0:00:05 > 0:00:09'It's one of the most beautiful but dangerous places on earth.'
0:00:09 > 0:00:11My name's Helen, I'm one of the doctors.
0:00:11 > 0:00:14Any pain in there, any teeth loose, or anything like that?
0:00:14 > 0:00:21'And when Australians call out the flying doctor, they are likely to be British
0:00:21 > 0:00:24'and so is the pilot, paramedic and crewman.'
0:00:24 > 0:00:28We'll see lots of sharks 200, 300 metres out.
0:00:28 > 0:00:30I think they get the idea when we go like that.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35They said they have got the bends from coming up.
0:00:35 > 0:00:41'From shark attacks on surfing beaches, to exploding BBQs in the Sydney suburbs,
0:00:41 > 0:00:46'these are the Brits who can make the difference between life and death Down Under.'
0:01:09 > 0:01:14'James Milligan is an NHS consultant working at Leeds General Infirmary.'
0:01:14 > 0:01:16How's that tummy pain, then?
0:01:16 > 0:01:23'Now, like hundreds of medics every year, he's swapping rainy Britain for a life in the sun.'
0:01:23 > 0:01:26We're living right by the ocean, it's a beautiful spot.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29Work's nice and relaxed, the atmosphere is great.
0:01:29 > 0:01:31Life probably couldn't be much better.
0:01:31 > 0:01:39'But it's a place where the nearest hospital can be 200 miles away and the wildlife can kill you.'
0:01:39 > 0:01:42You ready? Can I have a listen to your heart?
0:01:42 > 0:01:45'Welcome to one of the world's most extreme health services.'
0:01:47 > 0:01:53'Today, there's a gangland shooting in a Sydney Street and the rescue helicopter is in the firing line.'
0:01:53 > 0:01:57- No guns still there? - We'll find out in a minute.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59'A barbeque blows up at a family campsite.'
0:01:59 > 0:02:02He's a bit annoyed his barbeque hasn't happened, but that's life!
0:02:03 > 0:02:08'And four mates go for a ride in the woods - now one of them needs emergency care.'
0:02:16 > 0:02:22'In under two and a half centuries, Sydney has grown from a pioneer town of fewer than 1,000 settlers
0:02:22 > 0:02:25'to a city of four and a half million.
0:02:27 > 0:02:32'And in each year those numbers are swollen by two and half million visitors from overseas.
0:02:32 > 0:02:37'But like any large city, Sydney has it's own problems with a criminal underworld.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43'Drugs, gang violence and organised crime are major problems
0:02:43 > 0:02:49'and the flying doctors like James Milligan often come face to face with them.'
0:02:49 > 0:02:53Like any other large major city, it has its nice areas
0:02:53 > 0:02:56and it has its areas that are slightly more troubled.
0:02:56 > 0:03:02But there are definitely areas where organised crime is a real problem, particularly around drugs.
0:03:02 > 0:03:07'Even though the Aussie murder rate is lower than Britain's, guns are used in more crimes down under
0:03:07 > 0:03:12'and Australians are three times more likely to be shot dead than Brits.'
0:03:13 > 0:03:16There have unfortunately been a few shooting incidents
0:03:16 > 0:03:18and most of those incidents have been gang-related.
0:03:18 > 0:03:23If the scene isn't safe and there is a risk that we could potentially get shot at ourselves,
0:03:23 > 0:03:28we always speak to the police before entering any kind of high-risk area like that.
0:03:28 > 0:03:30'And although it feels more dangerous at night,
0:03:30 > 0:03:34'crews are just as likely to be called to gangland shootings in the day.'
0:03:38 > 0:03:40We're just inside Richmond.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44'The CareFlight helicopter is mainly funded by charity
0:03:44 > 0:03:49'and is separate from the New South Wales Ambulance Service.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52'Today, it's been scrambled to an incident in the suburbs.'
0:03:53 > 0:03:55Good morning, go ahead.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58One male patient, clear gunshot wound to the head.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03Coming up to three miles and 279.
0:04:03 > 0:04:08'Air Crew Officer John Legge, known as Leggy, is no stranger to gunshot wounds.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11'He did six tours of Afghanistan with the RAF,
0:04:11 > 0:04:14'rescuing wounded soldiers from the battlefield.
0:04:14 > 0:04:19'But this is a different kind of war and the CareFlight team could be in the firing line.'
0:04:19 > 0:04:21A gunshot wound.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24No gun still there?
0:04:24 > 0:04:27We'll find out in a minute.
0:04:29 > 0:04:35'The suburb where CareFlight 4 is landing is the scene of a turf war between rival gangs.'
0:04:36 > 0:04:41OK, there's the ambulance there, 3 o'clock, range about half a mile.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46There is where we want to put down, this one.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50- Right, do you want to put it to the south of that white truck? - Yeah.
0:04:51 > 0:04:55'This is the part of Sydney that doesn't feature in the tourist brochures.
0:04:56 > 0:05:03'Flying doctor Alan Garner is an A&E consultant - if anyone can save this man's life, it's him.'
0:05:03 > 0:05:07He has just a wound to the head as far as we can tell.
0:05:07 > 0:05:12As far as we can see there. We haven't been able any sort of exit wound.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15It's only a question of how long we keep going for.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20'Gun crime is a growing problem in the Sydney suburbs
0:05:20 > 0:05:25'and this incident's already being linked to another shooting earlier in the day.
0:05:25 > 0:05:27'Feelings are running high.'
0:05:28 > 0:05:31I heard two shots ringing out.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33The first shot didn't sound like much,
0:05:33 > 0:05:38but the second shot rang out and then I heard the screaming.
0:05:38 > 0:05:42So I come down to see what's going on, but it doesn't look good.
0:05:43 > 0:05:49More knives and that, you know? Very rarely.
0:05:49 > 0:05:54No one gets shot around here, I haven't seen someone get shot for a long time.
0:05:55 > 0:06:00We get some adrenaline in and we still haven't got nothing after 20 minutes.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03His face is just a complete mess.
0:06:03 > 0:06:08'While the medics work, crewman John's job is to look after CareFlight 4
0:06:08 > 0:06:09'and he's concerned about the crowds.'
0:06:11 > 0:06:15How are you doing? I was just about to call you guys. We will be able to get the car?
0:06:15 > 0:06:21You won't be able to stay at the aircraft at all, because we're going to get quite a crowd here now.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26'The police understandably are preoccupied with finding the gunman.'
0:06:27 > 0:06:31They're pretty tied up at the minute, I reckon we give them five minutes or something
0:06:31 > 0:06:34and if we see one... In fact, I'll just give them another call
0:06:34 > 0:06:38and I'll just say we need another car, because we will need one.
0:06:38 > 0:06:40I can't do anything about these.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45'John faces a dilemma - without police help CareFlight 4
0:06:45 > 0:06:48might not be able to take off to fly the patient to hospital.'
0:06:50 > 0:06:54A helicopter when it's got its rotors turning and burning, is quite dangerous.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58Not everybody understands that, so we need to make sure that there is good crowd control
0:06:58 > 0:07:03so when we take off people don't run in the tail rotor.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06And come under the disks where they can get hurt.
0:07:07 > 0:07:13'The patient is critically ill, Dr Alan and the paramedics are struggling to keep the man alive.'
0:07:13 > 0:07:16OK, then I think once we have got those accesses,
0:07:16 > 0:07:18we tie this tube and we get out of here.
0:07:20 > 0:07:24'At nearby Westmead Hospital, a trauma team's on standby.
0:07:25 > 0:07:30'Dr Alan decides he'll have more room to work on his patient if they go by road.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33'The rest of the CareFlight team will go by air.'
0:07:34 > 0:07:38If these people move to these posts here.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42'At last police officers have been assigned to protect the public as the helicopter takes off.'
0:07:44 > 0:07:49OK, I've got clearance from Richmond to get airborne not above 1,000 for departure.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52OK, just looking for the police helicopter.
0:07:58 > 0:08:04'But soon after CareFlight 4 arrives back at base there's bad news about the team's patient.'
0:08:04 > 0:08:08"A man is dead and another injured in separate shootings in Sydney's west."
0:08:08 > 0:08:13"The victims were shot in broad daylight just streets from each other in full view of neighbours."
0:08:13 > 0:08:17"The 31-year-old victim of Sydney's third fatal shooting this year
0:08:17 > 0:08:21was shot outside a row of houses around one o'clock this afternoon."
0:08:21 > 0:08:25"Mortally wounded, he lay down in the middle of the road."
0:08:25 > 0:08:29There does seem to be a bit more of a gun culture in the bigger cities of Australia,
0:08:29 > 0:08:31just from what I can gather.
0:08:31 > 0:08:35I'm not an expert in it, but it does seem to be more frequent than back home.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42'In Sydney, the majority of shootings involve criminals killing other criminals,
0:08:42 > 0:08:46'but that makes no difference to the medical teams treating them.'
0:09:01 > 0:09:06'It's summer in New South Wales and the temperature's pushing 40 Celsius,
0:09:06 > 0:09:08'that's 100 degrees in old money.
0:09:08 > 0:09:12'It's the kind of weather that has Aussies heading for the great outdoors.'
0:09:13 > 0:09:19The weather is just so much better than back home and our level of call-outs has really rocketed,
0:09:19 > 0:09:23because people are just outside doing all sorts of things.
0:09:23 > 0:09:24Rock climbing, canyoning.
0:09:24 > 0:09:29My colleagues have just gone off to look for somebody lost on a bush walk.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33And motocross riders, for example, are out all of the time as well.
0:09:37 > 0:09:39'That's what Matt Harris is doing today,
0:09:39 > 0:09:43'with three mates, four dirt bikes and a head camera.'
0:09:43 > 0:09:45Hello!
0:09:51 > 0:09:53'It's a lot of fun... until this happens.'
0:09:58 > 0:09:59Dude, you all right?
0:09:59 > 0:10:01How you feeling?
0:10:02 > 0:10:04I think he knocked himself out.
0:10:04 > 0:10:05'Matt is badly injured.
0:10:05 > 0:10:09'He desperately needs the expertise of Dr Hilary, who's from Manchester,
0:10:09 > 0:10:15'and the rest of the crew of the New South Wales Ambulance Service Helicopter.'
0:10:15 > 0:10:19So when we get there, both the packs we want to take with us.
0:10:21 > 0:10:25'Matt is suffering fits - the sign of a serious head injury.'
0:10:25 > 0:10:27I think he's coming to.
0:10:28 > 0:10:30I think you leave the helmet on.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33We were going about 50 Ks, I was behind him,
0:10:33 > 0:10:36and all of a sudden he started going over the hangers
0:10:36 > 0:10:39and the bike just dropped and he just kept rolling.
0:10:41 > 0:10:45He wasn't responsive at all and it freaked us all out a lot.
0:10:45 > 0:10:46We need an ambo, I think.
0:10:48 > 0:10:51- He still breathing?- Yeah. Leave him. He's a little roughed.
0:10:51 > 0:10:56- His arm was like - it was a seizure or something.- He was having a seizure at one point, man.
0:10:58 > 0:11:02'The helicopter is just minutes away but the pilot's worried dust
0:11:02 > 0:11:05'kicked up by the chopper's downdraft might make the landing tricky.'
0:11:07 > 0:11:11On the grass there, it's going to be browned out once the rotor washes that dust.
0:11:11 > 0:11:17- Yeah, it's going to stay mucky. - And here comes the grass. Turn the flat line.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23'Matt is lucky - Dr Hilary is an anaesthetist
0:11:23 > 0:11:27'with years of experience at Manchester's Wythenshawe Hospital.
0:11:27 > 0:11:32'Now that expertise is being put to good use here in the Australian bush.'
0:11:33 > 0:11:36He was unconscious for probably five minutes.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38We've been down here heaps of times before
0:11:38 > 0:11:42and never really had this sort of accident before.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47Just been sitting there with him and trying to keep the dust out of his eyes
0:11:47 > 0:11:53and keeping him calm, trying not to move his head around too much, in case of a neck injury.
0:11:53 > 0:11:58I seriously can't breathe. I'm not exaggerating, I can't breathe.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01It was pretty nasty, yeah, I was pretty worried.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04You stay nice and still, mate.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06His conscious level's completely normal at the moment.
0:12:06 > 0:12:11He's got a couple of cuts and bruises, but listening to his chest, he's absolutely fine.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13His abdomen's fine.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17So all we've done for him is, as a precautionary measure, we have put a cervical collar on,
0:12:17 > 0:12:22because looking at his motorcycle helmet, he's got a really deep cut to the back of it.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25It's cracked the inside and the outside.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27You guys are top notch.
0:12:30 > 0:12:36'Dr Hilary knows Matt could have a brain injury and the impact may also have damaged his spine.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38'He needs scans and X-rays.'
0:12:40 > 0:12:44And those helmets, they don't crack unless you take some sort of force on it, OK?
0:12:44 > 0:12:47So we just want to make sure that later on you don't end up with
0:12:47 > 0:12:50any swelling in your head, because you've hit your head so hard, OK?
0:12:50 > 0:12:53Any chance of getting the window seat?
0:12:53 > 0:12:57You got one, you just can't sit up and look out of it.
0:12:57 > 0:13:02It will take us 10 or 15 minutes to get him to Westmead and if he was to go by road to another hospital
0:13:02 > 0:13:06it would take an hour on quite bumpy and windy roads.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12Sidney operations rescue 24, we have one patient for Westmead Hospital.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15Taxi on hand for the patient now maintains a GCS of 15.
0:13:18 > 0:13:20He's tachycardia with a rate of 115.
0:13:20 > 0:13:25Complaining of sudden knee pain. Other than that, he's not symptomatic.
0:13:31 > 0:13:36'Matt's been flown to one of Sydney's biggest hospitals, the Westmead.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39'It's here that a scan reveals a bleed on the brain.
0:13:40 > 0:13:46'For two days, Matt's kept under close observation and given drugs to prevent a further seizure.'
0:13:55 > 0:13:59'One week on and the temperatures are continuing to climb in Sydney.
0:13:59 > 0:14:04'Matt's relieved to out of hospital and back at home with his beloved bike -
0:14:04 > 0:14:06'not that he'll be riding it for a while.'
0:14:06 > 0:14:10I never seen actually seen a helmet split like this before.
0:14:10 > 0:14:14It split the outer casing which is a good 10 millimetres thick.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18And then the foam which runs throughout the whole helmet is also split.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20I cannot see me wearing this helmet again!
0:14:22 > 0:14:24The second I hit my head I was out.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26From then on it's a big blur.
0:14:30 > 0:14:31I definitely got lucky.
0:14:35 > 0:14:39The first time I watched the footage it was very hard to watch.
0:14:39 > 0:14:43But I do feel like I'm back to normal.
0:14:43 > 0:14:47So hopefully when I go back for the follow up CT scan
0:14:47 > 0:14:49everything's going to be A-OK.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06It may be a cliche, but it's true,
0:15:06 > 0:15:10there is nothing Australians like more than a barbecue with a few mates.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14And it's one Aussie tradition that Dr Richard Smith,
0:15:14 > 0:15:17who's from Swansea, has really got into.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19A barbecue is essentially Australian.
0:15:19 > 0:15:23I'd like to think my skills have got better since I've been out here
0:15:23 > 0:15:28but my friends and colleagues would probably beg to differ.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31Dr Richard has been in Sydney for the last six months,
0:15:31 > 0:15:34working with the helicopter ambulance service.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37Obviously the service here does some added bits on.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40For example, the winching and the water rescues,
0:15:40 > 0:15:42that no-one in the UK does outside the RAF and coast guard.
0:15:42 > 0:15:47So that certainly is an aspect. It's nice to learn new skills.
0:15:47 > 0:15:48Sausage?
0:15:49 > 0:15:53With millions of people barbecuing every day, not just at home,
0:15:53 > 0:15:56but on the thousands of public barbecue sites in parks, beaches
0:15:56 > 0:16:00and campsites across Australia, accidents are inevitable.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04INDISTINCT VOICE OVER RADIO
0:16:08 > 0:16:12We'll be there in about 20 minutes.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15Tonight one family's holiday barbie has been ruined -
0:16:15 > 0:16:19the barbecue has exploded in a father's face leaving him badly burnt.
0:16:19 > 0:16:24Dr Richard and the helicopter team are on the way.
0:16:24 > 0:16:26Is there a clinical update on the patient?
0:16:26 > 0:16:33The patient has extensive facial, chest and hand burns.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35Copy that. Thanks very much.
0:16:37 > 0:16:39Extensive.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42We've been called out to a gentleman
0:16:42 > 0:16:45that has been involve in a gas bottle explosion at a campsite.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48Quite some distance from the burns centre,
0:16:48 > 0:16:50so we'll go and see what this man's like
0:16:50 > 0:16:55and then probably end up taking him to Sydney to the burns centre
0:16:55 > 0:16:57so he can be fully treated there.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59We have a different technology here,
0:16:59 > 0:17:02so all the helicopters here carry blood,
0:17:02 > 0:17:06we carry ultrasound machines. We can do a lot more for people pre-hospital.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09Good line, good speed. Trees on the right. Check left.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15Stand by, steady. Just looking underneath.
0:17:15 > 0:17:19You're clear down on the right. Check left. Free to the ground.
0:17:23 > 0:17:24Hiya.
0:17:24 > 0:17:29He leant down to light the barbecue and it exploded.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32He copped a faceful of flame.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35Blimey! Did you get thrown by it
0:17:35 > 0:17:37or was it just there and it went round you?
0:17:37 > 0:17:40Mitchell touched it and it wasn't hot,
0:17:40 > 0:17:43so he pressed the button again and the whole thing just exploded
0:17:43 > 0:17:46and the barbecue lifted up out of the concrete area
0:17:46 > 0:17:49and he just dived on the ground
0:17:49 > 0:17:50and ripped his jumper off.
0:17:50 > 0:17:52OK. You're feeling cold?
0:17:52 > 0:17:55Well, he's not sure.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58- He doesn't know if it's a pain or not.- OK.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01- I'm feeling hot in the face and hands.- Yeah.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04The accident has happened on the first day of Mitch Hawes'
0:18:04 > 0:18:07camping holiday with his wife and three young sons.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10The hands are the worst by the looks of it.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12- Yeah.- OK, fine.
0:18:12 > 0:18:13How much pain are you in?
0:18:13 > 0:18:15My hands are in a lot of pain.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18- My face feels like a fairly severe sunburn.- OK.
0:18:18 > 0:18:22- But it's your hands that are the big problem.- Mm-hm.- OK.
0:18:22 > 0:18:23- You weren't thrown?- No, I jumped!
0:18:25 > 0:18:26- Nothing hit you.- No.
0:18:26 > 0:18:28And no aches and pains anywhere else?
0:18:28 > 0:18:30It's just your hands and your sunburn...
0:18:30 > 0:18:32- Yes.- ..as it were.
0:18:32 > 0:18:36OK, we'll get your hands dressed while we're waiting for this to go.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40So we'll get some Clingfilm on those to keep them nice and clean.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43We can probably rest some Clingfilm over the front of your neck.
0:18:43 > 0:18:45We want you to keep breathing.
0:18:45 > 0:18:47Right, let's get the other hand.
0:18:47 > 0:18:51It sounds stupid, but it will start to help the pain.
0:18:51 > 0:18:55When you burn yourself, you sort of damage your normal skin, obviously,
0:18:55 > 0:18:58and it exposes some of the nerves.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01So instead of them being cushioned by skin, they just get exposed
0:19:01 > 0:19:04and they're really sensitive to anything,
0:19:04 > 0:19:05even air brushing over them.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08- No air-con?- Well, it's a little bit breezy up there,
0:19:08 > 0:19:10but it's not too bad if we close the doors.
0:19:10 > 0:19:12The concern is he's burnt his hands
0:19:12 > 0:19:15and if you get any scar tissue forming that can
0:19:15 > 0:19:17affect your function for recovery.
0:19:17 > 0:19:22So it's important we take him to a burns centre.
0:19:22 > 0:19:27I think he's a bit annoyed his barbecue hasn't happened, but that's life.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32Mitch is on his way to the specialist burns unit
0:19:32 > 0:19:35at Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38There he'll find out how his quick thinking straight after
0:19:38 > 0:19:42the explosion may have prevented his hands being permanently damaged.
0:19:46 > 0:19:48Of all the beaches in the world,
0:19:48 > 0:19:53Bondi is probably the most closely associated with surfing,
0:19:53 > 0:19:56but surfing isn't the only board sport that Australians love.
0:19:59 > 0:20:03Over a million Aussies are regularly kick-flipping, grinding
0:20:03 > 0:20:06and dropping ramps - that's skateboarding to the rest of us.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13But just like surfing, skateboarding takes years to learn,
0:20:13 > 0:20:17and it's easy for the overconfident beginner to come unstuck -
0:20:17 > 0:20:20especially if they've had a few beers.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26At the Ambulance Service Wollongong base, 50 miles
0:20:26 > 0:20:29south-west of Sydney, the helicopter team has been called out
0:20:29 > 0:20:34to pick up a skateboarding novice who's knocked himself out cold.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36It's a 19-year-old who was skateboarding down a hill
0:20:36 > 0:20:39way too fast without a helmet on.
0:20:39 > 0:20:43He's got a big swelling to his head with his eye closed shut, and the
0:20:43 > 0:20:47worry is that he's damaged one of the blood vessels around the brain.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50Dr Sarah Coombes is a consultant from Yorkshire,
0:20:50 > 0:20:53although she now has Australian citizenship.
0:20:53 > 0:20:55I'd always wanted to come and work in Australia,
0:20:55 > 0:20:58because emergency medicine as a specialty here came into being
0:20:58 > 0:21:02a lot earlier than the UK, so I wanted to come and experience it
0:21:02 > 0:21:04and see what was different about it,
0:21:04 > 0:21:06and got suckered in and stayed forever.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09The teenager who crashed his skateboard is on holiday
0:21:09 > 0:21:11with his mates at Moruya,
0:21:11 > 0:21:16a small coastal town 70 miles east of the Australian capital, Canberra.
0:21:16 > 0:21:18It's 40 below, gumtrees on the left belt clear.
0:21:18 > 0:21:20The wardsman is waiting for you.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22We're at Moruya Hospital down the south coast,
0:21:22 > 0:21:25so we'll just go and have a look at this young man who's come off
0:21:25 > 0:21:27his skateboard, see if there's anything I need to do
0:21:27 > 0:21:29before we put him in the aircraft.
0:21:31 > 0:21:33- OK, no helmet on?- No.- OK.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36And you're just going too fast downhill and...splat?
0:21:36 > 0:21:40Well, apparently I've fallen off my skateboard pretty hard.
0:21:40 > 0:21:41I'm not really a skater. I just...
0:21:41 > 0:21:44One of my friends had a skateboard, um...
0:21:44 > 0:21:48It was a really steep hill, I just thought
0:21:48 > 0:21:50I might as well give it a crack.
0:21:51 > 0:21:56So you've got a very fine layer of skin off down here, and here.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59I guess this is the one that's in the corner of this eye,
0:21:59 > 0:22:03so it's around about that area there that is probably equivalent to
0:22:03 > 0:22:08a full thickness burn, where you've skinned the top layer of skin off.
0:22:08 > 0:22:10- So that's going to need a really good clean-up.- Mm-hm.
0:22:11 > 0:22:15Because Alex Santiago hit his head so hard and lost consciousness,
0:22:15 > 0:22:19there is a possibility he may have a bleed on his brain.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22The only way to find out is for him to have a CT scan,
0:22:22 > 0:22:26and the nearest scanner operating at this time of night is in Canberra.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28This is Alex.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31It's at this point that Alex reveals there may be another
0:22:31 > 0:22:34reason why he fell off his skateboard.
0:22:34 > 0:22:38From just having a few beers on the porch...
0:22:38 > 0:22:42- HE LAUGHS - ..being in an ambulance and a helicopter.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45I'm sure it'll be a nice flight.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53It's a three-hour road trip from Moruya to Canberra
0:22:53 > 0:22:56and the doctor at the smaller hospital was very nervous
0:22:56 > 0:22:58that if something bad was going to happen, it's a long way
0:22:58 > 0:23:00until you get to more skilled assistance.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03Over the town on my right...
0:23:03 > 0:23:04Rescue 26...
0:23:04 > 0:23:07You're over the pad on the left. Clear the ground left.
0:23:07 > 0:23:08MUMBLED VOICE OVER RADIO
0:23:12 > 0:23:13'They're going to scan him
0:23:13 > 0:23:15'and then chances are they're going to send him home
0:23:15 > 0:23:19'if he scans normal, and 99.9% sure it's going to be normal.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22'We will get called to a lot of things like that.'
0:23:24 > 0:23:27In the UK, on the whole, within the Home Counties
0:23:27 > 0:23:29and within London,
0:23:29 > 0:23:31you'll never get sent to a patient like that.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34In some of the larger counties, so in Yorkshire you'll get sent to
0:23:34 > 0:23:37some medical stuff, just cos it's a lot further from hospital,
0:23:37 > 0:23:38but very few jobs that easy.
0:23:50 > 0:23:5412 hours after he crashed off his skateboard and tore up his face,
0:23:54 > 0:23:56Alex was discharged from hospital in Canberra.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05One week on, at a proper skate park in the capital,
0:24:05 > 0:24:08no-one is trying anything as radical as the stunt Alex tried
0:24:08 > 0:24:10to pull on his borrowed board.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15I was unconscious for about three minutes, apparently,
0:24:15 > 0:24:18and Becky tried to wake me.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23'She was British. She had a British accent.'
0:24:23 > 0:24:24She helped me a lot.
0:24:24 > 0:24:29She came in and re-dressed my face and did a better job, I think.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31Maybe you should try this one.
0:24:31 > 0:24:33'I probably will skate again.
0:24:34 > 0:24:37'I probably should wear a helmet next time.'
0:24:37 > 0:24:40Because I probably would be fine if I wore a helmet.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53Earlier, the Ambulance Service helicopter team was scrambled
0:24:53 > 0:24:56to an accident involving a holidaymaker
0:24:56 > 0:24:58and an exploding barbecue.
0:24:58 > 0:25:02Their patient, Mitch, is en route to a specialist burns centre in Sydney.
0:25:03 > 0:25:07The burns, at the moment, are dressed with Clingfilm.
0:25:07 > 0:25:11Obviously needs looking at by the burns and plastics people.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14'Clingfilm is a really good dressing for a burn.'
0:25:14 > 0:25:17It's clear, so when you've put it on it means we can examine the burn
0:25:17 > 0:25:20without taking it off again, so that reduces the chance of an infection.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23Mitch Hawes was cooking on a gas barbecue
0:25:23 > 0:25:27at a coastal campsite 120 miles South of Sydney
0:25:27 > 0:25:29when it blew up in his face.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31Are you nice and comfy?
0:25:31 > 0:25:35It could have been a lot worse - Mitch's six year old son was
0:25:35 > 0:25:37standing right next to him when it happened.
0:25:37 > 0:25:41My little fellow was standing behind me, so, you know...
0:25:41 > 0:25:46- Took one for him.- Yeah, it is lucky that he didn't go any closer.
0:25:46 > 0:25:50- Yeah, sure. So did you run straight into the shower?- Yes, straightaway.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53- Good work.- Yes.- First, I rolled on the ground, because...
0:25:53 > 0:25:56- Well, on fire or what? - Were you on fire...?
0:25:56 > 0:26:00No, but the clothes had melted, but not to my skin.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04Getting in the cold shower was the best thing Mitch could have done -
0:26:04 > 0:26:07it means he probably won't have to have skin grafts.
0:26:07 > 0:26:12Right, so this is Mitchell Hawes, a 35-year-old man, as you see him.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15Injuries, essentially, he's got burns to both the palm
0:26:15 > 0:26:17and dorsal aspects of his hands,
0:26:17 > 0:26:19and he's also got a lot of burn there.
0:26:19 > 0:26:25Those are second-degree, reasonably nasty, including the palms as well.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27That is just all erythema. It feels like sunburn.
0:26:27 > 0:26:29The main issue is his hands.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32I'd raised that side, so I must have
0:26:32 > 0:26:35gone that way and landed on that side.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38Mitch didn't have to have surgery,
0:26:38 > 0:26:42but he did have to stay in hospital for several nights.
0:26:42 > 0:26:46That meant his family holiday ended almost as soon as it had begun.
0:26:58 > 0:27:00Three weeks after the accident and Mitch
0:27:00 > 0:27:03and his boys are making up for lost holiday time.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07And, Blake, you can hop on the swing.
0:27:07 > 0:27:09Take your helmet off.
0:27:09 > 0:27:11'After it happened, when I was in the hospital,'
0:27:11 > 0:27:15I had a lot of flashbacks of the sound of the gas, like "woof!"
0:27:15 > 0:27:17I had a lot of problems with that at night.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20I was a bit on edge for a couple of days, but I think
0:27:20 > 0:27:22I eventually worked it through my own mind
0:27:22 > 0:27:24and came to terms with what had happened.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27But I think the test will be when I come to have another barbecue again.
0:27:27 > 0:27:32Like a quick, hot flame. Like blue flame.
0:27:32 > 0:27:36Which gave me borderline third-degree burns on both hands,
0:27:36 > 0:27:39and the face was what they call a flash burn,
0:27:39 > 0:27:41so it was a very, very severe sunburn.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43That's a good line, good speed, good to descend.
0:27:43 > 0:27:4550 below trees on the right. Check left.
0:27:45 > 0:27:51The helicopter landed and a British doctor came over and treated me,
0:27:51 > 0:27:55'and that was a bit of a shock - I was expecting an Aussie.
0:27:55 > 0:27:56'But he was really good.'
0:27:56 > 0:27:58He really knew what he was doing.
0:27:58 > 0:28:02If Mitch hadn't been wearing a long-sleeved jumper,
0:28:02 > 0:28:06he could have ended up with 40% burns to his arms and body.
0:28:07 > 0:28:11As it is, he will have to wear pressure bandages on his hands
0:28:11 > 0:28:12for several weeks.
0:28:12 > 0:28:15The way they are now, they're just at a point where all the dead skin's
0:28:15 > 0:28:18peeling from them, and we're just working on keeping
0:28:18 > 0:28:21the scarring down, so I have to keep these for 23 hours a day.
0:28:21 > 0:28:23Only take them off to have a shower and shave,
0:28:23 > 0:28:25and then put them back on, and moisturise them,
0:28:25 > 0:28:29and hopefully we'll get away without too much scarring.
0:28:48 > 0:28:51Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd