going.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16Join me next time for more of the fantastic work
0:28:16 > 0:28:18from the men and women of our blue-light services
0:28:18 > 0:28:21when we're back on call for Real Rescues.
0:28:34 > 0:28:39Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:39 > 0:28:44E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk