- 7/7/2025
Close Calls On Camera S10E12 (19th April 2022)
Category
🦄
CreativityTranscript
00:00A close call, a moment of danger when life can hang in the balance.
00:05It was absolute panic and fear.
00:08A split second where the outcome could go either way.
00:11They'd have been lucky if they'd have stayed conscious.
00:13The difference between disaster and survival.
00:16It's literally, that's all it takes.
00:20These are the people that have been there and lived to tell the tale.
00:24I was terrified. I thought I was going to die.
00:27It's a day they'll never forget. The day they had a close call.
00:46Today on Close Calls.
00:49A young mum alone at home with her three-year-old daughter has a life-threatening asthma attack.
00:55She said, Mummy, you can't breathe properly.
00:58And I just kind of looked at her and shook my head.
01:00She can barely speak to call for help either.
01:04But someone knows what to do.
01:05I want to ambulance because my mum's chest hurt.
01:12Mummy needs to ambulance.
01:14And a Coast Guard helicopter lowers a winch to a swimmer stranded precariously on a cliff face.
01:23But the downdraft proves too powerful.
01:27Rocks were starting to crumble down the side of the cliff next to me.
01:29The pilot repositions.
01:31But the swimmer's anguished fiancée fears for his life.
01:35And as the helicopter moved, there was nobody on the end of it.
01:38I just looked at Alan and said, he's fell off, hasn't he?
01:51Burgess Hill, West Sussex.
01:54A young mum is struggling to breathe.
01:56She has a severe form of asthma.
01:58An emergency operator takes a call from the house.
02:02Ambulance service, the patient breathing.
02:05What's happening?
02:07Are you having problems breathing?
02:11It's all she can manage.
02:13Then another voice takes over the call.
02:16Mummy needs the ambulance.
02:18Yes, hello darling.
02:20With no one else in the house, the young mum's survival depends on her three-year-old daughter.
02:25Mum!
02:28Trainee nurse Katie lives in Burgess Hill with her bus driver husband Michael
02:41and their lively three-year-old daughter Imogen.
02:45Watch this for me.
02:46I'm watching.
02:47Daddy, go!
02:50The couple met eight years ago when a mutual friend set them up.
02:54We were talking for a week and then we went out on a date.
02:58So, you know, he picked me up at my mum's house and he had a single rose with him and it was very cute.
03:05Kayleigh is just a wonderful human being.
03:10Everything that she does is always for everyone else.
03:13I like just kind of everything about her.
03:16The couple were married within a year and a few years later welcomed their daughter Imogen to the family.
03:22Imogen is a whirlwind and she has been from when she was born.
03:29She's non-stop.
03:30She's so happy.
03:32She's confident.
03:33Oh my goodness.
03:34My mummy is funny.
03:39She's just fantastic.
03:40Yeah, we love her a lot.
03:41As well as looking after their daughter, Kayleigh needs to manage her own health, something Imogen likes to participate in.
03:50Are you sick?
03:51Oh, so sick.
03:52My chest hurts in me.
03:54Okay.
03:54Oh, fix it.
03:55I love to listen to your heart.
03:57Go on then.
03:57Kayleigh suffers from a rare and severe type of asthma called brittle asthma, which can cause life-threatening breathing difficulties.
04:05If she feels about coming on, she uses an inhaler to regulate her breathing and she's acutely aware of what can trigger an attack.
04:14This could be people smoking a cigarette.
04:17It could be a bonfire.
04:19Hay fever is another one.
04:21It's difficult to try and avoid it.
04:23So a lot of the time I just stay in.
04:25The couple have developed a way of communicating if Kayleigh is in serious difficulty.
04:30Michael has a different ringtone for me.
04:33He'll hear that ringtone and it means that I'm in trouble.
04:39It's cheery, but I know it's her.
04:42And if I hear that, then no hesitation in answering wherever I am.
04:47But one summer's day with Michael too far away to help, Kayleigh suffers a terrifying, severe attack.
04:54Leaving her very survival in the hands of three-year-old Imogen.
05:01It's a sunny Monday morning in June and Kayleigh's on a day off.
05:06So she's spending time at home with Imogen.
05:09Michael went off to work early and I said to her, let's go play in the garden because it's really nice.
05:15But playtime is cut short when Kayleigh suddenly smells smoke from a nearby bonfire.
05:23She looked at me, I looked at her and I said to her, come on, let's go in because mummy can smell smoke.
05:29They pick up their game in the lounge, but minutes later Kayleigh begins to experience asthma symptoms.
05:35I could feel my throat getting tighter and my chest felt like it was getting heavier.
05:41She reaches for an inhaler to try to control the attack.
05:45I was going through like step one, step two, which is like take your inhaler and then wait and take it again.
05:51So I was doing that and doing that and I realised it wasn't getting any better.
05:57It was just getting worse.
05:59Imogen realises something's wrong.
06:02She said, mummy, you can't breathe properly and I just kind of looked at her and shook my head.
06:07The little girl quickly fetches her mum's phone and Kayleigh calls husband Michael.
06:12He's at the bus station waiting to pick up passengers.
06:16I heard her say, ringing, ambulance, literally like that.
06:21And that was all I could get out and after that he knew.
06:25I think I actually just said okay, hung up on her in sort of fight or flight mode.
06:32And said to them, I need to get home.
06:34But he's more than an hour away.
06:37There's no way he can get to Kayleigh in time.
06:39And she's deteriorating fast.
06:42It was a struggle to get air in and out.
06:45But there is someone with her.
06:48Three-year-old Imogen picks up the phone,
06:50dials 999 and holds it out to her mum.
06:54I went to ambulance because my mummy's chest hurt.
06:58An emergency call handler picks up.
07:01Ambulance service, is the patient breathing?
07:03Sure.
07:04Yeah, and is the patient conscious?
07:07Yes.
07:08What's happening?
07:11Are you having problems breathing?
07:13Yes.
07:14What's the address you're at?
07:16I can't see my mum.
07:19But Kayleigh can't manage another word.
07:22At the other end of the line is Marianne Hardy.
07:25She's an experienced paramedic training for a new role at the operations centre.
07:29Just on even the first word that Kayleigh managed to get out,
07:33I knew this was going to be a high priority category on call.
07:36We needed to be there as soon as possible.
07:39She alerts an ambulance crew who head to the area.
07:42But they need Kayleigh's exact location.
07:47Are you able to say the address?
07:53I could hear her kind of voice kind of rasping through,
07:57but I couldn't understand what she was saying.
07:59Okay, can you do the postcode?
08:02Oh, I'm rich.
08:07Kayleigh battles to give the letters and numbers,
08:09but isn't clear enough for Marianne to locate the address.
08:13And what are the road names?
08:19Kayleigh loses the ability to speak.
08:21She's in desperate trouble.
08:23But a new voice takes over and speaks to Marianne.
08:27Mummy, you're an ambulance.
08:29Yes.
08:30Hello, darling.
08:31How old are you?
08:33Three.
08:34You're three?
08:35When the little girl came onto the phone,
08:37I kind of had to try and make sure that she was safe
08:41as well as getting her mum help,
08:43but the situation was now really urgent.
08:46Marianne enlists Imogen's help.
08:49Do you have a garden you can shout to your neighbours for help?
08:53Then you need to go shout for help for mummy.
08:57Tramp!
08:59Tramp!
09:00But there's no reply.
09:03Have you got someone coming?
09:04No, no-one's coming.
09:08No-one's heard her.
09:10She's tried so hard.
09:12They're running out of time.
09:14Marianne knows it.
09:15Actually, I thought, this is it.
09:17This is the point.
09:18Her poor mum.
09:19And so does Kayleigh.
09:21I was terrified.
09:23I thought I was going to die.
09:29Later, Imogen stays at her mum's side
09:32as paramedics race to find them.
09:34Mummy, are you going to be okay?
09:37And Marianne fears they won't reach them in time.
09:40If she didn't get treatment as soon as possible,
09:43the outcome, well, it doesn't worth thinking about.
09:46Porth, Cornwall.
09:58A dad of two clings desperately to a crumbling cliff edge.
10:02Below him is a 50-foot drop onto rocks.
10:05His terrified fiancé is on the path above.
10:09He's been there too long.
10:10He's too tired.
10:11I thought he was going to fall.
10:14The only way off is by air.
10:17A Coast Guard helicopter is called in,
10:19but it won't be an easy rescue.
10:22We could see that Janethlman was in a precarious position.
10:24He was having trouble hanging on,
10:26so it was a time-critical incident.
10:27Michael lives in Runcorn, Cheshire,
10:41with his fiancée, Jessica.
10:43He's a courier, and she's a transport coordinator.
10:47They got together five years ago and haven't looked back.
10:50Jessica's great.
10:51Really funny, clever.
10:54Yeah, she's just a great person.
10:56I love his sense of humour.
10:58It makes me laugh a lot.
11:00It makes me feel safe.
11:01Getting married next year, it's great.
11:03We've got a great relationship.
11:05The couples share a love of the great outdoors
11:07and go exploring together whenever they get the chance.
11:11We do a lot of canoeing, a lot of mountain walking.
11:14Michael's a bit more adventurous than me,
11:16but, you know, I do really enjoy walking.
11:18I like climbing mountains.
11:20And both sides of the family
11:22are regularly included in their adventures.
11:25They have five children between them,
11:26from previous relationships,
11:28as well as strong bonds with siblings.
11:31We're a really close family.
11:33We're always doing things together.
11:35We do outdoor activities with the children,
11:37or we'll meet at the park,
11:38or we're always at a family party or gathering of some sort.
11:41Michael is particularly close to his brother-in-law, Alan.
11:45He's been with my sister for over 20 years.
11:48He's always been a part of my life.
11:50He's a character, Michael, yeah.
11:52He's a large character, yeah.
11:53He likes to have a laugh.
11:55If you didn't know them,
11:56you probably would think they were brothers.
11:58They got on great.
11:59But a summer family get-together by the sea
12:02almost ends in disaster,
12:04when an impulsive decision leaves Michael
12:07in a life-threatening situation.
12:12It's an overcast Friday in August.
12:14Michael, Jessica and Alan are in Porth,
12:17near Newquay in Cornwall,
12:18along with Michael's sisters and all the children.
12:21We've been on holiday in Newquay for the past five years,
12:25and this year was the first time that Alan and my sister
12:28have been on holiday with us.
12:30We're all in good spirits.
12:31Done a bit of bodyboarding, a bit of swimming,
12:33making sandcastles, looking under rock pools.
12:36It's their last full day near the coast,
12:39and after a morning swim and surfing,
12:42they decide to take a walk up onto the cliffs
12:44at the north end of the beach,
12:46an area called Trevelle Head.
12:48The whole family walked up to the first viewpoint,
12:52and we had a little look around and admired the views.
12:56They filmed the landscape from the top on their phones.
13:00The weather wasn't that great.
13:02We were there for a bit taking pictures.
13:04And obviously the kids got a bit bored,
13:06so they wanted to go back.
13:08The group split up.
13:10Michael's sisters head back to the beach with the children,
13:12while Michael, Jessica and Alan
13:15continue to walk further up the headland.
13:18On one side of Trevelle Head
13:20is, like, literally vertical cliffs.
13:23On the side where Porth Beach is,
13:26it slopes down.
13:27It's like a really steep hill.
13:29It's all bits of rocks,
13:31and you can literally...
13:32The rocks lead right to the water.
13:35Michael's adventurous spirit kicks in,
13:37sensing an opportunity to explore the cove
13:39between the cliffs.
13:40I realised that if I climbed in at the water's edge,
13:45I'd be able to swim up the gorge.
13:47Jessica takes this photo
13:49just before he enters the water from the rocks.
13:51Although I'd advise him not to,
13:53I did trust his instinct of him going in,
13:56which is what he did do.
13:59So off he went.
14:01She captures his progress.
14:04Me and Alan continue to walk back up the headland
14:06a little bit more.
14:07We could see him swimming in.
14:08He looked quite good, what he was doing.
14:10As I say, he's swimming down the creek.
14:12It looked lovely.
14:13After 20 minutes swimming along the gorge,
14:16Michael's had enough.
14:17But instead of swimming back the way he came
14:19to exit the water,
14:21he looks for a closer route out.
14:23It's a decision he'll regret.
14:26As I'm looking from the water,
14:28it just looked like a walk out.
14:29And then we've seen him climb out.
14:32We've seen him coming out the water,
14:33and we've seen him coming up the rocks.
14:34And at first, he looked fine.
14:36But the route up the cliff face is deceiving,
14:39becoming steeper and more treacherous with every step.
14:43It's actually gone into a bit of a scramble,
14:45and obviously I'm using my hands then
14:46to navigate over rocks.
14:49Michael keeps going,
14:51making it up the rocks onto the scrubland.
14:54But then he begins to struggle.
14:56The terrain had changed from rock
14:58into a crumbly soil that was coming off.
15:04It was coming out of my hands.
15:06Realising he can't go any further,
15:07he turns around,
15:09intending to make his way back down to the water.
15:12But he gets a shock.
15:15I must have been about 50, 60 foot up in the air.
15:18And it was just a vertical slope all the way down
15:22into a load of rocks.
15:24He can't go up, and he can't go down.
15:27But staying where he is is equally precarious.
15:30The terrain that I was sat on was moving underneath me.
15:34All that rock was going over the cliff edge.
15:36I knew at that point I was in trouble,
15:38and I was going to need elk to get off.
15:40At the top of the cliff,
15:42Alan and Jessica are becoming anxious.
15:44We could see he couldn't get up any further.
15:46Michael was sat still.
15:49So Alan said to me,
15:50you stay there.
15:51As Alan edges down the slope towards Michael,
15:54Jessica takes this image.
15:56The angle is deceptive,
15:58although the distance between the two men is small.
16:00The drop and terrain are hazardous.
16:03He must have been maybe 10 foot away from me.
16:06He was scared.
16:08He's stuck.
16:09The rocks are jagged.
16:11They're slippy and jagged.
16:12If he falls,
16:14he's going to seriously be hurt or worse.
16:17Jessica is terrified.
16:20I thought he was going to fall.
16:23So I said to Alan,
16:24do we need to ring somebody?
16:26And he said, yeah.
16:28So I rang 999.
16:32Police transfer the call to the Coast Guard,
16:35who immediately recognise the serious danger Michael is facing.
16:39Two cliff rescue teams are dispatched and the helicopter crew alerted.
16:44Coast Guard,
16:44which paramedic Paul Vernon is on duty that day.
16:48We were tasked by the Air Rescue Coordination Centre for a male stuck on a cliff on the north coast of Newquay.
16:54He was clinging on and starting to slip, so it was a time-critical incident.
17:00Something Alan at the cliff edge is growing more aware of.
17:04After like 10, 15 minutes, you could see he was starting to struggle a bit because he was having to hold himself up on the rock.
17:10Obviously, I didn't know how long I would be able to stay in the position that I was in.
17:15Obviously, because the terrain was crumbling underneath me every time I moved.
17:17All I could do is just keep reassuring Michael that he won't be long.
17:23They're on the way.
17:24Hold tight.
17:25At this point, I thought, he's been there too long.
17:28He's too tired.
17:30Minutes later, they hear the sound of the helicopter approaching.
17:34On board, which paramedic Paul spots Michael from the air
17:37and realises it's going to be a complex operation.
17:41We could see the gentleman was in a precarious position.
17:43He was having trouble hanging on.
17:45Because it was a light-wind day, the aircraft engines were working even harder,
17:48producing more downdraft, which then could potentially be another problem.
17:52On the cliff, Michael's already feeling the effects.
17:55When it got right above me, the terrain around me was now starting to fly past my head.
18:00Plants were coming up off the terrain
18:03and rocks were starting to crumble down the side of the cliff next to me.
18:06Paul is lowered down towards him, but the downdraft is too powerful.
18:11The rescue team abort, rapidly considering their options.
18:15We backed off and then we readjusted the aircraft position and height
18:18to try and reduce the downrush.
18:21The shift in tactics leaves Jessica in despair.
18:25The helicopter moved and as the helicopter moved,
18:27there was nobody on the end of it.
18:29I just looked at Alan and said, he's fell off, hasn't he?
18:33And I really thought he had.
18:35But Michael is still hanging on for his life.
18:38The helicopter's onboard camera is recording as the aircraft manoeuvres back in
18:43and Paul is lowered down for a second time.
18:46This is Michael clinging to the cliff edge.
18:49I could see the winchman now.
18:52A bit of stone and soil and rocks flying past my head.
18:56That was the point when I was most worried about slipping off.
18:59And when I actually got down there, it actually looked a lot worse.
19:02He looked terrified, to be honest.
19:04The helicopter crew skillfully position Paul alongside Michael.
19:08Next, he needs to secure him into a harness.
19:14This is the trickiest part of the rescue,
19:16because I've got to then get my winching equipment over his head,
19:19so he's got to let go of the cliff.
19:21It was pretty desperate.
19:23You know, I couldn't wait for that.
19:24Shoulder, the harness to come underneath.
19:26Paul positions his body to prevent Michael slipping,
19:31then secures him into the harness
19:33and signals to the winch operator and pilot.
19:36I've secured him with my arms and my legs to protect his head,
19:39give a nod to the winch operator.
19:41The camera captures the moment Michael is plucked from the cliff face.
19:50I was very relieved.
19:52It only seemed like seconds when I got took by the winchman
19:55and onto the top of the headland.
19:57Alan and Jessica watch as he's flown to safe ground.
20:01I was so relieved, you know,
20:03I just wanted to run over and hug the man that had saved him.
20:07Very emotional.
20:08You're close to tears at the time,
20:09because you just know what he's been through
20:10and that he's safe and everything's going to be OK.
20:13The pilot hovers above the headland
20:15and Michael and Paul are set down onto solid ground.
20:19Michael is exhausted by his ordeal.
20:21Me arms and me legs were just...
20:25absolutely dead.
20:27So that must have been a result of me
20:29obviously trying to hold on to the position that I was in.
20:33But he's escaped without injury.
20:36I run up to Michael and I gave him a hug,
20:38but it seemed to me like he was in another zone.
20:41As much as I was relieved,
20:44obviously I felt really embarrassed
20:47and I'd put myself and my family in that situation.
20:50Also embarrassed as well, the amount of manpower
20:53and the resources that he made and services
20:56to have to all come out and rescue me
20:58from the position that I'd put myself in.
21:00How many people would lose their lives
21:01or be seriously hurt if it wasn't for them?
21:04What an amazing job to do.
21:05Two months on and Michael and Jessica
21:12are immersed in wedding plans,
21:14grateful they can look forward to their big day.
21:18When we get married next year,
21:20I'm sure at some point I'll think about the situation
21:22that I was in and I'll be thankful
21:25that I'll be there on the day to marry Jess.
21:29It's an addition to add to the story on the day.
21:31I wouldn't let Michael go swimming
21:33in any sort of area like that ever again.
21:36I don't think he'd do it anyway now,
21:38knowing that I've traumatised.
21:39I actually was.
21:40I was worried sick.
21:42I don't think he'd do that again.
21:44Not why it was with me anyway.
21:56The water can look very inviting, can't it?
21:59I guess the message here is
22:00if you don't know the area or the conditions,
22:02check with the locals and proceed with caution.
22:05Now back to a young mum in desperate straits.
22:08Time is running out.
22:09Her life is in the hands of her three-year-old daughter
22:12and a team of call handlers
22:13who are desperately trying to find out where she is.
22:23In Burgess Hill, West Sussex,
22:25young mum Kayleigh is in the middle of a severe asthma attack
22:28and time is running out to save her.
22:30I could feel my throat getting tighter.
22:33It was a struggle to get air in and out.
22:36Her young daughter Imogen is by her side.
22:40My mummy didn't breathe properly.
22:43The clever three-year-old has called 999
22:45and is on the line with emergency call handler Marianne.
22:50Mummy needs an ambulance.
22:52Yes.
22:53I was worried for her and scared for her
22:56that she was in this situation,
22:59but she was doing so well.
23:01Do you know what road you live on, sweetie?
23:03But Imogen can't tell her
23:06and her mum's condition is deteriorating fast.
23:09She can't get enough breath to speak.
23:16At that point, I couldn't get any words out.
23:18I was terrified.
23:20At the emergency centre,
23:21Marianne's colleagues attempt,
23:23but failed to decipher the address from earlier in the call.
23:26She asked Kayleigh for one more effort
23:28to gasp out the details.
23:30Tell me the postcode one more time.
23:36Yep.
23:40The young mum makes an agonising attempt
23:43to whisper the numbers and letters.
23:47Is that B for Bravo or P for Papa?
23:54It's the missing information they need.
23:59I've got you, sweetheart.
24:00I have found you, OK?
24:02So help is on the way.
24:04Now it's a race against time.
24:06Marianne asks Imogen to prepare for the paramedic's arrival.
24:10Can Imogen open the front door?
24:12Is she old enough to do that?
24:14Yes.
24:15Yeah.
24:16She is, and she does,
24:18standing by the door
24:19while still checking on her mum.
24:22Mummy, are you going to be okay?
24:25But Kayleigh can't answer her.
24:29Exhausted by the effort and lack of oxygen,
24:31she's struggling to stay awake.
24:34Marianne tries to reassure her.
24:37Right, you're doing so well.
24:38I'm going to keep talking to you, darling, OK?
24:41Help is on its way.
24:42It's coming.
24:43They're coming on lights and siren.
24:44Every time I heard the call handler's voice,
24:48I kind of, like, kind of kept waking me up.
24:51And I can see the crew are just getting slowly closer
24:53and closer and closer.
24:55They should be just coming up outside.
24:58Young Imogen spots them.
25:00It was such a relief once the crew were on scene
25:10and I could hear them there.
25:12I'll leave you to deal with it.
25:15Bye.
25:16The paramedics spring into action,
25:19giving Kayleigh powerful asthma medication
25:21through a nebuliser,
25:22which turns liquid medicine into a mist
25:25so it can be breathed in through a mask.
25:27As soon as one finished, another one was ready.
25:32Imogen stays at her mum's side,
25:34hoping to see her get better.
25:36But the drugs aren't having enough effect.
25:38She needs to get to hospital.
25:40Nothing.
25:41Nothing was working.
25:43I thought, well, what is going to work?
25:45And, yeah, I was really scared.
25:47Really, really scared.
25:48A friend arrives to look after Imogen
25:50and Kayleigh is taken by ambulance
25:52under blue lights to Princess Royal Hospital
25:54in nearby Haywards Heath,
25:55where she's rushed into resus.
25:58There was doctors and nurses waiting
26:00with nebulisers ready to go,
26:03the IV medication ready to go.
26:06Her treatment is well underway
26:08by the time husband Michael reaches home
26:10to look after Imogen.
26:12Later, he gets a text from Kayleigh.
26:14She just said that she was in A&E,
26:17she was on nebulisers and the steroids.
26:19I find that when it's night time and bed time,
26:22that's when I worry the most.
26:24And there are plenty of nights like that
26:27as Kayleigh remains in hospital for five days.
26:30But her condition begins to slowly improve
26:33and she's finally allowed home.
26:35Imogen is ecstatic to see her.
26:37She just ran at me,
26:41threw her arms around me
26:42and I just cried.
26:44I just absolutely sobbed.
26:47I went into bed with her
26:48and just sat with her for probably an hour,
26:50just chilling, hugging each other,
26:53asking her how she was feeling
26:54and all that sort of stuff.
26:55So, yeah, that was quite a special moment.
26:58Three months on and Kayleigh is doing well.
27:01But she knows things could have turned out
27:08very differently if not for the quick
27:10and clever reactions of her three-year-old daughter.
27:13Yes.
27:14Oh, OK.
27:16What are you looking into?
27:17My ears?
27:18Yeah.
27:18Oh, thanks.
27:20If Imogen wasn't here, I wouldn't be here.
27:24That's, yeah, simple as that.
27:26The hospital said to me,
27:28if you didn't get help when you did,
27:30you would have died.
27:34And it seems saving mum
27:36has inspired Imogen
27:37with thoughts of a future career.
27:40Who are you going to ring?
27:41I'm nobody.
27:42I'm the doctor.
27:43Oh, are we already there?
27:45She says,
27:46I want to be a paramedic.
27:47Yeah, we could be prouder of her.
27:49Really couldn't.
27:50It's one of those things
27:51I try not to think about,
27:52but all the time I see her in me,
27:53I can't help but think she's a little hero.
27:56Yeah, she's one special little girl.
27:58Oh, for this, you better.
28:00She's one better.
28:09Little Imogen would make a cracking medic,
28:12wouldn't she?
28:12Well done to her.
28:14See you next time for more Close Calls.
28:16See you next time.
28:21Later.
28:26See you next time.
28:27See you next time.
28:28Transcription by CastingWords
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