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Downloaded from
YTS.BZ

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(Gentle piano music)

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I got a text message saying,

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Official YIFY movies site:
YTS.BZ

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there's a job on the Franklin,
who's available?

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We just knew there
was a man trapped,

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might require a medical team.

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In your own mind you think,
okay, yep, we should

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be done and dusted
within a couple of hours.

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However, it didn't
quite turn out that way.

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(Helicopter hovering)

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How does someone's leg go
into a crack and not come out?

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Like surely there's a way,
there's always a way.

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And there wasn't.

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(Underwater sounds)

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You could see the
determination in Valdas' eyes.

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Even though his
body was deteriorating,

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in his mind,
he was not giving up.

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We could definitely see it was a
significant deterioration.

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And we were getting closer
to that decision point where

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we were going to have to
get him out by any means.

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I felt so conflicted.

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If this goes ahead,
you might kill him.

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But even if,
even if it all goes perfectly,

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he'll never be the
same guy again.

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There was a moment
before I started of...

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I don't want to do this.

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I really,
really don't want to do this.

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I couldn't imagine
how long he can

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survive because
time was running.

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(Exciting music)

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I remember the Lithuanian doctor

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sort of asking in
his broken English.

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He's like, he's dead, isn't he?

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And I couldn't say yes, but I,
I definitely couldn't say no.

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(Dramatic music)

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The Franklin's a pretty
formidable and wild place.

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It's incredibly remote.

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There's no real road access.

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There's only two
ways to get there.

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One is by helicopter
and the other

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option is to embark
on a rafting trip.

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South-west of Tassie
is a magnificent place

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but it can bring you
unstuck really quickly.

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What can start as an
absolute magnificent day

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can probably end up
being your worst nightmare.

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You get a decent rain
overnight and then all

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of a sudden the
waters rise quite quickly.

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There are all those
boulder-type rapids that

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just come with huge risk
when you paddle them.

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You just need to take
a great deal of care.

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One of my relatives
said, be careful.

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It's a very dangerous river.

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There have been a number of
lives taken on the Franklin, so

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it's a river that you need to
respect, I guess you'd say.

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(Gentle music)

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Hello, Povilas!

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Long time no see!

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It's been forever.

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First time I met Valdas,
we were paddling in Peru.

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Here my friend,
cheers to us meeting again!

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Valdas had rafting
experience of close to 50 years.

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He was paddling very
heavy rivers in Siberia

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and other regions of the
former Soviet Union.

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He is very brave and
didn't feel any fear.

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We are of the younger generation

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and we looked up
to them with envy.

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And we dreamed of some
day going rafting like Valdas.

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It was truly incredible.

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We had a very very
great respect for him.

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It was a real honour to
travel with the likes of them.

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Valdas is always the
main one for us all.

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At a Christmas party somewhere
in 2012, we were drunk

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and we started
to build crazy plans.

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We decided that we
should visit at least one river

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in every continent and to
raise our Lithuanian flag.

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When Valdas grew up, Lithuania
was occupied by Russians.

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You couldn't say what you think,

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just your freedom of
religion was destroyed.

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You couldn't travel.

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You couldn't travel anywhere
except the Soviet Union.

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So now why they like to travel?

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I think it's a celebration
of independence.

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(Music continues)

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From 2015 up to now,
we have visited Nepal

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then South America, US,

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Africa...

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And the last
continent was Australia.

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We chose the River
Franklin in Tasmania.

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I like this because
it is a very wild river.

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(Xylophone sounds)

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Valdas was part of
a group of 12 friends.

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They set off from
Lithuania in November 2024.

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They made their way to Victoria.

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(Intriguing guitar music)

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When we arrived in Australia.

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one of our team
was put in hospital

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with pneumonia.

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So then there
were 11 of us left.

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Then one of us injured his arm.

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It seemed as if
nature and that river

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was set against us.

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(Dramatic music builds)

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That starting point
on Collingwood bridge,

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was the place where
we needed to register.

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There were signs
that it could be risky,

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and you take your
own responsibility.

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The water itself was favourable.

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We set out at the
tributary into the...

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Franklin,
where everybody starts.

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(River water flowing)

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After several hours in the
evening, heavy rain started.

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And the water went
up approximately 80

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centimetres,
and our tents were wet.

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So, next morning,
we decided to take a

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rest and wait for
the water level to

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drop down, and then on
the third day, continue.

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(Calling out echoes)

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Valdas was the leader
of his cataraft, and that

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was because he'd
been rafting for

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almost 50 years.

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So, he was incredibly
experienced.

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A cataraft has two
separate pontoons,

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and the men carried
all their food and

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equipment in these rafts.

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(Fast-flowing river)

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On day five, we woke up very
early in the morning because

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we needed to reach Coruscades
and to reach the campsite.

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(Ethereal music)

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You probably start to
really notice the remoteness

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of the Franklin when
you're in that Great Ravine.

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The Great Ravine,
by definition, is

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an area where,
you know, the mountains

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are close by and it goes into
a very steep kind of landscape.

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And at the bottom
of that, you get

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several significant
rapids through there,

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including the Coruscades.

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(Ethereal music )

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We arrived at Coruscades Rapids.

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For scouting, we used a
drone because we are not taking

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risks without knowing
what is waiting for us in front.

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We watched that
rapid intently for a

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while before deciding
not to attempt it.

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There would still be
many rapids ahead

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and we decided to
carry our craft around it.

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(Exciting music)

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This day was very heavy
for me because I was sick.

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I was sitting on the bank,
on the stone, just filming.

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And Valdas was just
working on the main rock.

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He was jumping from
one rock to another.

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And just slipped and dropped
to the hole with the water.

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(Dramatic music)

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My friends were
running to help to Valdas.

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And somebody cried.

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Valdas fell and trapped his leg.

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That's the last thing we need.

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He fell on his
back and after that

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he turned over, but his leg,
somehow got wedged.

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When I reached down with
my hand, I felt that it was

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stuck in a narrow
gap between the rocks.

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Please pull gently.
Please Bull gently.

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From the very beginning,
we fixed

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Valdas with the safety ropes.

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Enough!

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That's it! Stop pulling!

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And trying in
different directions

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to take him from this hole.

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Minde, please give
me this paddle to try.

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Povilas, hold it!

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Valdas was quite positive.

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Just saying,
I cannot take my foot back.

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Slowly!

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We tried to pull him out
for about forty minutes,

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but to no avail.

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Then we decided
to call for rescue.

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We sent SOS signal
via satellite phone.

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We felt uncertainty.

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And we didn't know
how everything will finish.

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(Gentle piano music)

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The day was coming to an end.

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And my phone rang at about 3.30.

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And it was our
police radio room.

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(Phone rings)

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Information had been
received from a rafting party.

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That one of their members
had fallen into the river.

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And was trapped in
between some rocks.

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So we were activated
to attend the scene.

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It is critical time-wise
that we get people there.

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Due to the possibility
of hypothermia.

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And potential for
the river to rise.

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I was part of the
first crew to head

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out into the Franklin
that evening.

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To essentially
start the ball rolling.

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On getting to
this rafting party.

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Our role was to get
further information initially.

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How trapped that person was.

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Pictures of the scene.

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Severity of any injuries.

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And pass that back.

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We're anticipating this
being a protracted incident.

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It could take several hours.

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(Dramatic music)

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We hear noise.

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from helicopter.

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Finally.

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We all applause.

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The help arrives.

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00:12:52,533 --> 00:12:54,646
(Helicopter hum)

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We were in the valley.

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00:12:56,240 --> 00:12:57,650
And then we saw all the canoes.

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And then we saw him
stuck next to a rapid.

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00:13:01,065 --> 00:13:04,430
And then we took our time
just assessing where and how

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00:13:04,455 --> 00:13:07,154
we were going to first of
all drop the first people in.

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00:13:07,240 --> 00:13:09,220
(Helicopter rotor)

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00:13:09,600 --> 00:13:10,820
We couldn't land in there.

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00:13:10,945 --> 00:13:13,150
And we had to
winch ourselves in.

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00:13:13,360 --> 00:13:15,999
Mitch Parkinson
into that location.

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00:13:16,417 --> 00:13:18,163
Right next to where Valdas was.

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00:13:18,287 --> 00:13:20,726
(Helicopter rotor)

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00:13:20,950 --> 00:13:22,938
The workspace that
we ended up going

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down onto was a
large rock platform.

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Unfortunately being so wet.

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00:13:29,046 --> 00:13:30,775
It turns into
something that I would

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align with an ice skating rink.

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00:13:32,675 --> 00:13:34,926
It becomes really quite
unsafe really quickly.

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00:13:35,560 --> 00:13:37,850
Any idea where
his foot's corner is?

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00:13:37,890 --> 00:13:40,650
His left foot?

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00:13:42,400 --> 00:13:45,120
Valdas in the rock pool
did look quite concerning.

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00:13:45,950 --> 00:13:47,840
The water flow was significant.

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00:13:48,250 --> 00:13:51,710
And he appeared to be
pinned up against the rock.

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00:13:52,216 --> 00:13:54,615
It will take time.

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00:13:54,640 --> 00:13:57,699
They'll go get some
more swiftwater rescuers.

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It was clear that we were going
to need some specialty tools.

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00:14:02,290 --> 00:14:06,470
And that message was then
relayed back to the aircraft.

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00:14:06,873 --> 00:14:10,745
(Dramatic music)

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00:14:11,340 --> 00:14:13,532
Initially we had the
rescue crew from TAS

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police and some
ambulance Tasmania officers.

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00:14:16,769 --> 00:14:17,815
And then they were inserted

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in there as a
swift water team.

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00:14:20,660 --> 00:14:24,760
Our ETA overhead will be 2-0,
23 minutes.

241
00:14:25,020 --> 00:14:26,376
Do we have any
updates from the scene?

242
00:14:27,320 --> 00:14:30,860
The chopper ride was
about a 30 minute flight.

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00:14:30,980 --> 00:14:35,468
(Helicopter hovers above)

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00:14:35,800 --> 00:14:37,920
We were winched
in with our equipment.

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00:14:38,400 --> 00:14:45,477
(Helicopter approaches)

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00:14:47,280 --> 00:14:49,520
From the time we
got on scene I think we

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00:14:49,540 --> 00:14:52,273
had another hour
and a half of daylight.

248
00:14:52,750 --> 00:14:55,015
So it's his left
leg that's caught?

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00:14:55,040 --> 00:14:57,319
Maybe it's stuck like this.

250
00:15:01,240 --> 00:15:03,840
Right side,
it can't move right side.

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Left side are under the stone.

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00:15:06,773 --> 00:15:09,973
(Percussive music)

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00:15:10,542 --> 00:15:13,182
I was the retrieval
coordinator on that day.

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00:15:13,680 --> 00:15:16,530
And I was also the
responding clinician.

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00:15:18,000 --> 00:15:20,240
I got a handover
from my colleague.

256
00:15:20,530 --> 00:15:23,980
It said that an individual was
immersed up to their neck.

257
00:15:25,080 --> 00:15:27,105
And it was felt at the
time that it was going to

258
00:15:27,106 --> 00:15:29,641
be really unlikely that
they were going to survive.

259
00:15:29,800 --> 00:15:34,575
(High pitched helicopter hum)

260
00:15:35,160 --> 00:15:38,760
Every two hours a new
helicopter was coming.

261
00:15:39,630 --> 00:15:43,026
With different specialists
and different equipment.

262
00:15:43,200 --> 00:15:45,133
(Percussive music)

263
00:15:45,400 --> 00:15:48,280
Being winched into a scene
like that can be quite intense.

264
00:15:49,560 --> 00:15:51,726
You know people are
working hard to get you

265
00:15:51,760 --> 00:15:55,200
onto what is essentially
like a 2x2 metre pad.

266
00:15:57,320 --> 00:15:59,880
When the helicopter
flies away, suddenly

267
00:15:59,960 --> 00:16:01,760
you feel sort of
quite vulnerable.

268
00:16:02,313 --> 00:16:04,993
But you switch into
AMBO mode and

269
00:16:05,040 --> 00:16:07,900
start sort of
assessing the scene.

270
00:16:10,040 --> 00:16:13,660
At this stage consider comms in
the ravine entirely unreliable.

271
00:16:13,720 --> 00:16:17,519
and we will likely only have
comms when you over fly at 22.30

272
00:16:18,160 --> 00:16:19,670
We kind of gathered
together and had

273
00:16:19,732 --> 00:16:21,286
a brief about what
was happening.

274
00:16:21,470 --> 00:16:23,274
65 year old male, fit, well, no

275
00:16:23,308 --> 00:16:25,968
medical history,
no daily medications.

276
00:16:26,320 --> 00:16:28,975
I could see Valdas in the water.

277
00:16:29,512 --> 00:16:31,912
He looked, at that point,
quite vigorous.

278
00:16:31,970 --> 00:16:33,229
He seems to be, for the most

279
00:16:33,241 --> 00:16:34,830
part,
in relatively good spirits.

280
00:16:34,910 --> 00:16:36,430
We're doing our best
to keep him warm.

281
00:16:36,960 --> 00:16:39,215
Valdas has probably
been in the water

282
00:16:39,342 --> 00:16:41,370
five or more
hours at that point.

283
00:16:42,083 --> 00:16:44,123
I think he understood
his predicament.

284
00:16:44,175 --> 00:16:48,150
But he was very calm about that.

285
00:16:49,110 --> 00:16:50,286
Unusually calm.

286
00:16:51,280 --> 00:16:54,633
And I think he was
probably also in pain.

287
00:16:55,040 --> 00:16:56,930
And he was very
calm about that as well.

288
00:16:58,240 --> 00:17:00,246
He was the perfect
patient in many ways.

289
00:17:01,160 --> 00:17:04,560
What me and Nate want to
do is try and get down to him.

290
00:17:04,630 --> 00:17:09,579
We might do a combination
of pulling and lifting.

291
00:17:09,710 --> 00:17:13,010
We try and manually
manipulate the leg.

292
00:17:14,310 --> 00:17:16,133
Nate pushing, me pulling.

293
00:17:16,307 --> 00:17:20,832
(Rushing river water)

294
00:17:21,220 --> 00:17:23,969
Then we try to
put a sling around

295
00:17:24,001 --> 00:17:26,680
his leg as far down as we could.

296
00:17:27,880 --> 00:17:29,700
That's around
the top of his leg.

297
00:17:29,701 --> 00:17:30,701
It's not down the bottom.

298
00:17:32,800 --> 00:17:33,989
The pressure of the water was

299
00:17:34,453 --> 00:17:36,746
evident once it
sort of got in there.

300
00:17:37,710 --> 00:17:40,257
You could feel that,
like an undertow

301
00:17:40,320 --> 00:17:42,811
trying to pull your
legs down there.

302
00:17:43,453 --> 00:17:48,774
(Valdas struggling)

303
00:17:50,320 --> 00:17:52,480
We pulled him down,
we pulled him backwards.

304
00:17:53,640 --> 00:17:56,906
You know, forwards at varying
different levels of force.

305
00:17:57,900 --> 00:17:59,560
So I've got spreaders.

306
00:17:59,988 --> 00:18:01,800
I've got a hydraulic jack.

307
00:18:02,320 --> 00:18:03,640
And I've got airbags.

308
00:18:05,760 --> 00:18:08,520
We started using the
hydraulic equipment.

309
00:18:09,280 --> 00:18:11,000
There was a gap where I could

310
00:18:11,080 --> 00:18:13,607
get the tips of
the spreaders in.

311
00:18:15,220 --> 00:18:17,391
The theory was to
try and spread, get

312
00:18:17,680 --> 00:18:19,846
a little bit of
movement in the rock

313
00:18:20,560 --> 00:18:25,040
enough so Nate could
actually pull Valdas' leg out.

314
00:18:26,680 --> 00:18:28,320
However, that didn't work.

315
00:18:30,510 --> 00:18:32,461
There was some
talk around, could

316
00:18:32,473 --> 00:18:34,320
we jackhammer some of the rock?

317
00:18:34,840 --> 00:18:36,973
But that wasn't super practical.

318
00:18:37,530 --> 00:18:39,050
Could have actually
made things worse.

319
00:18:41,432 --> 00:18:42,872
There was an
understanding across

320
00:18:43,000 --> 00:18:44,921
our group that if
anyone had an idea,

321
00:18:45,400 --> 00:18:47,636
as far-fetched as it might
be in any combination of

322
00:18:47,637 --> 00:18:50,460
our equipment, we would
try every single one of those.

323
00:18:51,885 --> 00:18:53,483
It was looking
less and less likely

324
00:18:53,495 --> 00:18:55,060
that we would be
able to move him.

325
00:18:55,990 --> 00:18:58,980
His knee was so stuck.

326
00:19:01,007 --> 00:19:04,464
It seems like his
leg has just gone

327
00:19:05,266 --> 00:19:08,873
perfectly into a
shape made for his leg.

328
00:19:10,166 --> 00:19:13,050
And even if you
got him into exactly

329
00:19:13,062 --> 00:19:14,620
the right position,
which might be,

330
00:19:14,621 --> 00:19:17,025
you know, upside
down and tied in a knot,

331
00:19:17,037 --> 00:19:19,280
his leg was still
jammed in such a way

332
00:19:19,281 --> 00:19:21,620
that you would have to
break it more to pull it out.

333
00:19:21,780 --> 00:19:24,233
(River water flowing)

334
00:19:24,440 --> 00:19:27,479
Mindaugas, where is
the lid from the thermos?

335
00:19:27,700 --> 00:19:30,117
It was a real difficulty
with interacting

336
00:19:30,129 --> 00:19:32,680
with the Lithuanians
because English was

337
00:19:33,200 --> 00:19:36,280
very much their second or
maybe third or fourth language.

338
00:19:36,800 --> 00:19:39,959
In the next half an hour,
some warm food.

339
00:19:39,960 --> 00:19:41,239
Are you happy to do that? Yes

340
00:19:41,840 --> 00:19:43,679
Do you need help to go with you?

341
00:19:43,700 --> 00:19:46,836
We were communicating
with Valdas in our

342
00:19:46,848 --> 00:19:50,393
language and
explaining him everything.

343
00:19:51,240 --> 00:19:55,346
And one of
paramedics said, please

344
00:19:56,000 --> 00:20:00,739
bring each half an hour hot tea,

345
00:20:01,767 --> 00:20:03,407
and hot food.

346
00:20:05,880 --> 00:20:10,850
I am a doctor and I understand
the risk of hypothermia.

347
00:20:11,950 --> 00:20:14,580
So we did and this
continued all the night.

348
00:20:17,000 --> 00:20:19,057
The water
temperature at the time

349
00:20:19,129 --> 00:20:21,380
was probably around
8 to 10 degrees.

350
00:20:22,240 --> 00:20:23,706
The outside
temperature was actually

351
00:20:23,780 --> 00:20:26,273
one of the mildest
nights for summer.

352
00:20:26,800 --> 00:20:29,173
So we had that in our favour.

353
00:20:29,293 --> 00:20:31,206
(Tense music)

354
00:20:31,542 --> 00:20:34,824
It actually took quite
a while for Valdas

355
00:20:35,320 --> 00:20:38,616
to become sort of
dangerously hypothermic.

356
00:20:39,850 --> 00:20:41,948
Even into the early
hours of the morning,

357
00:20:41,960 --> 00:20:44,120
Valdas was actually
doing remarkably well.

358
00:20:44,502 --> 00:20:46,282
His heart rate
remained very constant.

359
00:20:46,500 --> 00:20:51,140
His cognition and the way
he was talking and responding

360
00:20:51,267 --> 00:20:55,546
and moving were all
exactly what you would want.

361
00:20:55,809 --> 00:20:57,888
(Intriguing music)

362
00:20:58,480 --> 00:21:02,200
Valdas is quite a strong person.

363
00:21:03,230 --> 00:21:10,486
He will never say that he
feels bad, feels some pain.

364
00:21:11,540 --> 00:21:13,048
He is a closed person.

365
00:21:13,880 --> 00:21:16,039
Right, we were too relaxed.

366
00:21:16,263 --> 00:21:20,206
Valdas was 65 years old
when the incident happened.

367
00:21:21,382 --> 00:21:24,222
He was working as a
database administrator.

368
00:21:25,520 --> 00:21:28,766
He was really fit because
he was going on these

369
00:21:28,800 --> 00:21:32,000
rafting adventures
with friends all the time.

370
00:21:33,376 --> 00:21:36,016
He didn't have any kids
and he wasn't married,

371
00:21:36,041 --> 00:21:38,921
but he was really close
to his sister Raza.

372
00:21:40,080 --> 00:21:44,706
Valdas is mathematically minded.
He's a logician.

373
00:21:45,720 --> 00:21:52,199
He has to plan all
moves ahead in rafting.

374
00:21:53,360 --> 00:21:59,239
He doesn't talk much,
he doesn't open up.

375
00:22:00,440 --> 00:22:04,159
He was always very stubborn,
and strong willed.

376
00:22:04,560 --> 00:22:06,319
But he's very good hearted.

377
00:22:08,340 --> 00:22:13,020
I think Lithuanians are very
courageous and strong people.

378
00:22:15,080 --> 00:22:17,961
We were always fighting,
fighting, fighting

379
00:22:17,973 --> 00:22:20,801
because we would like
to have our freedom.

380
00:22:22,430 --> 00:22:26,780
But courage and resilience,
Valdas has that, definitely.

381
00:22:27,780 --> 00:22:29,553
(Bubbling sounds)

382
00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:34,640
I've just never seen someone so
resilient and so strong and so

383
00:22:34,740 --> 00:22:36,516
open to all of the methods

384
00:22:36,528 --> 00:22:38,720
around him to
free him all night.

385
00:22:39,170 --> 00:22:40,479
And I still think
it's one of the

386
00:22:40,491 --> 00:22:41,890
most amazing
things I've ever seen.

387
00:22:42,540 --> 00:22:47,773
(Tender music)

388
00:22:50,000 --> 00:22:54,919
Valdas had been in the
water for around 16 hours.

389
00:22:55,440 --> 00:22:58,060
And the elements are starting
to really get the better of him.

390
00:22:58,061 --> 00:23:02,020
So hypothermia was a big risk.

391
00:23:02,133 --> 00:23:04,513
(Tender music continues)

392
00:23:04,770 --> 00:23:08,449
It was about 6:30 where
we essentially said,

393
00:23:08,450 --> 00:23:11,941
well, we've got one more
shot at pulling him out.

394
00:23:12,770 --> 00:23:14,761
And that was quite
a drastic attempt to

395
00:23:15,112 --> 00:23:18,285
essentially break his
leg as we pulled him out.

396
00:23:20,920 --> 00:23:23,420
That was another failed attempt.

397
00:23:24,376 --> 00:23:27,756
Then we had another brief
with the doctors and paramedics.

398
00:23:27,781 --> 00:23:34,253
And saying, look, I think
we've exhausted all our options.

399
00:23:35,280 --> 00:23:38,500
It was at that point we had to
make the decision to amputate.

400
00:23:39,830 --> 00:23:42,873
I think we all sort of came
to the realisation this is the

401
00:23:43,809 --> 00:23:46,200
last resort, but the only
resort at this point in time.

402
00:23:49,260 --> 00:23:51,226
It was a big mental
hurdle realising that

403
00:23:51,837 --> 00:23:54,307
we were now going
to cut his leg off.

404
00:23:55,680 --> 00:23:59,030
I felt so conflicted.

405
00:23:59,800 --> 00:24:03,140
I'd never, ever had to hurt
someone to save their life.

406
00:24:03,453 --> 00:24:06,300
(Gentle river flow)

407
00:24:06,520 --> 00:24:07,600
It wasn't an easy decision.

408
00:24:08,240 --> 00:24:11,507
Actually, I just want to
speak to one of my retrieval

409
00:24:11,528 --> 00:24:14,021
doctor colleagues just so
I could share the decision.

410
00:24:14,580 --> 00:24:17,868
But with the communication
problems we had down

411
00:24:17,893 --> 00:24:20,404
in the ravine, that wasn't
going to be possible.

412
00:24:20,440 --> 00:24:23,480
So certainly for me,
I felt isolated.

413
00:24:25,680 --> 00:24:30,444
The paramedic came
to me and said, probably we

414
00:24:30,469 --> 00:24:34,705
don't have another
chance to save Valdas.

415
00:24:35,712 --> 00:24:39,522
And we will need
to amputate his leg.

416
00:24:39,747 --> 00:24:43,260
(Ominous music)

417
00:24:43,765 --> 00:24:49,260
So I went to Valdas,
asked how does he feel.

418
00:24:50,760 --> 00:24:54,620
And he said, I try to survive.

419
00:24:56,829 --> 00:25:01,986
I said, Valdas, now
rescuers will

420
00:25:02,320 --> 00:25:07,004
try to take you

421
00:25:07,171 --> 00:25:12,791
with the very power
and your leg can be broken.

422
00:25:13,920 --> 00:25:21,220
I didn't say to him that they
are preparing to amputate.

423
00:25:22,261 --> 00:25:26,321
Valdas just asked, so I
will become handicapped?

424
00:25:28,665 --> 00:25:29,665
Maybe Valdas.

425
00:25:31,002 --> 00:25:34,359
But if not, you will die.

426
00:25:34,853 --> 00:25:36,293
Here in this hole.

427
00:25:37,102 --> 00:25:38,962
And maybe in a few hours.

428
00:25:40,866 --> 00:25:45,520
And we shake hands and
Valdas made this move.

429
00:25:47,250 --> 00:25:48,250
Like agreement.

430
00:25:51,930 --> 00:25:54,076
I felt that Valdas had
an understanding of what

431
00:25:54,210 --> 00:25:57,344
was about to happen or
what needed to happen.

432
00:25:57,480 --> 00:26:00,893
And, you know, he clearly
communicated his choice.

433
00:26:01,296 --> 00:26:04,453
From memory, he
just sort of said, yes, OK.

434
00:26:05,570 --> 00:26:06,570
Nodded his head.

435
00:26:07,960 --> 00:26:08,960
And that was it.

436
00:26:09,633 --> 00:26:13,172
(Tender piano music)

437
00:26:14,370 --> 00:26:16,020
So we talked about
doses of drugs.

438
00:26:16,146 --> 00:26:19,534
We talked about where we
were going to be positioned.

439
00:26:20,340 --> 00:26:23,093
Then we talked about
how we were going to

440
00:26:23,206 --> 00:26:26,102
remove the leg, basically,
and free Valdas.

441
00:26:27,917 --> 00:26:30,177
Dr. Nick,
Mitch and Rowan were prepping

442
00:26:30,202 --> 00:26:32,360
their drugs,
prepping all their gear,

443
00:26:32,807 --> 00:26:33,807
getting ready.

444
00:26:35,396 --> 00:26:38,836
And then while all that was
happening, unfortunately,

445
00:26:38,861 --> 00:26:41,540
we had a, what we call an
incident within an incident.

446
00:26:43,180 --> 00:26:44,738
Walking down to
the edge of the rock,

447
00:26:44,750 --> 00:26:46,320
I just lost my
footing and I slipped.

448
00:26:47,880 --> 00:26:50,880
And put my hand back and all
my weight went through my hand.

449
00:26:51,439 --> 00:26:54,782
And as soon as I've fallen,
I immediately knew

450
00:26:54,880 --> 00:26:56,240
that I'd broken something.

451
00:26:56,260 --> 00:26:58,680
And I kind of picked my
arm up to have a look at it.

452
00:26:58,800 --> 00:27:00,421
And I could see there
was this big bend in it.

453
00:27:00,445 --> 00:27:04,128
And I was like, that's
just terrible timing, Nick.

454
00:27:04,780 --> 00:27:06,408
A few expletives as well.

455
00:27:08,020 --> 00:27:11,340
One of the paramedics said, oh,
we've got a bit of a problem.

456
00:27:12,660 --> 00:27:14,932
He said, oh, Doc Nick's just

457
00:27:14,957 --> 00:27:17,813
fallen over and
broken his wrist.

458
00:27:18,630 --> 00:27:20,520
There was only one doctor,
and that was Nick.

459
00:27:20,600 --> 00:27:23,631
And so we needed
him in good condition.

460
00:27:23,887 --> 00:27:26,413
(Rushing river flow)

461
00:27:26,979 --> 00:27:28,632
So straight away then,
we sort of knew that the

462
00:27:28,657 --> 00:27:32,260
amputation wasn't going to go
ahead as soon as we planned.

463
00:27:33,490 --> 00:27:35,869
I think Doc Nick
was pretty shattered.

464
00:27:36,810 --> 00:27:40,140
When you're in those scenarios,
you like to see them through.

465
00:27:40,619 --> 00:27:42,474
However, you know,
that wasn't going to

466
00:27:42,507 --> 00:27:44,280
be the case,
unfortunately, for Nick.

467
00:27:45,416 --> 00:27:46,776
The night had been
complex enough.

468
00:27:47,020 --> 00:27:49,660
We are all 20 or so
hours into this mission.

469
00:27:50,220 --> 00:27:51,486
So the best thing we could do

470
00:27:51,498 --> 00:27:53,146
was request new,
fresh personnel.

471
00:27:54,000 --> 00:27:56,186
(Phone rings)

472
00:27:57,700 --> 00:28:02,221
The word back from ambulance
TAS was they were sourcing

473
00:28:02,296 --> 00:28:05,375
another doctor and
paramedic to come out on site.

474
00:28:09,086 --> 00:28:12,446
There's no doubt that Valdas'
condition was worsening.

475
00:28:13,550 --> 00:28:18,222
So we were having those thoughts
of, you know, is he going

476
00:28:18,223 --> 00:28:23,420
to hold on long enough for us
to undertake the amputation?

477
00:28:23,687 --> 00:28:25,613
(Low ominous music)

478
00:28:25,920 --> 00:28:29,320
I wanted to...
to see Valdas alive.

479
00:28:30,979 --> 00:28:37,728
But time was running
and also his power

480
00:28:37,880 --> 00:28:40,959
and strength were
dramatically decreasing.

481
00:28:43,160 --> 00:28:45,510
The group is really
up against the clock.

482
00:28:46,020 --> 00:28:47,180
So that was the big question.

483
00:28:47,805 --> 00:28:50,715
Could he hold on until
another doctor arrived?

484
00:28:50,811 --> 00:28:52,911
(Expectant music)

485
00:28:53,000 --> 00:28:54,500
I prayed to God.

486
00:28:55,720 --> 00:28:57,546
That's all I could do.

487
00:29:00,653 --> 00:29:03,446
(Intriguing music)

488
00:29:03,750 --> 00:29:07,015
It was actually the end of a
run of shifts when I got a call

489
00:29:07,016 --> 00:29:09,930
from my immediate boss at about
quarter seven in the morning.

490
00:29:11,140 --> 00:29:14,730
He explained that Valdas
had been entrapped

491
00:29:14,742 --> 00:29:17,771
now for around
about 18 or 19 hours.

492
00:29:18,290 --> 00:29:20,430
And really at this stage,
the only feasible way to

493
00:29:20,431 --> 00:29:24,650
get Valdos out was going
to require an amputation.

494
00:29:24,651 --> 00:29:26,412
And this was
probably going to have

495
00:29:26,424 --> 00:29:28,991
to happen in a rapid underwater.

496
00:29:30,720 --> 00:29:33,159
I must admit,
I was pretty horrified.

497
00:29:33,320 --> 00:29:38,040
(Dramatic music)

498
00:29:39,360 --> 00:29:42,240
All avenues of rescue have
now been exhausted and

499
00:29:42,261 --> 00:29:45,050
definitively said the patient
will require amputation.

500
00:29:46,299 --> 00:29:49,177
When we winched in, it's really

501
00:29:49,280 --> 00:29:51,786
almost a bit of an
overwhelming scene.

502
00:29:52,860 --> 00:29:55,595
There are so many faces there of

503
00:29:55,840 --> 00:29:57,430
people who've been
really working hard.

504
00:29:57,651 --> 00:29:58,651
All night.

505
00:30:00,800 --> 00:30:02,360
And the scene
itself was incredible.

506
00:30:02,490 --> 00:30:04,270
The river is very dramatic.

507
00:30:05,065 --> 00:30:07,360
Huge boulders, rushing rapid.

508
00:30:07,840 --> 00:30:10,216
It was really quite a
hazardous situation.

509
00:30:13,080 --> 00:30:16,880
We got a ten minute handover
of what the situation was.

510
00:30:17,510 --> 00:30:19,364
It was very much
impressed on us that he

511
00:30:19,365 --> 00:30:22,491
wasn't going to survive
if we delayed anything.

512
00:30:23,265 --> 00:30:26,015
So we just knew we're
here to do the job that we've

513
00:30:26,040 --> 00:30:29,634
been tasked to do, which
was to amputate Valdos' leg.

514
00:30:29,760 --> 00:30:31,353
(Waterfall roars)

515
00:30:31,590 --> 00:30:33,651
I certainly felt a
professional obligation to

516
00:30:33,680 --> 00:30:35,578
make sure that there
really was no other option.

517
00:30:35,690 --> 00:30:37,338
So we did talk
through what had been

518
00:30:37,350 --> 00:30:39,010
done overnight,
what had been tried.

519
00:30:40,490 --> 00:30:42,961
And everybody agreed
that there was nothing

520
00:30:42,973 --> 00:30:45,230
else that could be
done to get him out.

521
00:30:45,840 --> 00:30:49,830
And the inevitable consequence
of him staying there was death.

522
00:30:50,180 --> 00:30:51,630
And that was going
to be quite soon.

523
00:30:51,798 --> 00:30:54,517
(Low humming music)

524
00:30:54,790 --> 00:30:57,568
I cannot say that I was happy.

525
00:30:58,869 --> 00:31:03,183
But finally,
some stress decreased

526
00:31:03,269 --> 00:31:06,589
because final
decision was taken.

527
00:31:10,160 --> 00:31:12,480
(Percussive music)

528
00:31:12,613 --> 00:31:16,159
We came up against a
pretty critical issue, which

529
00:31:16,290 --> 00:31:21,283
was that our tourniquets
wouldn't work on his leg.

530
00:31:22,156 --> 00:31:24,923
The leg needed to have
a solid tourniquet on so

531
00:31:24,948 --> 00:31:28,101
that he wouldn't bleed
once the leg was amputated.

532
00:31:28,200 --> 00:31:29,868
But it was really hard
to get a tourniquet

533
00:31:29,880 --> 00:31:31,520
on so that he wouldn't
slip onto his leg.

534
00:31:31,730 --> 00:31:32,800
It's all Velcro.

535
00:31:33,260 --> 00:31:34,924
And because of
the flowing water,

536
00:31:34,936 --> 00:31:36,946
the Velcro just
folded up on itself.

537
00:31:38,320 --> 00:31:41,243
Joe asked for some
little ratchet straps,

538
00:31:41,255 --> 00:31:43,700
just for strapping
your gear down.

539
00:31:44,588 --> 00:31:50,248
So he was able to establish two
tourniquets on Valdas.

540
00:31:50,383 --> 00:31:52,350
(Percussive music)

541
00:31:52,540 --> 00:31:55,065
We needed to be
able to anaesthetise

542
00:31:55,077 --> 00:31:57,820
Valdas, which is a
lot more challenging

543
00:31:57,821 --> 00:32:01,760
when someone's
upright, in a river.

544
00:32:01,761 --> 00:32:03,669
I really couldn't easily
get to Valdos' head,

545
00:32:03,670 --> 00:32:06,501
which is crucial for
managing the airway.

546
00:32:06,727 --> 00:32:08,485
So it was quickly
obvious that we

547
00:32:08,510 --> 00:32:10,280
couldn't use
general anaesthesia.

548
00:32:12,280 --> 00:32:14,720
We gave Valdos a
drug called ketamine.

549
00:32:16,227 --> 00:32:17,864
You're unconscious, but still

550
00:32:17,889 --> 00:32:20,220
breathing, you
still have a heart rate.

551
00:32:21,150 --> 00:32:24,010
The really important
bodily functions

552
00:32:24,022 --> 00:32:27,120
that keep you alive
are still operating.

553
00:32:27,473 --> 00:32:30,506
(Percussive music)

554
00:32:30,720 --> 00:32:32,166
We're getting
close to where we're

555
00:32:32,178 --> 00:32:33,720
actually going to
do the amputation.

556
00:32:34,600 --> 00:32:37,840
So Rowan, paramedic,
has got Valdas'

557
00:32:37,845 --> 00:32:40,813
hand, and you've
got Joe, the doctor,

558
00:32:41,157 --> 00:32:42,928
who's behind Valdas, and that's

559
00:32:42,953 --> 00:32:45,080
where he'll perform
the amputation.

560
00:32:47,640 --> 00:32:49,188
The only position I
could get into was

561
00:32:49,200 --> 00:32:50,680
kind of in a slightly
spread-eagled,

562
00:32:50,820 --> 00:32:51,820
awkward position.

563
00:32:53,060 --> 00:32:54,892
And I really had to
block out on the noise

564
00:32:54,893 --> 00:32:56,820
of the water and the
environment around me.

565
00:32:57,880 --> 00:32:59,340
It's normally a
visual procedure.

566
00:32:59,480 --> 00:33:00,960
You can see what you're doing.

567
00:33:01,040 --> 00:33:02,320
In this case, I couldn't see it.

568
00:33:02,505 --> 00:33:05,285
So I chose to not
wear gloves so that I

569
00:33:05,297 --> 00:33:08,020
could actually feel
what was going on.

570
00:33:10,070 --> 00:33:12,513
No-one ever trains
how to amputate a

571
00:33:13,274 --> 00:33:17,740
leg above the knee,
underwater, in the

572
00:33:17,741 --> 00:33:23,906
wilderness, with no resources,
in a rapid, on belay.

573
00:33:24,980 --> 00:33:26,480
It's such an extraordinary...

574
00:33:27,440 --> 00:33:28,440
circumstance.

575
00:33:28,660 --> 00:33:31,900
(Dark music)

576
00:33:32,120 --> 00:33:37,660
There was a moment before
I started of a real sense of,

577
00:33:39,010 --> 00:33:40,010
I don't want to do this.

578
00:33:40,695 --> 00:33:42,906
I really, really
don't want to do this.

579
00:33:43,700 --> 00:33:45,420
Not so much that it
doesn't need to be done.

580
00:33:45,920 --> 00:33:49,000
It's more that it felt...
wrong.

581
00:33:49,453 --> 00:33:52,720
So I really had to talk
myself through it to think that

582
00:33:52,948 --> 00:33:55,940
it really does need to be
done to save this man's life.

583
00:33:56,221 --> 00:33:59,634
(Dark music)

584
00:33:59,870 --> 00:34:02,370
The amputation is
currently being commenced.

585
00:34:03,750 --> 00:34:06,864
First of all, I cut away
the muscles of the

586
00:34:06,865 --> 00:34:11,011
thigh, leaving the
tremendously strong femur.

587
00:34:11,590 --> 00:34:14,419
And we train to saw
through this using

588
00:34:14,473 --> 00:34:16,040
what's called a giggly saw,
which is a...

589
00:34:16,111 --> 00:34:20,950
it's a fine wire, um, which
has got sharp serrations on it.

590
00:34:22,571 --> 00:34:24,586
It's very light,
which is why we favour it.

591
00:34:25,406 --> 00:34:26,606
But it's also pretty delicate.

592
00:34:27,920 --> 00:34:31,007
Joe looked up
and my first thought

593
00:34:31,040 --> 00:34:32,453
was, oh, good, he's through.

594
00:34:33,000 --> 00:34:34,120
The patient's released.

595
00:34:34,650 --> 00:34:35,836
But then he's,
yeah, looked up at

596
00:34:35,920 --> 00:34:39,320
me and the look was of, oh, no.

597
00:34:40,190 --> 00:34:42,230
And he held up the
one end of the saw.

598
00:34:42,800 --> 00:34:44,040
He met my eyes.

599
00:34:44,110 --> 00:34:45,110
I met his eyes.

600
00:34:45,486 --> 00:34:47,781
I showed him the
broken giggly saw.

601
00:34:50,920 --> 00:34:52,740
It was just such a
heart-sink moment.

602
00:34:53,880 --> 00:34:56,718
I can't believe that
we've come so far.

603
00:34:57,811 --> 00:34:59,631
I can fail to get
through the leg.

604
00:34:59,687 --> 00:35:03,086
(Clock ticking music)

605
00:35:03,490 --> 00:35:04,490
Um...

606
00:35:05,410 --> 00:35:08,770
Fortunately, we were
able to break the femur.

607
00:35:11,360 --> 00:35:14,120
And then suddenly,
Valdas was free.

608
00:35:14,571 --> 00:35:18,011
Suddenly, he sort of came
backwards into my arms.

609
00:35:18,515 --> 00:35:21,090
I was waiting for a gush
of blood, but there wasn't.

610
00:35:21,180 --> 00:35:23,073
(Hopeful music)

611
00:35:23,210 --> 00:35:25,013
And the entire procedure,
although it felt

612
00:35:25,080 --> 00:35:28,373
a long time to me,
it only took 2 minutes or so.

613
00:35:30,501 --> 00:35:33,432
The tourniquet held perfectly.

614
00:35:34,600 --> 00:35:37,970
But he was in pretty
rough condition at that point.

615
00:35:39,602 --> 00:35:40,962
We've got the harness and a

616
00:35:40,997 --> 00:35:43,493
pulley system
attached to Valdas.

617
00:35:44,200 --> 00:35:45,948
We're going to haul
him approximately

618
00:35:45,960 --> 00:35:47,571
two metres up that rock face.

619
00:35:47,760 --> 00:35:52,615
(Exciting music)

620
00:35:54,190 --> 00:35:57,060
We were not allowed
to look at this sight.

621
00:35:58,370 --> 00:35:59,370
But I saw...

622
00:36:00,280 --> 00:36:05,435
When Valdas was taken out
with the special equipment,

623
00:36:05,920 --> 00:36:09,944
the colour of skin and
all the body looked...

624
00:36:10,410 --> 00:36:12,429
It was... died.

625
00:36:15,730 --> 00:36:23,230
When I returned to the camp,
my friends asked how.

626
00:36:24,400 --> 00:36:25,990
Several minutes I was silent.

627
00:36:29,037 --> 00:36:34,826
I didn't say anything else,

628
00:36:35,060 --> 00:36:37,240
than, let's pray for Valdas.

629
00:36:42,833 --> 00:36:45,746
(Gentle flowing water)

630
00:36:46,370 --> 00:36:48,644
With hypothermia, all your body

631
00:36:48,656 --> 00:36:51,310
systems slow down
and almost stop.

632
00:36:52,661 --> 00:36:54,591
So, given the length
of time that he is

633
00:36:54,640 --> 00:36:57,880
in the water,
we anticipated that he was

634
00:36:57,905 --> 00:37:01,024
going to have a cardiac arrest
minutes after we got him up.

635
00:37:01,280 --> 00:37:04,360
(Gentle flowing water)

636
00:37:04,900 --> 00:37:07,546
Over the next 10 to
15 minutes, it became

637
00:37:07,558 --> 00:37:10,413
clear that Valdas
was deteriorating.

638
00:37:10,610 --> 00:37:12,060
His heart rate was slowing.

639
00:37:12,140 --> 00:37:15,784
His breathing was
not satisfactory.

640
00:37:17,020 --> 00:37:20,640
He stopped breathing
after about half an hour.

641
00:37:20,720 --> 00:37:25,040
So, we connected
him up to a ventilator.

642
00:37:26,810 --> 00:37:29,315
And then, just as
the helicopter's ready

643
00:37:29,327 --> 00:37:32,236
to come over scene
and take him away,

644
00:37:32,780 --> 00:37:34,670
his heart stopped beating.

645
00:37:36,720 --> 00:37:38,680
So, we performed CPR on him.

646
00:37:38,760 --> 00:37:43,277
And we put on this mechanical
CPR device and bundled

647
00:37:43,278 --> 00:37:46,621
him up and got him ready
to be flown out of there.

648
00:37:46,780 --> 00:37:52,145
(Helicopter hovers above)

649
00:37:53,011 --> 00:37:55,611
This is where Valdas
and Joe are about

650
00:37:55,640 --> 00:37:57,691
to get winched
up to the aircraft.

651
00:37:58,320 --> 00:38:00,138
Everyone's hovering
over the gear to make

652
00:38:00,330 --> 00:38:02,160
sure it doesn't get
blown into the water.

653
00:38:04,460 --> 00:38:07,640
When you've been
in ambo for 17 years, you

654
00:38:07,641 --> 00:38:09,588
You basically never
see a patient like

655
00:38:09,600 --> 00:38:11,660
that and think, oh,
we'll see him again.

656
00:38:14,160 --> 00:38:15,280
You think...

657
00:38:16,894 --> 00:38:17,894
he's dead.

658
00:38:18,087 --> 00:38:21,413
(Dramatic music)

659
00:38:21,970 --> 00:38:24,146
And there's a little
part of you that

660
00:38:24,203 --> 00:38:28,190
thinks that we killed
him as his rescuers.

661
00:38:29,267 --> 00:38:36,037
(Helicopter lifts Valdas up)

662
00:38:37,330 --> 00:38:41,490
I didn't have a big
hope that he will survive.

663
00:38:42,477 --> 00:38:44,144
Maybe 1-2%.

664
00:38:47,696 --> 00:38:50,656
Nobody looked me in the eyes.

665
00:38:52,960 --> 00:38:59,930
Only one rescuer hugged me.

666
00:39:01,110 --> 00:39:06,220
But didn't say any word.

667
00:39:07,683 --> 00:39:09,123
I'm very thankful for him.

668
00:39:11,050 --> 00:39:13,000
That's lovely support.

669
00:39:19,040 --> 00:39:24,559
In my mind I had
already buried him.

670
00:39:29,600 --> 00:39:31,919
I began to cry

671
00:39:34,240 --> 00:39:36,439
and somehow

672
00:39:36,560 --> 00:39:41,439
in my mind I was saying goodbye.

673
00:39:41,840 --> 00:39:46,144
(Intense music)

674
00:39:46,422 --> 00:39:48,422
There's an immense
relief when you get onto

675
00:39:48,473 --> 00:39:50,690
the helicopter and
swing them through the door.

676
00:39:51,150 --> 00:39:53,466
He's had a surgical
amputation of

677
00:39:53,520 --> 00:39:55,339
his left leg about
30 minutes ago,

678
00:39:55,970 --> 00:39:57,703
He's now in cardiac arrest.

679
00:39:57,920 --> 00:39:59,744
We knew that all
we can do is kind of

680
00:39:59,852 --> 00:40:02,850
maintain his breathing
and circulation

681
00:40:02,851 --> 00:40:06,290
with the mechanical CPR
device and get him to hospital.

682
00:40:07,240 --> 00:40:12,270
(Unclear dialogue)

683
00:40:14,200 --> 00:40:15,800
There was a
crucial radio call that

684
00:40:15,822 --> 00:40:18,610
summarised that
he had a hypothermic

685
00:40:18,611 --> 00:40:20,740
cardiac arrest,
what our ETA to the

686
00:40:20,752 --> 00:40:23,250
hospital would be,
and that we required a

687
00:40:23,251 --> 00:40:24,969
heart-lung bypass machine on

688
00:40:24,981 --> 00:40:27,330
arrival,
which is a really big call.

689
00:40:28,030 --> 00:40:31,310
It's a whole team that need to
be there to receive the patient.

690
00:40:37,150 --> 00:40:40,554
At that point, Valdas is gone
and we got this message to

691
00:40:40,600 --> 00:40:42,666
say, you've got to get all
the people out of there too.

692
00:40:43,840 --> 00:40:46,520
14 people,
half a ton of gear,

693
00:40:47,208 --> 00:40:49,416
pulling apart all
the rescue equipment.

694
00:40:51,040 --> 00:40:52,658
Eventually,
I get winched into the

695
00:40:52,670 --> 00:40:54,160
helicopter, shoved into a seat.

696
00:40:55,210 --> 00:40:57,556
All of a sudden,
you just sort of

697
00:40:57,600 --> 00:40:59,392
go, you just melt in your chair.

698
00:41:01,330 --> 00:41:03,050
You just sit there and
stare out the window.

699
00:41:03,455 --> 00:41:05,677
You sort of think
you're going to fly back

700
00:41:05,689 --> 00:41:07,820
to Hobart and sort
of hear the news that

701
00:41:08,560 --> 00:41:09,560
Valdas didn't make it.

702
00:41:10,140 --> 00:41:15,786
(Intense music)

703
00:41:16,800 --> 00:41:19,751
At the time of Valdas' arrival,
he'd been in cardiac

704
00:41:19,800 --> 00:41:23,104
arrest for about an hour
and a half with CPR ongoing.

705
00:41:24,450 --> 00:41:26,752
During that situation,
every minute counts

706
00:41:26,764 --> 00:41:28,970
and there is ongoing
damage occurring to

707
00:41:28,971 --> 00:41:30,478
all the organs in
the body and the one

708
00:41:30,490 --> 00:41:31,971
we worry about the
most is the brain.

709
00:41:33,275 --> 00:41:36,693
From the time of Valdas
arriving at the hospital to the

710
00:41:36,694 --> 00:41:40,190
time when he was on ECMO support
was about 15 minutes or so.

711
00:41:42,160 --> 00:41:44,940
We call ECMO the
heart-lung machine.

712
00:41:45,450 --> 00:41:47,641
It keeps the heart and
lungs performing when

713
00:41:47,642 --> 00:41:50,731
the body's not able
to perform that function.

714
00:41:52,205 --> 00:41:53,700
In situations like this,
you don't know

715
00:41:53,939 --> 00:41:57,170
You don't know what
the outcome's going to be.

716
00:41:57,250 --> 00:41:58,850
And you can just
hope for the best.

717
00:41:59,280 --> 00:42:02,720
And really, Valdas had
everything thrown at him.

718
00:42:03,047 --> 00:42:05,600
(Dramatic music)

719
00:42:06,731 --> 00:42:11,571
We were flying back to Hobart
and then my phone buzzed.

720
00:42:12,124 --> 00:42:15,624
It said, Valdas, onto ECMO.

721
00:42:16,730 --> 00:42:17,790
Heart rate, 90.

722
00:42:19,080 --> 00:42:21,617
Temperature, 26.5.

723
00:42:22,400 --> 00:42:24,070
And I just couldn't believe it.

724
00:42:24,071 --> 00:42:25,071
I was like...

725
00:42:26,750 --> 00:42:27,750
He's alive.

726
00:42:28,840 --> 00:42:31,160
We knew that he wasn't
out of the woods yet.

727
00:42:31,250 --> 00:42:34,862
There was a long way to
go and it was like, OK, is

728
00:42:34,960 --> 00:42:38,080
that the body just holding
on to a little bit of hope?

729
00:42:42,490 --> 00:42:44,229
If your heart stops
beating on the side

730
00:42:44,254 --> 00:42:46,382
of the Franklin River,
you're toast.

731
00:42:47,493 --> 00:42:52,641
Except that Valdas died of
a hypothermic cardiac arrest.

732
00:42:53,680 --> 00:42:56,688
And it's one of
the really unique

733
00:42:57,286 --> 00:43:00,751
ways where you
actually have a chance.

734
00:43:02,480 --> 00:43:04,421
With hypothermia, all your body

735
00:43:04,433 --> 00:43:06,700
systems slow down
and almost stop.

736
00:43:07,760 --> 00:43:09,799
It's a unique situation
where human beings

737
00:43:09,840 --> 00:43:12,455
can actually survive
quite long periods

738
00:43:13,210 --> 00:43:15,900
of not breathing or very
little heart activity.

739
00:43:17,620 --> 00:43:19,732
In that situation,
we can use ECMO to

740
00:43:19,744 --> 00:43:21,980
restore blood flow
to the body and then

741
00:43:21,981 --> 00:43:24,411
also warm the body up in a
controlled and safe fashion

742
00:43:24,412 --> 00:43:26,729
to the point where we
can then restart the heart.

743
00:43:27,131 --> 00:43:29,258
But there's still a lot
of uncertainty and we

744
00:43:29,358 --> 00:43:32,041
thought it was more likely
that he would not survive.

745
00:43:35,780 --> 00:43:38,391
Valdas is in a
critical condition in

746
00:43:38,403 --> 00:43:41,380
hospital and the
Lithuanian embassy calls

747
00:43:41,381 --> 00:43:44,560
his next of kin, his
sister Raza, to let her

748
00:43:44,561 --> 00:43:47,240
know that there's been
an incident on the river.

749
00:43:47,667 --> 00:43:51,740
(Frantic music)

750
00:43:52,080 --> 00:43:55,999
They didn't have
much information

751
00:43:56,000 --> 00:44:00,759
but my brother had
had an accident.

752
00:44:00,760 --> 00:44:04,239
His condition was very serious.

753
00:44:05,766 --> 00:44:09,445
I was like a

754
00:44:11,080 --> 00:44:13,180
zombie.

755
00:44:16,730 --> 00:44:19,336
Sometimes we know
early on if there has

756
00:44:19,348 --> 00:44:21,900
been damage to the brain,
but often in

757
00:44:21,901 --> 00:44:24,028
this situation we can
take several days to

758
00:44:24,040 --> 00:44:26,080
really be confident
either way about it.

759
00:44:33,120 --> 00:44:35,051
There was a plan made
to perform a scan of

760
00:44:35,096 --> 00:44:38,976
the brain and it just
happened that on the

761
00:44:39,022 --> 00:44:42,701
day when that scan was due
to be done, Valdas woke up.

762
00:44:43,610 --> 00:44:51,443
(Emotional music)

763
00:44:54,080 --> 00:45:01,880
(Emotional music continues)

764
00:45:03,960 --> 00:45:08,159
I become resigned to
the idea that I will die.

765
00:45:09,800 --> 00:45:12,079
I hear that hymn,

766
00:45:12,080 --> 00:45:15,279
the last hymn you hear

767
00:45:16,080 --> 00:45:20,919
before ending up

768
00:45:20,920 --> 00:45:23,959
in heaven,

769
00:45:23,960 --> 00:45:26,559
or in hell.

770
00:45:28,440 --> 00:45:33,959
After the hymn I open
my eyes and see white,

771
00:45:34,000 --> 00:45:37,799
a white ceiling above.

772
00:45:37,800 --> 00:45:43,319
I was waking up in the ICU ward.

773
00:45:46,790 --> 00:45:51,074
The first message that
Valdas just opened eyes,

774
00:45:51,750 --> 00:45:54,459
happened after 4 days.

775
00:45:55,560 --> 00:46:00,131
I cannot express my feeling,
the feelings of my friends

776
00:46:01,651 --> 00:46:05,106
They loudly shouted
in Lithuanian...

777
00:46:05,480 --> 00:46:08,117
Hooray!

778
00:46:11,163 --> 00:46:13,454
There were signs
he was improving, but

779
00:46:13,640 --> 00:46:16,971
the concern was his
neurological state.

780
00:46:18,430 --> 00:46:21,226
He was doing things
like opening his eyes,

781
00:46:21,238 --> 00:46:23,980
but his eyes were
rolling back and he was

782
00:46:24,230 --> 00:46:25,946
kind of thrashing
around the bed.

783
00:46:26,295 --> 00:46:30,720
It was an indication that, OK,
maybe this gentleman is scared.

784
00:46:31,200 --> 00:46:34,855
All the time I was
tormented by a nightmare

785
00:46:35,440 --> 00:46:40,079
that someone was extorting me,
demanding a ransom.

786
00:46:41,048 --> 00:46:44,466
Telling me that if
you don't pay the ransom,

787
00:46:44,840 --> 00:46:48,839
we will continue to torture
you and your whole group

788
00:46:49,400 --> 00:46:54,079
and drag you over those rocks.

789
00:46:54,560 --> 00:46:58,373
(Cars drive past)

790
00:46:59,420 --> 00:47:03,313
The nurse from ICU contacted
Lithuanian community,

791
00:47:03,314 --> 00:47:07,440
asking, do you have
anyone speaking Lithuanian?

792
00:47:07,460 --> 00:47:10,876
And maybe they can
come to the hospital.

793
00:47:12,120 --> 00:47:14,588
And in 20 minutes,
we were there.

794
00:47:16,511 --> 00:47:18,791
I just wanted to say,
hello, Valdas.

795
00:47:19,410 --> 00:47:20,813
I'm Jurgita.

796
00:47:21,340 --> 00:47:22,540
I live here in Hobart.

797
00:47:22,596 --> 00:47:24,335
Just, you are in a safe hands.

798
00:47:24,720 --> 00:47:26,000
Just, I came to support you.

799
00:47:29,078 --> 00:47:32,116
And I think that when
he heard someone saying

800
00:47:32,163 --> 00:47:38,060
in Lithuanian, can
you squeeze my hand?

801
00:47:38,533 --> 00:47:39,790
He started to respond.

802
00:47:39,840 --> 00:47:43,550
And I think probably that was
because he felt, oh, someone

803
00:47:43,650 --> 00:47:47,243
spoke with him, in the
language which he understood.

804
00:47:48,905 --> 00:47:53,540
And the doctor said that, oh,
he looks so much relaxed now.

805
00:47:56,497 --> 00:47:58,197
First day, he couldn't speak.

806
00:47:58,465 --> 00:48:00,430
But the next day,
he started to respond.

807
00:48:00,610 --> 00:48:02,910
And his first words
were what he said.

808
00:48:03,190 --> 00:48:04,190
I'm a survivor.

809
00:48:04,975 --> 00:48:07,095
And that was said in English.

810
00:48:09,720 --> 00:48:14,447
I was alive, I had survived
and despite everything,

811
00:48:14,880 --> 00:48:17,719
I had escaped
from that nightmare.

812
00:48:18,040 --> 00:48:19,759
I came to life.

813
00:48:20,085 --> 00:48:21,530
I was all in tears.

814
00:48:21,531 --> 00:48:23,130
Nurses were in tears.

815
00:48:23,642 --> 00:48:28,370
We all like, it's such
a beautiful moment.

816
00:48:28,471 --> 00:48:29,506
And he is.

817
00:48:29,560 --> 00:48:30,925
He is a survivor.

818
00:48:33,213 --> 00:48:38,812
When I was shown him on
the phone for the first time,

819
00:48:40,861 --> 00:48:46,820
it was really something.

820
00:48:48,111 --> 00:48:52,110
And then when he recognised me,

821
00:48:52,160 --> 00:48:55,559
I was very delighted.

822
00:48:58,530 --> 00:49:01,190
Hearing that he
survived, and that

823
00:49:01,202 --> 00:49:03,950
he'd survived with
a working brain,

824
00:49:05,850 --> 00:49:09,666
was just like, your heart
was just ready to burst.

825
00:49:10,980 --> 00:49:12,949
There were more than
a few moments with

826
00:49:12,961 --> 00:49:15,090
more than a few people,
like, just sort of

827
00:49:15,960 --> 00:49:18,200
cheering, like, you know?

828
00:49:21,040 --> 00:49:23,920
I was in the slightly unusual
position that my other role

829
00:49:24,040 --> 00:49:26,964
is within the hospital
system as a trauma specialist.

830
00:49:27,730 --> 00:49:30,963
So I found myself
being in the position of

831
00:49:31,306 --> 00:49:34,401
Valdas' treating
doctor in the hospital.

832
00:49:36,950 --> 00:49:40,068
I certainly had to
have a discussion with

833
00:49:40,080 --> 00:49:43,210
him early in the
piece and explain that I

834
00:49:43,211 --> 00:49:45,890
was actually the person
who cut off his leg.

835
00:49:47,775 --> 00:49:49,306
I felt like I had to apologize.

836
00:49:54,800 --> 00:49:57,346
And he, too,
was quite emotional.

837
00:50:00,500 --> 00:50:01,700
But it formed a bond, I guess.

838
00:50:02,420 --> 00:50:03,540
Quite a unique bond, really.

839
00:50:06,360 --> 00:50:11,420
And I remember him looking
up at me and saying, I'm sorry.

840
00:50:14,550 --> 00:50:15,935
But, yes,
I felt there was a real

841
00:50:15,960 --> 00:50:19,196
moment of connection
there where we both

842
00:50:19,301 --> 00:50:21,261
looked at his leg and
looked at each other, and...

843
00:50:24,240 --> 00:50:25,300
said, I'm sorry.

844
00:50:25,320 --> 00:50:26,940
This is the way it is.

845
00:50:30,969 --> 00:50:36,488
The only remaining option was

846
00:50:36,600 --> 00:50:40,319
to amputate.

847
00:50:42,160 --> 00:50:48,155
And I understood that it was
the right decision because

848
00:50:48,386 --> 00:50:55,985
otherwise I would still
be stuck there to this day.

849
00:50:57,120 --> 00:51:02,759
I would have two legs,
but I would still be over there.

850
00:51:05,680 --> 00:51:11,239
The main thing for me is
that I survived. I endured.

851
00:51:11,560 --> 00:51:14,119
That's the greatest joy.

852
00:51:15,960 --> 00:51:19,344
After 18 days,
he was discharged from

853
00:51:19,356 --> 00:51:23,020
ICU to the trauma
ward to get him to the

854
00:51:23,021 --> 00:51:25,500
appropriate state,
to be able to get back home.

855
00:51:27,640 --> 00:51:31,300
It was January when
Valdas left the hospital.

856
00:51:31,840 --> 00:51:34,158
It was a joyful moment,
and at the

857
00:51:34,170 --> 00:51:36,687
same time, it was a sad moment.

858
00:51:36,840 --> 00:51:40,784
I saw tears in his eyes, and his

859
00:51:40,840 --> 00:51:45,356
sister said, never,
Valdas never cries.

860
00:51:48,320 --> 00:51:56,034
(Relaxing music)

861
00:52:01,440 --> 00:52:06,137
As soon as he
landed in Lithuania

862
00:52:06,360 --> 00:52:09,519
we took him straight
to the hospital.

863
00:52:10,480 --> 00:52:12,239
It was a joyful occasion,

864
00:52:12,680 --> 00:52:14,706
but at the same time
there was the concern

865
00:52:14,718 --> 00:52:16,519
about how things
would go from there.

866
00:52:16,520 --> 00:52:20,199
He has changed a
lot and he lost weight.

867
00:52:27,420 --> 00:52:29,687
From the very beginning,
Valdas wasn't

868
00:52:29,720 --> 00:52:32,906
able to think
about the incident.

869
00:52:35,515 --> 00:52:40,289
But when he became stronger,
he started to remember.

870
00:52:40,660 --> 00:52:44,160
And he started to ask those
questions, what happened?

871
00:52:45,533 --> 00:52:51,532
I think it was my
hydro-boot with its hard sole

872
00:52:52,160 --> 00:52:57,719
that made it slippery
on the rock, so it slides.

873
00:52:58,200 --> 00:53:05,413
I think it was a bad
purchase from the shop.

874
00:53:10,306 --> 00:53:16,745
All of a sudden my leg just
got stuck in a narrow gap

875
00:53:17,880 --> 00:53:25,319
in such a way that I
couldn't budge it at all.

876
00:53:27,280 --> 00:53:34,599
I began to think, well,
maybe I'm destined to stay here,

877
00:53:34,600 --> 00:53:38,319
stuck, forever.

878
00:53:42,400 --> 00:53:50,319
Those last moments before
the amputation I don't recall.

879
00:53:51,760 --> 00:53:57,346
I vaguely remember
nodding my head, meaning:

880
00:53:57,599 --> 00:54:05,279
Alright, do what you need to do.

881
00:54:06,200 --> 00:54:11,479
And after that I
remember nothing.

882
00:54:15,520 --> 00:54:18,628
As a fellow kayaker,
I can really feel

883
00:54:18,800 --> 00:54:22,160
for him with such a
life-changing injury,

884
00:54:24,264 --> 00:54:26,679
particularly since I
know that his passion

885
00:54:26,720 --> 00:54:29,754
is kind of expedition,
exploration of

886
00:54:29,811 --> 00:54:33,045
rivers,
which is going to be really

887
00:54:33,080 --> 00:54:34,840
terrifically difficult
for him to continue

888
00:54:34,841 --> 00:54:37,660
to do that at the same
level with an amputation.

889
00:54:38,640 --> 00:54:40,800
But on the other hand,
Valdas is a

890
00:54:40,805 --> 00:54:44,443
tremendously strong,
independent,

891
00:54:44,910 --> 00:54:45,910
accomplished person.

892
00:54:46,770 --> 00:54:48,746
I feel confident he'll adapt.

893
00:54:52,345 --> 00:54:55,455
I'm trying to follow
up on his recovery.

894
00:54:56,320 --> 00:54:59,500
Every time when I call him,
I see such a progress.

895
00:54:59,900 --> 00:55:03,272
Like from just at
the very beginning,

896
00:55:03,360 --> 00:55:05,840
sitting just in
a wheelchair, then,

897
00:55:05,940 --> 00:55:07,560
oh, seeing he's on crutches.

898
00:55:09,131 --> 00:55:14,971
And now I call him, and he
is walking on his prosthesis.

899
00:55:15,760 --> 00:55:18,800
He said, look,
Jurgito, I can talk with

900
00:55:18,828 --> 00:55:22,841
you and hold my phone,
and I can just walk.

901
00:55:23,160 --> 00:55:25,493
(Vadlas uses
cructches on pavement)

902
00:55:25,920 --> 00:55:30,839
I didn't make a big
deal about losing my leg.

903
00:55:32,520 --> 00:55:35,319
Just be thankful you're alive.

904
00:55:35,920 --> 00:55:43,746
(Gentle music)

905
00:55:46,900 --> 00:55:49,342
Oh, Valdas!

906
00:55:54,520 --> 00:55:58,879
Because that incident

907
00:55:58,880 --> 00:56:03,039
interrupted our expedition,

908
00:56:03,064 --> 00:56:08,944
now I have the crazy
idea that in 2026 we must

909
00:56:09,440 --> 00:56:11,948
return to Tasmania

910
00:56:12,152 --> 00:56:17,751
and complete the
Franklin River expedition.

911
00:56:18,251 --> 00:56:21,250
It's lovely to see you alive.

912
00:56:22,240 --> 00:56:26,840
It is the sign that
Valdas fully recovered.

913
00:56:27,927 --> 00:56:32,033
He returned back
for his strength,

914
00:56:32,771 --> 00:56:38,005
resistance, don't have any fear,

915
00:56:39,280 --> 00:56:41,600
and the plans must be done.

916
00:56:42,840 --> 00:56:45,919
So this year is all planned

917
00:56:45,920 --> 00:56:48,359
but next year,

918
00:56:48,360 --> 00:56:51,159
don't plan anything without me.

919
00:56:51,700 --> 00:56:55,014
This idea that Valdas
might want to come back and

920
00:56:55,015 --> 00:56:58,141
do the Franklin, doesn't
surprise me one little bit.

921
00:56:58,200 --> 00:57:00,148
Your eyes are bright,
you're full of life.

922
00:57:00,230 --> 00:57:03,822
I went through this,
so now I can do anything.

923
00:57:03,960 --> 00:57:07,175
You know,
he's just got that determination

924
00:57:07,240 --> 00:57:09,120
that I think he could do that.

925
00:57:09,415 --> 00:57:10,975
Wow, I'd love to
do that trip with him.

926
00:57:12,880 --> 00:57:14,160
Yeah, wouldn't that be fabulous?

927
00:57:20,110 --> 00:57:23,460
This case, it was just such an
incredible episode of teamwork.

928
00:57:25,010 --> 00:57:27,891
From the moment we got in there,
people would sort of

929
00:57:28,040 --> 00:57:30,240
step in or out of
the roles as they needed.

930
00:57:30,570 --> 00:57:33,019
And it continued on
right through into the

931
00:57:33,031 --> 00:57:35,320
hospital, through
emergency department,

932
00:57:35,560 --> 00:57:36,609
through the ICU.

933
00:57:36,760 --> 00:57:38,320
And that's what
made the case work.

934
00:57:40,520 --> 00:57:43,929
This story is a story
of serendipity really,

935
00:57:44,017 --> 00:57:48,687
of a hundred
things that went his way.

936
00:57:49,380 --> 00:57:50,440
But we were so lucky.

937
00:57:51,260 --> 00:57:52,819
A few millimetres
of rain could have put

938
00:57:52,880 --> 00:57:55,120
an extra foot of water
through the river.

939
00:57:55,866 --> 00:57:57,706
And I think we all know
the outcome of that.

940
00:57:57,787 --> 00:57:59,786
(Warm music)

941
00:58:00,200 --> 00:58:05,740
My friend survived for
23 hours in the cold water.

942
00:58:07,220 --> 00:58:11,180
He was a legend with two legs.

943
00:58:12,739 --> 00:58:15,226
But I think with one leg,
or missing

944
00:58:15,240 --> 00:58:18,716
one leg,
he will be double legend.

945
00:58:21,610 --> 00:58:24,060
The main thing is being alive

946
00:58:24,120 --> 00:58:25,483
and life is a beautiful thing.

947
00:58:28,120 --> 00:58:31,199
I am indebted to Australia.

948
00:58:31,640 --> 00:58:37,439
In fact, Australian
people helped me survive.

949
00:58:38,520 --> 00:58:41,959
And it brings tears to my eyes

950
00:58:41,960 --> 00:58:45,879
when I remember their care.

951
00:58:48,711 --> 00:58:51,999
If it had happened in a
place other than Australia,

952
00:58:52,024 --> 00:58:57,183
heaven knows what would
have happened to me.

953
00:58:59,040 --> 00:59:00,480
Thank you, Australia.

954
00:59:00,960 --> 00:59:08,746
(Gentle credits music)