0:00:02 > 0:00:06Today, a 999 call alerts the fire service to an emergency at a block of flats.
0:00:13 > 0:00:17Firefighters arrive to find a high walkway has collapsed.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20Families are trapped and they can smell gas.
0:00:20 > 0:00:25There's only a flimsy tree root between him and a fall on to rocks,
0:00:25 > 0:00:28but this caller hangs on to his sense of humour.
0:00:44 > 0:00:48He might be making a joke, but he is in real danger.
0:00:48 > 0:00:54And a woman who ended up trapped in her car, hanging over a river, miles from help.
0:00:54 > 0:01:00It was quite scary for her and daunting for us, looking at the river below, thinking, "Oh, my God!"
0:01:23 > 0:01:26Hello and welcome to Real Rescues.
0:01:26 > 0:01:30This police control room near Southampton is one of the busiest
0:01:30 > 0:01:34and largest in the UK. Each area here has different responsibilities.
0:01:34 > 0:01:38This is the motorway desk. You can see the screens behind me.
0:01:38 > 0:01:42There's the command desk. Everything serious goes through there.
0:01:42 > 0:01:46Where Nick is, that's Eastleigh. They're in charge of the airports.
0:01:46 > 0:01:50At the back of the room is the new forensics desk.
0:01:50 > 0:01:54Later on, we'll talk to a forensic investigator about their work.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57Before we get started, I want to have a walk round.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01At the moment, we have a shift change.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04Bob, who's in charge, is handing over to Russ.
0:02:04 > 0:02:10We'll have a quick word with Russ and find out what's going on. What have you got for us today?
0:02:10 > 0:02:14At the moment, we're looking at a couple of incidents of note.
0:02:14 > 0:02:16One is a group of lads with guns,
0:02:16 > 0:02:20although it turns out it would appear to be BB guns.
0:02:20 > 0:02:25And we're also looking at a suspect package that has been delivered to the Isle of Wight
0:02:25 > 0:02:29which is taking up quite a few resources at the moment.
0:02:29 > 0:02:35- That's interesting. You said kids were running around... I presume a BB gun is like an air gun?- Yeah.
0:02:35 > 0:02:39They think it's a bit of a laugh, but for the people around them...
0:02:39 > 0:02:42It's quite a concern, of course.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45Who's been called in on the suspect package?
0:02:45 > 0:02:49The suspect package... Several people have been informed on that one.
0:02:49 > 0:02:56- We always notify Special Branch if we have an incident such as a suspect package.- Right.
0:02:56 > 0:03:03And also we've got a specialist dog unit who can identify what the suspect...what substance it is.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06- OK.- If it's a white substance.
0:03:06 > 0:03:11But also we have the fire brigade and the ambulance crews which are also involved.
0:03:11 > 0:03:16OK, we'll keep up with that a bit later on, but quickly, I want to chat to Bob.
0:03:16 > 0:03:22You've got people coming in through the ports. Your area has two major ports in it.
0:03:22 > 0:03:26We have a group of people who seem to have entered the country illegally.
0:03:26 > 0:03:30We're searching for a group who have gone missing from the Dock Gate area.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33It appears that a group have come in in a lorry.
0:03:33 > 0:03:39Some have been detained and the UK Border Agency and Immigration are currently dealing with them.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41I'll come back to you later,
0:03:41 > 0:03:47but first, an emergency that's more common in earthquake zones than in the city centre.
0:03:47 > 0:03:52A man has just called 999, struggling to believe what he has seen and heard.
0:03:52 > 0:03:56Part of a block of flats has collapsed. This is how the call came in.
0:04:24 > 0:04:29And the caller wasn't kidding. It's an unbelievable sight.
0:04:29 > 0:04:34A large section of this block of flats has inexplicably collapsed.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41Crews from the Hightown Fire Station are dispatched to the scene.
0:04:41 > 0:04:46They've been told two families are trapped inside their flats.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50Their courtyard garden and the paths to the front doors have fallen away.
0:04:50 > 0:04:55Trying to get out would involve a dangerous drop on to unstable ground.
0:04:55 > 0:05:01There's also an ominous smell of gas in the air and a real fear of further explosion or collapse.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08Incident commander Mark Raven sets up an exclusion zone.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11My initial worries were I didn't understand
0:05:11 > 0:05:14whether this was a gas explosion
0:05:14 > 0:05:18or a collapse which had caused a gas leak, which was quite worrying.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21There was a huge amount of gas on the site.
0:05:21 > 0:05:27Our first action was to warn the families not to switch on or switch off anything electrical,
0:05:27 > 0:05:31then I detailed the crews to start effecting the rescues.
0:05:31 > 0:05:35They've set up on the side of the building away from the debris.
0:05:35 > 0:05:40There's a family of five trapped in one flat and six in the other.
0:05:40 > 0:05:46Firefighter Mark Caplen carefully takes little Harry out from the left-hand flat first.
0:05:46 > 0:05:48It's a parent's natural instinct
0:05:48 > 0:05:52to give you their children before they put themselves out for rescue.
0:05:52 > 0:05:58Harry was a little bit hysterical cos he was leaving his mum's arms. He didn't want to be with a stranger.
0:05:58 > 0:06:02I tried to reassure Harry that he would be fine.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05HARRY CRIES Harry, Harry, Harry...
0:06:05 > 0:06:10Look up there! You see your sister? Your sister's coming down now.
0:06:10 > 0:06:17Your sister's coming now. Harry, we'll go down there and see the nice policeman. You come with me.
0:06:17 > 0:06:23While Mark leads a reassured Harry away to safety, Steve Graham brings down his sister Rosina.
0:06:23 > 0:06:27It's always harder with children on the ladders. As they're quite small,
0:06:27 > 0:06:33you don't have a correct handling of the ladder, so you do the best you can whilst coming down.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35Mummy will be coming in a minute.
0:06:40 > 0:06:44As they continue to evacuate the family from the left-hand flat,
0:06:44 > 0:06:48another fire crew is preparing to rescue their neighbours -
0:06:48 > 0:06:52Diane and her four children who are waiting anxiously for their turn.
0:06:52 > 0:06:58I'm calming the children down, saying, "Don't worry, we'll just get ourselves ready,"
0:06:58 > 0:07:01trying to let them know we're going to be OK.
0:07:01 > 0:07:06"Just keep to the middle in case anything else shakes or moves.
0:07:06 > 0:07:12"If we all stay huddled up like in a circle, we'll be OK."
0:07:12 > 0:07:16Getting them out of this flat will be made more precarious
0:07:16 > 0:07:20as the drop is deeper and over a flight of steps.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23There's also a problem with the window.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25I know our windows don't open fully
0:07:25 > 0:07:29because I put them on a tilt and locked it,
0:07:29 > 0:07:35so that the children couldn't lean through the windows because there was a big drop at the front.
0:07:35 > 0:07:37I just put the keys well away,
0:07:37 > 0:07:42not thinking that something like this could happen and it would be our escape route.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45While Diane searches frantically for the key,
0:07:45 > 0:07:51next door, Michael, who made the original 999 call, is the last person to be removed.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54He will join the rest of his family at the local church hall
0:07:54 > 0:07:58which is providing shelter for the evacuated residents.
0:07:58 > 0:08:03They're all relieved to have escaped unharmed from such a devastating scene.
0:08:03 > 0:08:07There was a big bang and a shake. I thought my son had fallen out of bed.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10It wasn't that. My wife thought it was thunder.
0:08:10 > 0:08:17I looked outside my bedroom window and my whole courtyard's just gone. It fell down to the ground.
0:08:17 > 0:08:23But all I was worried about was people underneath. It was terrible, absolutely terrible.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26- There was a smell of strong gas. - Yeah, smell of gas.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29I thought the whole house was going to cave in.
0:08:29 > 0:08:34The balcony had gone. I was so shaken up. I just wanted to get out and couldn't.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36But at least they are out.
0:08:36 > 0:08:42Diane hasn't been able to locate the window key, so the firefighters will have to break in.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45But it's not going to be easy.
0:08:46 > 0:08:52The irony in all this is that the building itself was fitted with safety glass on the outside pane
0:08:52 > 0:08:56and it was preventing us from getting in in a timely fashion.
0:08:56 > 0:09:00Take the single pane out. You'll never get that out.
0:09:00 > 0:09:04Normally, we'd use an electrical appliance to cut the glass.
0:09:04 > 0:09:10However, I couldn't introduce anything electrical into the scene because of the gas leak,
0:09:10 > 0:09:16so we had to go to hand tools and the best hand tool that we've got for this was a fireman's axe.
0:09:16 > 0:09:22With the cause of this destruction unknown, the fear of an explosion or further collapse is a real concern.
0:09:22 > 0:09:27The fire crew need to get this family out to safety as fast as they can.
0:09:27 > 0:09:31The next little girl they have to bring down is terrified
0:09:31 > 0:09:37and it gives the fire crews a problem as we'll see when we return to that rescue a bit later.
0:09:37 > 0:09:39John Bird here has quite a story.
0:09:39 > 0:09:45He lost his footing on a cliff walk and he ended up... It's impossible to explain. Show me.
0:09:45 > 0:09:49When I fell, I landed about 10 or 12 feet down.
0:09:49 > 0:09:51I was horizontal to the path above
0:09:51 > 0:09:55and I noticed there was a twig two feet long just a short way away
0:09:55 > 0:10:01and I inched my way along, got my leg over it and was holding the twig through my leg to keep myself still.
0:10:01 > 0:10:05- Not particularly comfortable?- Not at all, but better than falling.
0:10:05 > 0:10:10When that happened, he didn't lose his cool, his sense of humour or his manners
0:10:10 > 0:10:14as he called the Coastguard for help.
0:11:11 > 0:11:16How were you making that phone call and holding on to the branch at the same time...
0:11:16 > 0:11:21- You called Margorie, your wife, first?- I did. I keep my mobile phone on the hip,
0:11:21 > 0:11:27so while I was holding the twig like that, I could use the phone on my other hand to make the call.
0:11:27 > 0:11:33- Margorie, what did you think? - As soon as I received the call, I thought he was joking.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36- He is a bit of a joker. - Yes, he is a wicked joker.
0:11:36 > 0:11:43And as soon as I received the call, when he said, "I need help," I knew then it was a genuine call,
0:11:43 > 0:11:48so I alerted the emergency services and waited for them.
0:11:48 > 0:11:54- You realised if you could call Margorie, you could call the Coastguard?- That's right.
0:11:54 > 0:11:58Let's see what happened when they were trying to locate you.
0:13:16 > 0:13:22At the end of that, you sound really concerned. You realise you'll have to wait a longer time.
0:13:22 > 0:13:28Yes, I realised that anybody coming out from Clevedon would take 20, 25 minutes to walk to me.
0:13:28 > 0:13:34They told me a helicopter was coming from Portland which would take the best part of half an hour.
0:13:34 > 0:13:41- You could hear the helicopter? - Yes, and I could see the helicopter circling above the water in the bay.
0:13:41 > 0:13:48And that was the most distressing part of it all because I thought he had gone.
0:13:48 > 0:13:54I was trying to contact him on the telephone. I didn't realise it was engaged with the Coastguard.
0:13:54 > 0:14:00- Did you think you were going to lose him?- Yes, I did. - Oh, how horrible for you!
0:14:00 > 0:14:04- Very distressed.- Absolutely. Absolutely. You must have been...
0:14:04 > 0:14:08There was no-one around who I could talk to.
0:14:08 > 0:14:12At that time, I was in the car park on my own.
0:14:12 > 0:14:18So the emergency services, of course, arrived and they were very reassuring.
0:14:18 > 0:14:22And really sincere thanks to them all.
0:14:22 > 0:14:28I know you haven't seen these photos, Margorie, and we've got footage of the helicopter as well
0:14:28 > 0:14:31which will give you a sense of what was going on.
0:14:31 > 0:14:37What was going through your mind? You would have known that she was worried as well.
0:14:37 > 0:14:43I was. I asked the Coastguard at Swansea to contact her by mobile phone and thanks to them for that.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46So here you were at this point halfway down the cliff.
0:14:46 > 0:14:52- It wasn't a cliff rescue. They came over the cliff to get you, didn't they?- That's correct.
0:14:52 > 0:14:59One of the lads came over with the sling. Once we were both in it, then obviously, they pulled us up.
0:14:59 > 0:15:05Margorie, you were really upset at the time and you were concerned that you hadn't said goodbye to him.
0:15:05 > 0:15:07That's right.
0:15:07 > 0:15:13- I thought that he was in the water. And I didn't have a chance to say goodbye...- Aw!
0:15:13 > 0:15:17- But he's all right.- He's all right? He's better than that.
0:15:17 > 0:15:21- He's still a wicked joker, isn't he? - Yes, he hasn't changed one bit.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25He's still walking along there several times a week.
0:15:25 > 0:15:30- But being more careful. - Is he being more careful? - Yes, he is.- Slightly more careful.
0:15:30 > 0:15:36It's been a pleasure to speak to you. I'm glad you're safe and well and that you still joke! Nick?
0:15:36 > 0:15:41Before we leave John, I think that's the most polite victim I've ever heard.
0:15:41 > 0:15:47"I'm terribly sorry, I think I might fall to my death. I don't want to disturb anyone."
0:15:47 > 0:15:51How did you manage to stay so polite? I'd be screaming.
0:15:51 > 0:15:56My main thought all the time was, "Keep calm, keep calm, there's a big drop down there!"
0:15:56 > 0:16:03And right at the beginning, you say, "The name's Bird, B-I-R-D." And you were in a bush.
0:16:03 > 0:16:09- Did no-one say to you, "Bird in a bush?"- I've had the mickey taken out of me, a poem written about me.
0:16:09 > 0:16:13- I'll never live it down.- Lovely talking to you. Thanks, Louise.
0:16:13 > 0:16:18From useful twigs to useful trees. Hit a tree normally and you're in trouble in a car.
0:16:18 > 0:16:22However, in the next rescue, it prevented a far worse accident.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25A New Forest road has been closed
0:16:25 > 0:16:31as all three emergency services are working to free a woman driver who has hit ice.
0:16:31 > 0:16:36Her sports car has spun out of control at the base of a hill,
0:16:36 > 0:16:41crashed into a tree and has come to rest on its side, hanging over a river.
0:16:41 > 0:16:45Driver Linda is conscious, but trapped in her seat.
0:16:45 > 0:16:51Paramedic Shaun Prewitt has clambered in to keep her still and safe.
0:16:51 > 0:16:55Seeing the car in the precarious situation it was in
0:16:55 > 0:17:02and the damage to the car, we were expecting worse, but the patient was conscious. It was very reassuring.
0:17:02 > 0:17:07It became obvious that she was pinned in the car by means of the door intrusion
0:17:07 > 0:17:12which had trapped her legs against the centre console. She was pinned in that position.
0:17:12 > 0:17:18The fire crew's first job was securing the car, so it won't slip down into the water.
0:17:18 > 0:17:22But the only way to get Linda out is to pull the car back.
0:17:22 > 0:17:28It's an unusual decision to move a vehicle when a patient may have spinal injuries,
0:17:28 > 0:17:31but the medics have agreed it's safe to go ahead.
0:17:31 > 0:17:35Crew manager Steve Evans is in charge of the MRV -
0:17:35 > 0:17:37that's a multi-role vehicle.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40We're going to tow it up on to the road,
0:17:40 > 0:17:45so the position is the easiest to get her out and the safest for her.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48They've got to ensure the move is as smooth as possible.
0:17:48 > 0:17:53When they take the tension up on the winch, we remove the one off the back
0:17:53 > 0:17:58and we need to secure it on the front somewhere, so we do the front with this Tirfor
0:17:58 > 0:18:01and the winch will take the back of the vehicle.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04Shaun has noticed that the front airbag is intact.
0:18:04 > 0:18:08If it was set off now, it would make matters far worse for Linda.
0:18:08 > 0:18:15Had the airbag gone off, we would have been concerned about any damage to the C-spine for the patient,
0:18:15 > 0:18:20so they tied ropes around it to the front of the vehicle, just to make it more secure.
0:18:20 > 0:18:25The MRV gets into place, ready to start winching the car back.
0:18:25 > 0:18:29With careful teamwork, the car begins to move.
0:18:30 > 0:18:37We wanted the hand-operated Tirfor winch to ensure that the front of the vehicle stayed in line.
0:18:37 > 0:18:43There was a bit of concern when things started to move, the noise and the creaks.
0:18:43 > 0:18:49But Linda coped very well. I was in close communication with a firefighter on the outside.
0:18:49 > 0:18:54Any time that I would have said to stop the action, then that would have happened.
0:18:54 > 0:18:59- Rest there.- They can now get access to both sides of the car.
0:18:59 > 0:19:04The damage to the roof shows what a massive impact the car and Linda have suffered.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07It's crushed right down close to her head.
0:19:07 > 0:19:12Very cramped situation. There's a lot of intrusion from the roof and the driver's door.
0:19:12 > 0:19:17Do we think we can get a ram in on that roof to take it away from her head?
0:19:17 > 0:19:21Tim O'Donnell gets the ram or hydraulic jack into place.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23OK, that's it. Leave it there.
0:19:23 > 0:19:29Now they can start to take off the door. It means using the powerful hydraulic spreaders next to Linda.
0:19:29 > 0:19:33Just watch for intrusion on the door there. That's the only thing.
0:19:33 > 0:19:39'The spreaders can manipulate metal effortlessly under complete control.'
0:19:39 > 0:19:42OK, the door should be released now.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47Linda's husband Paul has arrived at the scene.
0:19:47 > 0:19:53He watches on as the firefighters carefully and gently cut his wife out from the car.
0:19:53 > 0:19:57We need people either side to support the roof.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00'When it came to the roof having to be cut off,
0:20:00 > 0:20:05'that needed to be explained to Linda because there would be a lot of strange noises.
0:20:05 > 0:20:10'Grinding, cutting, glass that hasn't broken needs to be broken.'
0:20:10 > 0:20:16It also gets very dark in there because there's a lot of protection for the patient and myself.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19But she coped with it very well. Very calm.
0:20:19 > 0:20:23Now the roof is off, the team can see how best to get her out.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26Paramedic Mike Gregory has a plan.
0:20:26 > 0:20:30So if we were to put a KED there, that would be more supportive.
0:20:30 > 0:20:36A KED is an extrication device that's used primarily to lift people out of confined spaces.
0:20:36 > 0:20:40It's like a corset that goes around the patient, strapped to go round.
0:20:40 > 0:20:44It supports the head and C-spine and keeps everything in line.
0:20:44 > 0:20:48We'll need to support and help with the manual handling, all right?
0:20:48 > 0:20:52Linda's ready to be manoeuvred on to the long board.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55We'll just feed it hand over hand to 'em.
0:20:55 > 0:20:59She was in very good spirits for the time that she was sat in the car.
0:20:59 > 0:21:05It must have been scary for her to be sat there that length of time with those people milling around her
0:21:05 > 0:21:08and looking at the river, thinking, "Oh, my God!"
0:21:08 > 0:21:12It was quite scary for her and daunting for us,
0:21:12 > 0:21:16having this limited work space to try and get her out of the car.
0:21:18 > 0:21:22At last, Paul can get close to comfort his wife.
0:21:26 > 0:21:32Linda will be taken to A&E for X-rays to find out just what her injuries are.
0:21:34 > 0:21:40But things could have been a lot worse if the tree hadn't brought the car to a standstill.
0:21:40 > 0:21:47It was possible, had the tree not been there, that the lady may have ended up upside down in the river
0:21:47 > 0:21:51in a position where most people wouldn't have seen it from the road.
0:21:51 > 0:21:55And there's a word of warning for other motorists.
0:21:55 > 0:21:59In areas like this remote forest area, expect the unexpected.
0:21:59 > 0:22:03In the hollow, you can have a cold spot like we had here this morning
0:22:03 > 0:22:06where the roads on the tops were dry and clear,
0:22:06 > 0:22:10but in the hollow where the sun takes that much longer to get into,
0:22:10 > 0:22:16any ice or snow that may have formed overnight will take that much longer to dissipate.
0:22:17 > 0:22:23Linda suffered extensive and very painful bruising, but she's recovering well.
0:22:23 > 0:22:27I've wandered over to this side of the office to chat with Bob.
0:22:27 > 0:22:31When we came in, we were talking about the immigration issue.
0:22:31 > 0:22:37You must get a lot of people coming through the ports and people escaping and illegal immigrants.
0:22:37 > 0:22:39Yes, it's a common occurrence.
0:22:39 > 0:22:44We've got two major ports in Southampton and Portsmouth on the mainland.
0:22:44 > 0:22:49Today, we've got an incident where people appear to have come in on a lorry
0:22:49 > 0:22:55and cut their way through the curtain side of that lorry and tried to escape on to the mainland.
0:22:55 > 0:23:01- You've managed to pick up... Two were held...- Two were held initially at the border...
0:23:01 > 0:23:06immediately in the dock, then within the dock area, a further six were detained,
0:23:06 > 0:23:08but we're still looking for others.
0:23:08 > 0:23:14- You say they cut into the side of the lorry, so the lorry driver might not necessarily be involved.- No.
0:23:14 > 0:23:18Clearly, we've got to look into the circumstances of how they've got in
0:23:18 > 0:23:22and potentially, is the driver involved in this?
0:23:22 > 0:23:29- But it appears that they've cut their way out of the side of the lorry. - Interesting. Thank you very much.
0:23:32 > 0:23:37Still to come on Real Rescues, teenager Sophie comes a cropper for the umpteenth time.
0:23:37 > 0:23:43She's been thrown from her horse and dragged along with her foot in the stirrup.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47- So, is it hurting round here? - Oh, yeah. Aagh!
0:23:47 > 0:23:53That's no problem. You may have just put a little crack in it. OK?
0:23:53 > 0:23:59And car crash forensics - how a crack on a windscreen can reveal just how an accident happens.
0:24:01 > 0:24:05Now we return to that extraordinary collapse at a block of flats.
0:24:05 > 0:24:10It's left families trapped and worried that more of the building will fall down.
0:24:12 > 0:24:17With the heavy smell of gas in the air and the real worry of further collapse,
0:24:17 > 0:24:20firefighter Keith Burton has finally broken into the flat
0:24:20 > 0:24:25where Diane and her four children have been waiting to be rescued.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28The children were a little bit shaken and scared.
0:24:28 > 0:24:33The smell of the gas and what had happened was in their mind.
0:24:33 > 0:24:40Diane was doing a good job of keeping everybody calm. They just all wanted to get out as quickly as they could.
0:24:40 > 0:24:46Keith decides to get the youngest, five-year-old Tegan, out first, but she's not going to come easily.
0:24:49 > 0:24:53You'll be all right. Paul will look after you.
0:24:56 > 0:25:03Both Keith and her mum are trying to reassure her, but it's just all too frightening.
0:25:03 > 0:25:05Keith tries a different approach.
0:25:05 > 0:25:08We decided to try and turn Tegan around,
0:25:08 > 0:25:12so that her back was facing the other firefighter on the ladder.
0:25:12 > 0:25:16That seemed to work. It took her mind off of just looking around.
0:25:16 > 0:25:21She had to concentrate on where she was placing her feet and her hands.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23She calmed down pretty quickly.
0:25:23 > 0:25:30Look how high you are! It's good, innit? You can see everything, all those fire engines there for you.
0:25:30 > 0:25:34Right, hold on tight then. Hold on to this. That's it. Well done.
0:25:34 > 0:25:40Diane knows that for her little girl, it must seem like a very long way down.
0:25:40 > 0:25:45She's impressed how the firefighters have got her to go down the ladder so calmly.
0:25:45 > 0:25:51The firefighters were lovely. From how they were talking to the children, it made me feel better.
0:25:51 > 0:25:56- That's it. Good girl.- 'They made them feel comfortable and everything
0:25:56 > 0:25:59'and I was just so proud of the children.'
0:25:59 > 0:26:01The firefighters were just adorable.
0:26:04 > 0:26:11We'll see if we can get them a bit warm for you. We'll put you over this way now, OK? Good girl.
0:26:11 > 0:26:15Tegan's much calmer now she's in the arms of Andrew Stinton.
0:26:15 > 0:26:19Shall we wait here for your mum and dad to come down? Is that your sister coming?
0:26:19 > 0:26:24- Remarkably, Mia is finding the whole experience a lot more fun. - Step together.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27Are you enjoying this?
0:26:27 > 0:26:32- Step together.- Whee! - Are you all right? There you go.
0:26:32 > 0:26:34Put your feet down. Come this side.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38Whee!
0:26:38 > 0:26:44- That's two of you. How many more people are there in there?- Three. - Three more to come down?
0:26:44 > 0:26:50The rest of the family are quickly brought out with Diane the last to leave.
0:26:51 > 0:26:55Well, almost the last to leave.
0:26:55 > 0:26:57There you go.
0:26:58 > 0:27:02But Buddy the lovebird isn't the only animal that needs rescuing.
0:27:02 > 0:27:08These bunnies were sitting happily in their hutches on the raised courtyard garden
0:27:08 > 0:27:14when the ground gave way beneath them. They belong to Mark who earlier had to be rescued himself.
0:27:14 > 0:27:18I've got 13 rabbits. They were on the courtyard, all bouncing around.
0:27:18 > 0:27:24I don't know how many's left. I did have 13 rabbits, but we'll have to wait and see what's left.
0:27:24 > 0:27:29Fortunately, it seems all of the rabbits have miraculously survived.
0:27:29 > 0:27:34In fact, most appear happily oblivious as to how lucky they've been.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38But retrieving the rabbits will have to wait.
0:27:38 > 0:27:43There's still a heavy gas leak somewhere and with the causes unknown,
0:27:43 > 0:27:49the firefighters need everybody to stay away until the building is inspected by experts.
0:27:49 > 0:27:53We're waiting to find out whether the gas has caused the collapse
0:27:53 > 0:27:59or whether it is just a structural problem and it's then ruptured a gas pipe of some sort.
0:27:59 > 0:28:03The residents cannot return to their homes for a while,
0:28:03 > 0:28:09but given the size and location of this collapse, it's amazing that nobody has been hurt.
0:28:09 > 0:28:13We're lucky that this has happened in the early hours of a Sunday morning.
0:28:13 > 0:28:17It is a busy walkway and it could have injured a lot of people,
0:28:17 > 0:28:21so fate has it that it's happened at a quiet time.
0:28:21 > 0:28:27What had happened was that walkway collapsed after a brick support pillar had given way.
0:28:27 > 0:28:32Absolutely. Once all the people were safe, the firefighters gathered up the rabbits.
0:28:32 > 0:28:37There they go. He's on a rope for his own safety. The rabbits...
0:28:37 > 0:28:40It looks so uncomfortable when they carry them like that.
0:28:40 > 0:28:4613 of them - can you imagine trying to find them all hopping round that Wendy house?
0:28:46 > 0:28:50You say 13. There were 20 by the time they'd rescued them all(!)
0:28:50 > 0:28:54All the families have been re-housed and so have all the rabbits.
0:28:54 > 0:28:57- Shall we move on from rabbits to horses?- Go on.
0:28:57 > 0:29:0115-year-old Sophie has been riding horses since she was a tot,
0:29:01 > 0:29:05but her 13 years on horseback have not been accident-free.
0:29:05 > 0:29:07SIREN WAILS
0:29:07 > 0:29:11We've got a 15-year-old that's come off a horse.
0:29:11 > 0:29:17The information we've been given is that she's not in the road, she's in the woods nearby.
0:29:17 > 0:29:22It'll give us some access problems, depending on how easy it is to get into the woods.
0:29:22 > 0:29:28They get the ambulance as close as possible, but the accident has happened a little way from the road.
0:29:28 > 0:29:30I'll go and have a quick look.
0:29:30 > 0:29:34Some local boys seem to think it was a bad fall.
0:29:34 > 0:29:40- When we found her, she was unconscious.- Is she talking to you now?- Yeah.- That's good.
0:29:40 > 0:29:42- She's sat, is she?- Yeah.
0:29:42 > 0:29:48- Her collarbone hurts. - Her collarbone hurts, OK. Do we know her name?- Sophie.- Sophie.
0:29:48 > 0:29:55200 metres down the track, they find a very distressed Sophie being comforted by Sue, a family friend,
0:29:55 > 0:29:57and mum Amanda.
0:29:57 > 0:30:02- Can you tell me what's happened? - I think I just came off. - You just came off.
0:30:02 > 0:30:07A few things we want to just find out. When you breathe in and out, does it hurt?
0:30:07 > 0:30:13- No. My collarbone really hurts.- Which side?- This side.- On this side here.
0:30:13 > 0:30:17OK, let's have a look at it. I'll have a quick look the best I can.
0:30:17 > 0:30:20- So, is it hurting round here? - Oh, yeah. Aagh!
0:30:20 > 0:30:24You may have just put a little crack in it.
0:30:24 > 0:30:28- OK? You weren't knocked out, were you?- Well, they reckoned she was.
0:30:28 > 0:30:32- Who took your helmet off?- She didn't have one.- You weren't wearing one.
0:30:32 > 0:30:36Although Sophie has an obvious and painful injury to her collarbone,
0:30:36 > 0:30:41the fact that she wasn't wearing a helmet means paramedic Dave Palmer is worried
0:30:41 > 0:30:45there may be a more serious, but hidden injury to her head and neck.
0:30:45 > 0:30:49- Any pains anywhere down your back? - No.- None at all?- No.
0:30:49 > 0:30:52Sophie had suffered a distracting injury.
0:30:52 > 0:30:54What we mean by that
0:30:54 > 0:30:58is I'm asking her when I look at areas down her back and neck.
0:30:58 > 0:31:02'Unfortunately, she is focusing very much on the collarbone.'
0:31:02 > 0:31:09- Up here on your neck, does that hurt?- No. My collarbone's really hurting.- Your collarbone's hurting.
0:31:09 > 0:31:12It can seem unusual for the patient
0:31:12 > 0:31:17because in their mind, they're very much, "I have a pain here, why are you not dealing with it?"
0:31:17 > 0:31:23But we have to immediately go to the things that either threaten their life or their lifestyle.
0:31:23 > 0:31:29Sophie was riding with Sue's granddaughter Paige who is also upset by the accident.
0:31:29 > 0:31:35- Come here.- It's my fault.- No, it's not. It's nobody's fault.- I should have listened to you though.
0:31:35 > 0:31:38One of these days, somebody will listen to me.
0:31:38 > 0:31:43Paige tells them that as well as falling off the horse, Sophie was dragged along the path
0:31:43 > 0:31:46with her foot caught in the stirrups.
0:31:46 > 0:31:49- Was she unconscious? - Yeah, she was making noises.
0:31:49 > 0:31:56Sophie's behaviour after her fall gives Dave even more reason to be concerned about a head injury.
0:31:56 > 0:32:00- You felt a little bit dizzy? - I still do.- You still do.
0:32:00 > 0:32:06If a person is not wearing a riding helmet, they have a greater risk of damage to the outside of the head
0:32:06 > 0:32:11and it increases the likelihood of them having a brain injury.
0:32:11 > 0:32:16- How high is the horse that you've come off?- 14.2.- Can you put that into English for me?
0:32:16 > 0:32:21- She's only little. - About the same height as you? - A bit smaller than me.
0:32:21 > 0:32:27Head injuries can be very unpredictable. A person can appear to have no injuries at all,
0:32:27 > 0:32:33then suddenly become quite unwell, which is why we're monitoring very closely her level of consciousness.
0:32:33 > 0:32:37Sophie, open your eyes. Keep talking to me, my dear.
0:32:37 > 0:32:40- I feel really dizzy. - You feel really dizzy.
0:32:40 > 0:32:46You have had quite a bang. I'll have a quick look at your head and see if I can see anything obvious.
0:32:46 > 0:32:48Twig in forest!
0:32:48 > 0:32:52There's no obvious bleeding. Let's have a look in your eyes.
0:32:52 > 0:32:58Having checked as much as he can, Dave needs to get Sophie into hospital as soon as possible.
0:32:58 > 0:33:04And this hospital trip is a pretty regular one for Sophie as we'll be finding out.
0:33:04 > 0:33:07I want to talk to Mark about a really lucky escape.
0:33:07 > 0:33:11- Look at this picture! I can see a car went into a house.- Yeah.
0:33:11 > 0:33:15A bit of a nasty one. We had a call from an ambulance.
0:33:15 > 0:33:20They had had a call advising of a two-vehicle accident that had happened on the road.
0:33:20 > 0:33:27We didn't know anything else and the extent of injuries, so our units arrived on the scene and found this.
0:33:27 > 0:33:33- That's their sitting room where they could have been watching TV.- Yeah, it was a bit of a lucky escape.
0:33:33 > 0:33:36The person that owned this house was in London.
0:33:36 > 0:33:40No-one was injured, not even the person driving the vehicle.
0:33:40 > 0:33:44- The house has got a bit of repair work to do.- Just a little bit(!)
0:33:44 > 0:33:47That's a brilliant story. Thank you very much.
0:33:47 > 0:33:52Rescuing and freeing people trapped and hurt in road accidents is one aspect of police work.
0:33:52 > 0:33:58An accident can become a scene of crime and that work is handled by a special unit.
0:33:58 > 0:34:01Nick is with one of their investigators.
0:34:01 > 0:34:05I'm just chatting here to Tony Johnson who is from the...?
0:34:05 > 0:34:09The Hampshire Constabulary's Forensic Collision Investigation Unit.
0:34:09 > 0:34:13The easiest way to do this is for me to give you a couple of scenarios.
0:34:13 > 0:34:19If I do that like that... We have a crash incident, we have a victim, we have a car driver.
0:34:19 > 0:34:23The car driver says the person ran at speed out from the side.
0:34:23 > 0:34:29The victim says, "I was standing still when he cleaned me up." What do you learn by looking at the car?
0:34:29 > 0:34:35We've got a nice, clear mark across the bonnet made as the pedestrian went across the bonnet.
0:34:35 > 0:34:41It is at an angle of about 45 degrees from the driver's side corner towards the passenger side.
0:34:41 > 0:34:47This is indicative of a reasonably quick movement by the pedestrian travelling from the driver's side...
0:34:47 > 0:34:52So you'd be more inclined to believe him that the pedestrian's run out?
0:34:52 > 0:34:58Yes. Had the pedestrian been stationary, the mark would have been more in line with the vehicle.
0:34:58 > 0:35:04Cracked windscreens, we talked about. There's damage on the bonnet, through the windscreen.
0:35:04 > 0:35:10And there's damage across the roof. The driver says he's doing under 30mph when they collided.
0:35:10 > 0:35:12- True or false?- Unlikely to be true.
0:35:12 > 0:35:15If you get significant damage on to the roof,
0:35:15 > 0:35:19that is more indicative of a higher speed collision,
0:35:19 > 0:35:21which is usually more than 30mph.
0:35:21 > 0:35:26So, instantly, you pick information out from the marks. A polished car is a nightmare for you.
0:35:26 > 0:35:32It is difficult. There are techniques we can use which sometimes pick the marks up -
0:35:32 > 0:35:37the lighting techniques or using fingerprint dust, but a dirty car is a lot easier.
0:35:37 > 0:35:44One thing you said was when you're driving near articulated lorries, you have to be particularly careful.
0:35:44 > 0:35:50You've been to hundreds of crashes. In fact, Tony's been involved in a crash with an articulated lorry.
0:35:50 > 0:35:54What's your advice as somebody who's been to so many accidents?
0:35:54 > 0:35:58On motorways and dual carriageways, don't sit next to an artic.
0:35:58 > 0:36:03If you can't overtake and get in front of it, you're better to sit just behind it.
0:36:03 > 0:36:07On the offside of artics, there are a number of blind spots
0:36:07 > 0:36:11and if you start to go past it and the artic moves to the right,
0:36:11 > 0:36:15then you've got 38, 40 tonnes of lorry coming into your lane.
0:36:15 > 0:36:20The same advice goes for cyclists going up the inside, so keep yourself away from artics.
0:36:20 > 0:36:24It's nice to know there are people around who might find the truth
0:36:24 > 0:36:29when two people don't have the same story on what's gone on. Back to you, Louise.
0:36:32 > 0:36:38Let's take you back to Sophie. She's fallen from her horse and she's been dragged along the ground.
0:36:38 > 0:36:44The ambulance crew are taking her to hospital and not for the first time after riding accidents.
0:36:47 > 0:36:53Sophie has almost certainly broken her collarbone and that is causing her the most pain,
0:36:53 > 0:36:59but the force of her fall means paramedic Dave Palmer is also concerned about the possibility
0:36:59 > 0:37:02of other injuries to her head and neck.
0:37:02 > 0:37:05We'll get her vertical, get the collar on her,
0:37:05 > 0:37:10put the scoop in either side and we'll lay her back on to the scoop.
0:37:10 > 0:37:13Sophie has other worries on her mind.
0:37:13 > 0:37:17- I'm scared.- Why are you scared? - Because I don't like injections.
0:37:17 > 0:37:22- Who's mentioned an injection? - Hospitals usually do.- Hospitals do.
0:37:22 > 0:37:25Sophie, look at me.
0:37:25 > 0:37:29I'm going to check a few things on you. I need yeses and I need noes.
0:37:29 > 0:37:32You need to tell me what's going on.
0:37:32 > 0:37:35Paige, a young friend, has taken Sophie's pony back home.
0:37:35 > 0:37:40Getting the injured rider out of the woods will be more complicated.
0:37:40 > 0:37:43If we get the collar on her while I'm in that position...
0:37:43 > 0:37:49Sophie's neck and spine need to be kept as straight as possible to avoid aggravating any damage.
0:37:49 > 0:37:53They fit a collar to keep her neck steady.
0:37:53 > 0:37:55Mum Amanda is at her side.
0:37:55 > 0:37:59What's hurting? Your collarbone? I'm just really scared.
0:37:59 > 0:38:02She's got a pain threshold of about zero.
0:38:02 > 0:38:04Sophie, listen to me.
0:38:04 > 0:38:08There's no need for you to be scared.
0:38:08 > 0:38:11They ease her gently down on to a stretcher.
0:38:11 > 0:38:16- We'll give you some pain relief. - It's not an injection? - No, it'll be a gas.
0:38:16 > 0:38:19On three. One, two, three...
0:38:19 > 0:38:23Sophie's spirits have been raised by the arrival of her dad.
0:38:23 > 0:38:27Her parents are having to get used to their daughter needing treatment.
0:38:27 > 0:38:31This is her third horse-related injury in just six weeks.
0:38:39 > 0:38:42- Are you sure he's your dad? - LAUGHTER
0:38:42 > 0:38:45- He's being nasty to you. - < No, he'd know!
0:38:45 > 0:38:50- Have you broken your collarbone, sir? - Yeah, amongst many other things.
0:38:50 > 0:38:56- You're a regular client of the NHS? - I was until I stopped riding bikes. - There you go.
0:38:56 > 0:39:01She'll stay flat on her back until she can be fully examined at hospital.
0:39:01 > 0:39:03Thanks very much, guys.
0:39:03 > 0:39:07In the ambulance, Dave follows Sophie's "no injections" request
0:39:07 > 0:39:13and gives her some gas and air to ease the pain. She finally seems to be responding more normally.
0:39:13 > 0:39:18- Any questions?- No, but my head and collarbone's killing me.
0:39:18 > 0:39:22That's the first time in 13 years I've ridden without a hat.
0:39:22 > 0:39:26I'm afraid I'm not a fan of horses myself.
0:39:26 > 0:39:32Anything you can't put a handbrake on and leave at the side of the road, I've got problems with.
0:39:35 > 0:39:37OK, Sophie. Open your eyes.
0:39:37 > 0:39:43Sophie is taken to Portsmouth's Queen Alexandra Hospital. She is no stranger to this place
0:39:43 > 0:39:48or to Dr Fiona Bintcliffe who treated Sophie for one of her previous horse-related injuries.
0:39:48 > 0:39:54Hello, Sophie. I'm Fiona, one of the doctors. Yeah, I've met you before.
0:39:54 > 0:39:56Your ankle last time.
0:39:56 > 0:40:00- You're a bit accident-prone?- You're working your way up, are you, kid?
0:40:00 > 0:40:03Did you fall off your horse last time?
0:40:03 > 0:40:06I was stood on by a horse.
0:40:06 > 0:40:08Sophie gets frequent flyer miles.
0:40:08 > 0:40:12The medical team carefully turn Sophie over,
0:40:12 > 0:40:18so that Fiona can press down her spine to see if there is any pain or loss of sensation.
0:40:18 > 0:40:20Is that all right down there?
0:40:20 > 0:40:26Sophie still has serious pain in her shoulder, but there seems to be no other injury.
0:40:26 > 0:40:30She'll be going for X-rays to see if she's broken her collarbone,
0:40:30 > 0:40:36though after such a heavy fall, everybody is just relieved it wasn't any worse.
0:40:37 > 0:40:40Sophie is here, also her mum Amanda.
0:40:40 > 0:40:46- Sophie, how are you? Did you break your collarbone?- I fractured it and I tore the muscles down here.
0:40:46 > 0:40:50- And I understand you had another accident yesterday?- Yes.
0:40:50 > 0:40:54Launching myself over my horse's... the field, the fencing...
0:40:54 > 0:40:57I launched myself over it, got my foot caught
0:40:57 > 0:40:59and went flying into a lot of bushes.
0:40:59 > 0:41:05- How many accidents have you had with the horse?- Five this year so far.- Five this year?!
0:41:05 > 0:41:10- Is she accident-prone? What's going on?- Yes, she is. Most of the family are.
0:41:10 > 0:41:12She's just taking after her father.
0:41:12 > 0:41:16- How many accidents has he had? - Absolutely countless.
0:41:16 > 0:41:22- He's broken most of the bones in his body.- Are you going to take more care? Will that make any difference?
0:41:22 > 0:41:26I don't think so. I'm quite cautious, but it doesn't work.
0:41:26 > 0:41:31- You're a good rider. You've just passed an exam. What did you do? - I did GCSE Showjumping.
0:41:31 > 0:41:35- I had to jump a course of three-foot. - How did you do?
0:41:35 > 0:41:39- I'm the first person in Hampshire to get full marks.- Fantastic.
0:41:39 > 0:41:43Presumably, riding is something you want to do seriously.
0:41:43 > 0:41:47- Are you going to give it up even if you've had accidents like this?- No.
0:41:47 > 0:41:51When I was doing my GCSE Riding, I came off and broke two ribs,
0:41:51 > 0:41:54but I got straight back on and finished the course.
0:41:54 > 0:42:00- Would you like her to give it up? - Not at all. It keeps her away from the boys.
0:42:00 > 0:42:07- That is really key! Thank you, both. It's lovely seeing you're OK for the moment.- Yes. Thank you.
0:42:07 > 0:42:12Fascinating, isn't it? What an extraordinary mix of calls we've had in here today!
0:42:12 > 0:42:17The lads that were running around with the BB gun, the police have caught them,
0:42:17 > 0:42:23told them they're scaring people and sent them off with a flea in their ear - verbal.
0:42:23 > 0:42:29You're not allowed to flick a flea in the ear any more(!) They're still looking for the immigrants.
0:42:29 > 0:42:33What else have we had? There she is. Louise has just come to join me.
0:42:33 > 0:42:38We've had the investigation unit. It's fascinating what they get up to.
0:42:38 > 0:42:44- All of this is going in through this room. It's amazing the amount of stuff that comes in here.- It is.
0:42:44 > 0:42:48The response they have is fantastic. And the teamwork...
0:42:48 > 0:42:51Anything serious goes straight to the command desk.
0:42:51 > 0:42:55- We'll have more of it for you tomorrow.- Bye-bye.- Bye.
0:43:10 > 0:43:14Subtitles by Subtext for Red Bee Media Ltd 2010
0:43:14 > 0:43:17Email subtitling@bbc.co.uk