the Hurricane and his dad. It's Tristan Moran with the tackle on him. You must be so proud to see him out there? You must be so proud to see him out there? Hell yeah! He's the Hurricane... Yeah. Doesn't matter. Family comes first. ...battling for his dad,... I'd never seen Dad cry before this stuff happened. ...battling the system. They've got another thing coming because they have struck the wrong guy. God knows how you'd sleep at night. I went to bed hungry because we didn't have anything to eat. My mom eats rats. In the land of plenty,... So this is it? Home sweet home. ...in the richest country on Earth,... No money, no job, no doctor. ...face to face with America's have-nots. And 24 hours in A & E. Hi, it's Chris Lacy, trauma consultant. The Kiwi star of life and death TV... Chris Lacy is like a conductor of an orchestra. ...among the bleeding broken and near dead. Some of my colleagues use the S word. It describes us as quite sexy. Captions by Anne Langford. Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright TVNZ Access Services 2012 Kia ora. I'm Miriama Kamo. Tristan Moran is a Hurricane ` a professional rugby player. He's a 114kg powerhouse of a man; tough and intimidating. He's a prop, an enforcer. But mention his dad, and he turns to putty. That's because Tristan's dad is a broken man, physically and mentally. Tristan reckons he's the victim of an injustice, and putting it right is more important than his rugby career. Amanda Millar with the Hurricane and his dad. Beautiful tackle. This time from Moran. No matter what I do in rugby or whatever, it's never going to be as hard as what he has to do just to get up in the morning. He's the Hurricane, but his dad's the legend. It makes me feel quite humble, really, that he said that his hero in life was me. It's the Hurricanes and the Cheetahs. Here they come. There's Tiz. These days this is as close to the rugby pitch Chris Moran gets to see his son play. If you had one wish, would it be to be an All Black, or that ACC would give your parents what they want? (LAUGHS) Oh, that's definitely a no-brainer. It'd be ACC. You're a professional rugby player` You're a professional rugby player` Yeah, doesn't matter. Family comes first. Chris also had a promising rugby future until he broke his neck in a game. It was 1973, six months before ACC came into force. I was hurt pre-ACC. I never received ACC. Had no problem. I got on with my life and I did it. Now he is asking because 60-year-old Chris Moran's reduced to living like a baby. He needs round-the-clock care. Oh, it's broken him, really. It's, like, I've never seen. I've never seen Dad cry before all this stuff happened. And he's just, like, a real tough... But, it's just, like, you know, run into a headwind after a while, it just wears you down. It's just so hard to... to watch. This is all because of a series of accidents that happened while Chris was in hospital, and it had nothing to do with his tetraplegia. Up until then he reckons he was in perfect health. The only thing he couldn't do was walk. But now he's a shadow of his former self. He says ACC won't recognise that he's lost his quality of life because he was paralysed before. He reckons he's lost up to 80% of his ability to function whereas ACC's formula defines that loss at just 10%. If they think they're gonna get away with it, they've got another think coming, cos they've struck the wrong guy. That's for real. Chris Moran and his family say ACC is discriminating against him. He wants physio. He wants to get back to work, and he wants compensation for the loss of his business, and he wants justice. There's something inside you that says it's so wrong. This I can't accept because it was none of Chris' fault, and he had worked so hard to get where he is. Sharon knew life with Chris would be a challenge. They met when she nursed him in hospital. People made a lot of judgements because I fell in love with a guy in a wheelchair, but they must have the problem, not me. With no money, they built their own home in Blenheim while Chris retrained as an architectural draughtsman, and he built up a successful business. They raised two boys, and there was nothing this dad wouldn't do for his family. Well, I never really looked on myself as being a disadvantage to them as a dad. I always thought, I suppose, that being a dad is loving them, and reading them a bedtime story, and putting them to bed, and taking them with you, and showing them who you are, and what's right in life, and how to live a good life. So is this some of the finer moments of Chris Moran, eh? Even as a tetraplegic, Chris Moran's been an over-achiever ` a Paralympian and a crusader for rights of the disabled. Interesting. Look, one of those headlines here 'handicap no handicap'. Here he is back in '81 in a relay to raise awareness. Why are you in the relay? To promote disabled people and to get a fair go for us. I think we're under-privileged people. But in 2007, he was admitted to hospital for a routine heart operation. But then he suffered these accidents in hospital that nearly killed him several times. First he developed a large pressure sore at the base of his spine because he wasn't turned enough. Then he was dropped from a hoist, and as a result his spleen abscessed. On top of that he suffered respiratory failure. So, nine months later, Chris Moran finally gets out of hospital, but the upper body that had powered him for 34 years had simply wasted away. The person that went in, in my eyes, was just an ordinary everyday bloke. The person that came out is someone who's had his whole life shattered. It took nearly two years, but ACC has accepted Chris' claims. The issue now is what is he entitled to. Like, he wants a self-drive car. It takes Sharon 20 minutes to try and get her husband into a car, so Chris rarely gets into a vehicle. When you stop and look back, Chris has lost everything. He lost his work, he lost his independence, and he's totally reliant on me and his carers. And that's not the person Chris is. He hates being like that. Some mornings, I'll lay in bed, and I just don't wanna get out of bed, cos that means I have to face that day. It's pretty hard, yeah. Even as a young kid, Tristan's always helped his dad. But today his father needs him more than ever. Your parents are the ones that give you everything, like the gift of life, gift of, you know, food and shelter, and then if you're... You're hardly going to sit back and watch your parents struggle. A shopping trip together means the couple are forced to travel separately. ACC gives Chris just one taxi ride a week. It breaks my heart a lot. The hardest thing for me is when I have to drive past Chris in the car, and it might be cold and raining. This was a man whose hands until a few years ago were capable of detailed drawings. Now he can't even cut up his meat. We've lost a lot of our personal life that we had. Like at night, Chris would hop out on the sofa next to me and we'd sit there just like a normal couple and watch TV and that, but now that's all taken away. At bedtime, Chris can't breathe or move unassisted. Sharon has to get up and turn him three times. And it's not just the physical toll but it's the mental strain that's also wearing them down. Over the last few years it's been... we've argued a lot. He just feels like he's worthless. You're trying to make the best of life, but it's very very hard. You hurt the ones you love. Anyway, um, I... Tristan was helping me, and I got real wild. I threw the hoe at his vehicle. Put a dent in it. He said some bad stuff, like nasty, like stuff that just really hurt me, you know what I mean? And it was something I'd never do, you know? It was pretty hard. I've never accepted the fact that I was so bloody wrong in doing it. And yet he shows so much love to me afterwards. And I do the same sort of things to Sharon. And it's not me. It's just what's happened, you know. After the break, frustration and anger in a Blenheim car park. And you get here and the whole thing is a waste of bloody time. I just don't like confrontations like that. It's just horrible. You shouldn't be subjected to that sort of treatment. There's no need for it nowadays. This is about as far as former top disabled sportsman Chris Moran can push himself these days. So, why is it important for you to stand for an hour? You feel good. You feel really great, and I think it's pretty good for your organs and your drainage inside, and all that sort of thing. All Chris wants is a bit of extra help to get him back to work, but ACC have told him differently. And she turned round and said, 'I didn't think people like you worked.' Well, if I didn't work, why did I pay her ACC levies? Does Chris need extra care? He certainly does. But is he entitled to it under ACC? Well, that's another question. Working this out has taken over the Morans' kitchen table and their lives. And every day there's a delay, Chris' health deteriorates further. I paid levies that I thought, when they brought it in, it would protect me against anything like this happening. And, really, what's happened is they've run a mile. Chris gets just $500 a week income replacement from ACC, and was given a $3200 lump sum for one of his accidents. Are those things waterproof? Using ACC's formula, that's the minimum payment that Chris could get. $3000 just goes nowhere in regards to putting me back on the road, to getting back to work and everything else. It's just hard to see your husband like he is when you know what he was like before. A lot of it's fixable, you know what I mean? They could help him out and get him back into work rather than putting him on the scrap heap and watching him rot. For ACC, it seems, it comes down to Chris' pre-existing tetraplegia. ACC says that's behind Chris' health problems. The Morans and their doctors say it's not. < So what does that say to you? It's too hard a fit for them. They don't want to accept any responsibility for any injuries, no matter how or what they were caused, because it will create a precedent. While Tristan's across the strait working on his game, his parents in Blenheim, especially his dad, are never far from his thoughts. With our training, no matter how hard it gets, it will never compare to what he has to go through. Hurricanes coach Mark Hammett is aware of what his prop is going through. I imagine when Tristan gets to the end of his career or 50, and he looks back, he'll never regret the time that he has put into Dad. You are being enormously gracious and sympathetic, but as coach, you have expectations from him as a player. I think, as a coach, you want to help all your players mentally and emotionally because they tie into how you perform. The reason why I probably play is, you know, I want to make Mum and Dad proud of me. This is one very close family. Not a day goes by without a phone call to the olds, even if it's just to pick Mum's brain. Hey, I am just about to cook some date scones. How do you normally do that? The prop is whipping up afternoon tea for his girlfriend, Brittney. And he's also propping up his parents with his Hurricanes pay packet. I'd give them everything. To me, money, like to probably most people, money means nothing, you know. Like, it's family that counts. Today, another meeting with ACC to prepare for an independent review. As per normal, Chris has to wheel himself there while Sharon drives. But the venue has unsuitable access for the disabled. Yeah, it is a problem. It'll be a long meeting, and there's no disabled toilet. What do I do with my bag? Empty it in the car park. Chris is forced to empty his urine bag outside. They head in to meet the mediator, but don't get far. Chris says on top of everything else, the ramp isn't strong enough to hold his chair. And you get here and the whole thing is a waste of bloody time. I just don't like confrontations like that. It's just horrible. You shouldn't be subjected to that sort of treatment. There's no need for it nowadays. The one thing that Chris Moran still can look forward to is his fishing trips with his son in the Marlborough Sounds, but it's no easy mission for the family getting him there. You know, I have got to try and have some sort of quality of life. Oh, it's just so amazing. I mean, you look... All your problems in life go. The will to live comes from the enjoyment of this. I don't know whether I've got any bait left. It just makes it so much more better when your mate's here, like, you know, your dad. He is my best mate, and that's not said in a, like, cliche way or anything just cos I am making him feel good. He is actually my best mate. The Morans say they're not giving up. If the review doesn't go their way, the next step will be court. I'll keep fighting for them, even if they give up. While I think that there's hope, I will keep going. I just don't understand how someone could sit there and morally see someone do that because God knows how they sleep at night. So, ACC declined to be interviewed. However, it says when Chris Moran recently filed a complaint about his entitlements, no fault was found with ACC. But Mr Moran has asked for an independent review, and ACC says it'll comply with the findings. Mr Moran will have a further medical assessment to see if he has entitlements on top of his weekly compensation and support services. ACC regrets Mr Moran isn't satisfied with ACC's service and the delays caused by his pre-existing health needs which it says fall outside the area of cover. ACC says it's always worked within its regulatory framework to make sure Mr Moran gets his entitlements, and it'll continue working with him to provide his needs now and in the future. Incidentally, Chris Moran was also one of 7000 people whose details were leaked by ACC earlier this year. Next, the have-nots in the world's richest nation. I went to bed hungry because my parents didn't make anything and we had nothing to eat, so I went to bed and waited till I went to school to eat. And I was very very hungry. Why in the world's richest country are kids going to bed hungry? Why in the land of opportunity and prosperity are 47 million people living below the poverty line? For some Americans, the last resort has become life in a storm-water drain or in a tent community just off the motorway. It is the bleak, sad reality of America's poverty crisis. BIG BAND MUSIC Las Vegas, the capital of capitalism; home of the dream that with hard work and luck, anyone can make it in America. But there's another world below, and it's right beneath the casinos. These are storm drains that run under the city ` a vast labyrinth which has become a home for struggling Americans. $16 million a night are frittered away just a few feet above, while some down here have swapped a bed for what looks like a cardboard coffin. These tunnels criss-cross for 200 miles under Las Vegas, and about 300 or 400 people live down here. There's a fierce debate in America about what's now become a staggering gap between those at the bottom and those on top. Right under the throb of the casinos lives Ned. He used to live in a nice flat. He was a well-paid tiler, but like 13 million Americans, he's now jobless. His partner, Donielle, tries to make their space look like home. Why did you come to Vegas? Why did you come to Vegas? Work. You know, to get, uh, to get re-established. Um, and it was prior to the economy being hurt, as it is now, and once we got to Vegas, it kinda, like, stumbled. Four months ago, they swapped their middle-class life for life in a drain ` a world filled with drugs, alcohol and filth. What do you miss about your previous life? You take for granted the conveniences of power, of hot water, um, a refrigerator to keep food well. On the other side of town, the local school bus takes a surprising route. Every day it picks up a group of children outside a cheap motel where they live. This is the face of America's massive unemployment. Here in the richest country on Earth, there are more than 1.5 million children without homes. At Whitney School, that means about half the children. Joshua, one of the students who lives in the motel, squashes in with his brother, sister and parents. It's a big change. They used to have three bedrooms, a three-car garage and a hot tub. It looks like a big house. It looks like a big house. It was pretty big, yeah. They look really happy. Yeah. They were. They left home unable to afford the rent after Rick, the dad, lost his car-repair job. There are almost 3 million more unemployed Americans now than when President Obama was first elected, and the ranks of America's poor are being swelled by people like them who used to be comfortably off. Work really dried up. I mean, it really dried up bad, and just couldn't live off what they gave any more, so I tried to find any job, and nobody was hiring. Virtually destitute, they squatted for months in an abandoned trailer without water or lights. Rick, like many Americans, didn't qualify for unemployment pay. Later, he picked up some part-time work, and they moved here. It's much better, but it's still very different than home. Only time I think that there's been something wrong was, like, about four months ago when they had a gang shoot-off over there. when they had a gang shoot-off over there. < What do you think about it? Well, I don't really like it here cos there's, like, a lot of bad people over here, like gangsters, um, drug dealers. Lalani, a normally confident 14-year-old, has become reclusive. We had to take her to the hospital because she was` They said she had a starting of an ulcer. So, evidently, she was worrying. You don't talk about it. Too painful? > You don't talk about it. Too painful? > Mm. I don't want my kids to grow up` I don't want them to have to dwell and worry about grown-up stuff. There are now 47 million Americans who qualify as being poor ` the most in over half a century. And across the country, there's anger because a fifth of America's income is earned by a very wealthy 1% of the population. PEOPLE CHANT: We are the 99%. America's now deeply divided, and it was all meant to be so different. SIRENS WAIL President Obama was elected on his promise to bring jobs back by putting ordinary Americans first. Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many, but know this, America, they will be met. CROWD CHEERS Many of President Obama's conservative opponents say the whole poverty debate is absurd because so-called poor Americans are not poor at all. Half of poor people have computers. About 40% of them have widescreen HD TVs. Uh, they have totally adequate food to eat. In fact, when you interview the poor, you ask them, 'Were your children ever hungry at any point in the year?' 96% will say, 'No, our children were not hungry.' They get a double bag. They get a bottle of water. But back at Whitney School, the teachers see a different reality. Free school meals only get the children here through the week, so on Fridays, they pack them food for the weekend too. We need to make about 150 bags. These are little Beefaroni-type cups. They're pop-top because a lot of the kids don't have cooking facilities, so they can just pop-top this open and eat it cold if they need to. The numbers living in deep poverty have exploded under President Obama. I work in the cafeteria for lunch duty, and a lot of times I would see children putting ketchup packets in their pockets ` lots of them ` to take home for... What they do is they add a little water to them and make ketchup soup. And just noticing that the kids were very hungry all the time. They got together a group of pupils whose families they know are struggling. < Have you ever not been able to have dinner at home? Yeah. I went to bed hungry because my parents didn't make anything, and we had nothing to eat, so I just went to bed and waited until I went to school to eat, and I was very very hungry. < How did that feel? Well... Well, when I went to bed I tried to ignore it, but my tummy kept on growling, growling, and it made me so mad. > Leslie is 6. She was more withdrawn than the others. QUIETLY: My mom eats rats. < Eating rats? Is that something that you eat a lot or did it just happen once? Once. It just happened once? Was that because she ran out of food? < Yeah? < How did that make you feel? < How did that make you feel? Sad. Still, in the debate over poverty, the conservatives don't accept that food shortages are widespread, and the last thing they want is to see more money spent on welfare when America can't afford it. The Department of Agriculture says 6.4 million families have very low food security, and that means that they do sometimes not have enough food. No, it does not. That would mean that at one point in the year they may have shrunk the size of their meals. OK? Again, if you ask those same families, 'Did your children have enough to eat?' The overwhelming bulk of them will say yes. Next, the new tent cities popping up all over America. That's after the break. America now has, by many standards, the lowest social mobility of all the high-income countries. That means if you're born into poverty, you'll almost certainly become a poor adult. Surprising for a country that prides itself on being middle class and a place where anyone can make it. Two years ago, President Obama signed in a health-care bill to ensure Americans could afford to see a doctor. But that too could be clobbered by Republicans before it's enacted. But there's no denying the problem. Good morning. It's hard to imagine a scene like this anywhere else in the Western world. People had heard that doctors and dentists were coming in the morning, laying on free consultations, and the disabled and sick had come out in their hundreds. I came to an event like this three years ago. It was exactly what the newly elected President Obama had promised to change. But today's scene is almost identical. So, you lost your job, you've lost your medical care, and no job, no doctor. > No job, no doctor. No job, no money, no doctor. So... Six. Seven, eight. Finally, after four hours, the doors open. 40. 40. Thank you. 40. Thank you. You bet. Thanks for coming. In a nearby room, Robert has come in to ask about a hernia he's had for 10 years. The bottom line ` his intestines are protruding. When was the last time it was examined? When was the last time it was examined? BOTH: Never. Really? Robert doesn't have a doctor. Insurance for him and his wife would cost about $5000 annually, and that's almost as much as he earns in a year as a construction worker. His wife, Anita, is worried. We just don't have the fulfilments, and so he just keeps going. You know, he's not gonna comply. He, um,... he just keeps going. He knows he has a family to take care of. The doctor here tries to persuade Robert to go to the emergency room. I certainly wouldn't put it off. But if I go to the emergency room, they're going to send me a bill. The-The- But` I know they are. I know they are. Yeah. I mean, I can't afford to pay no bills. Now Anita's frightened. She tries to persuade him to get help. I mean, what are they going to do if we can't pay the bill? You know, they can't come eat us. They can't kill us and eat us. < They can't come take our home away cos we owe a hospital bill. Robert did eventually go to the emergency room. He was told treatment would cost $20,000, and that without it, he might get gangrene. But Robert went home. With unemployment and now cuts too, many homeless shelters here are full. Off a highway, 45 minutes from Detroit, we saw how people are now coping. This is one of the many tent cities that have now sprung up all over America. Scattered in these woods, there are 30 tents. People have settled in here for the winter. < So this is it? Home sweet home. The couple are here because Anthony was turned away from the homeless shelter. They referred me to tent city down here. The shelter did? The shelter did? The shelter did. One day they had 17 people... They referred 17 people here all at once. And they were overbooked. They weren't ready for that many people. It seems tent city has become a semi-official dumping ground for the homeless here. < Do you think it's acceptable that people are living in tents on the side of a highway < not far from where we're sitting right now? < not far from where we're sitting right now? Absolutely not acceptable. And we have to take steps and policies in order to make sure that those people have the skills they need, to be independent. It won't happen overnight. < But that's the problem, isn't it? It's not happening overnight. Here we are in the middle of the crisis and there's not enough room in the shelter for them, and you're making more cuts. What we could do is the old way, the way of, you know, um, financial collapse of the entire system, and then everybody loses, or we could get our fiscal house in order. America is so deeply divided over its greater sore, poverty, that it's hard to see how any leader could resolve it. But if anyone had the chance, it was probably President Obama who had so much of the nation behind him when he was first elected. Did his country expect too much of him? I think he could have accomplished somewhat more. I think he compromised too much, too easily. You know, to be fair, President Obama, um, was never a liberal or progressive firebrand. He never claimed to be a left-wing` He never claimed to be a left-wing` < But he did promise change. He did promise change. Yes, he did promise change and he walked into a maelstrom, and brought about some real change. Recent unemployment figures have dropped slightly, and the economy is showing signs of growth, but only some are gaining from it, and this is not the vision of America President Obama's supporters were led to believe in. It's 2012. Almost a million American children sometimes go hungry, and tent cities are springing up across the country. The world's economic powerhouse has a sickness. While both sides blame each other, America can't fully admit its poverty, and it's certainly not dealing with it. When we come back, Chris Lacy ` the Kiwi trauma specialist and reluctant TV star. Yes, hi. It's Chris Lacy, the trauma consultant. Um, just to give you the heads-up that there is a young 11-year-old being brought in. Airway doctors, breathing doctor. Some of my colleagues use the S word. It describes us as quite sexy. Dr Chris Lacy makes life-and-death decisions every minute of her working day. The Kiwi's a trauma specialist at London's busiest emergency department. She's also the reluctant star of the television documentary series '24 Hours In A & E'. 90 strategically placed cameras capture every charged moment. Sunday's Garth Bray added one more camera to the mix to record a crazy day in the life of Dr Chris Lacy. Now, this is an emergency department so some of the images are challenging. SIREN WAILS Hi, it's Chris Lacy, trauma consultant. Just to give you the heads-up... Emergency medicine has the reputation of being sort of crazy and a short attention span. It's on-the-edge reality TV; life and death in ED, on the small screen,... Get them all signed in, please, guys. ...and right in the middle of it is Chris Lacy. I never believed I would be sitting here being interviewed by television. His GSC 11 on scene. RTC 30mph. Chris Lacy is like a conductor of an orchestra or air traffic control. OK, listen up. We have another trauma call coming in with a stab wound. She's very thorough and a very kind doctor. Very kind. Stab wound to chest. OK? She stays so calm. Extraordinary. Potentially a nasty head injury. Life-changing, if not fatal. At Kings College Hospital in south London, there's no hiding from the cameras. I'm not a natural camera person. I wasn't that keen to start with, I must admit. So, could you speak to the lab about getting some cross-match blood? Well, you're a star, obviously. I'm not sure about that. A reluctant star. When we call, they're shooting the next two seasons of '24 Hours'. We've got cameras in most of the cubicles. Two in this cubicle. Also microphones from the ceiling. Sometimes you've got cameras which are very close, and when these are turned around, they're staring right at you. OK, face, head, tib and fib. It's 'Middlemore' meets 'Big Brother' ` a genre-bending groundbreaking look inside a 21st-century hospital from 90 fixed cameras remotely controlled,... You guys are going to be doing most of the talking... ...with microphones clipped to the chests of trusted specialists, picking up every tense exchange. PHONE RINGS PHONE RINGS Hello, Kings ED. OK, we have another trauma call. Every worst fear,... There's a gunshot wound to the face. We're just waiting for a CT. ...and the moments that lighten some of Chris Lacy's dark nights in Resus. And then there's a knife to the face, with a knife in situ. He needs to go to theatre tonight, but he's stable. Oh, well, that's fine. Oh, well, that's fine. ...and can wait. (SOBS) It's been a little busy. There's a guy there with a knife sticking out of his head. There's a guy there with a knife sticking out of his head. Yeah. She remains calm. She is an amazing communicator. She runs the department in a way that makes it feel easy, and it must be, you know, the most stressed, pressured job. TV series producer Jo Abel needs to focus on the key specialists in A & E. That will drive the narrative because you're following a very strong personality. OK, listen up. ...and because we're not with them with a camera in their face, they're allowed to get on with what they do. Hi, I'm Dr Lacy. Come and talk to me. Hi, I'm Dr Lacy. Come and talk to me. Can I talk to both of ya? I don't want the police here. What's going on with this CT scan? I wanna get out of here. Trauma does give you a thrill. There's always that bit of adrenaline before the patient arrives. There's always times when things get a bit hairy and you think, 'Oh, what am I gonna do now?' It doesn't always go smoothly. Really? Cos there's no trace of it in your face. Really? Cos there's no trace of it in your face. Right. We have anaesthetics on site. We have alerted neurosurgeons. This is Chris Lacy's life ` helping people in moments of crisis. John, you happy? John, you happy? Yep. It's a branch of medicine she had to leave NZ to pursue 26 years ago. Everyone knows the history? Everyone's happy? There was no one to train me in NZ, no one qualified in emergency medicine. So, yes, everyone did emergency medicine but no one trained in emergency medicine. It was survival. It was sort of seat-of-the-pants stuff, not necessarily targeted training. What is it about emergency medicine that appeals, then, so much? Every day is different. It's all ages, it's all conditions. I guess some of my colleagues use the S word. It describes us as quite sexy. Emergency medicine had a wow factor for me. It filled... It ticked a lot of boxes. Her life is extremes. Away from work she's a birdwatcher. Though she's still diligently tending to the needs of others; in this case, the bird life in the backyard battling a last wintry blast. They're an Australian species. They've set up colony in Dulwich Park. This tight-knit family, husband Martin and daughter Kate, share a passion for nature Chris brought with her from NZ. There he is. He's back again. There's the robin. Going out on their yacht is something she values too ` precious family time. Sometimes I think I could be a better mother, parent, wife, if I wasn't working the hours I am, and there's a guilt there always. OK, guys, this is Kofi. He's 11 years old. Approximately one hour ago, he was a pedestrian v car. But it's a young boy clinging to life after a simple but horrific traffic accident that brings Chris face to face with her worst professional fear. I think when you're involved with a child who is quite badly injured or ill, you empathise as a parent. It's quite difficult to switch off your own parental feelings ` if that was my child lying there. You know, I can feel their pain. 11-year old Kofi Cadogan could have run in front of a car on the way home from school anywhere. Here there's a specialist trauma department with a team drilled to deal with surges of casualties. You never know what's going to come through the door. It's really, really difficult sometimes. There's going to be a sharp scratch on your left arm. Keep it nice and still. The idea is to put the expert at the front door, and we help facilitate the pathway through the hospital, unblock blockages. On this night young Kofi will be here three and a half hours before he's fit for surgery. To watch his parents waiting feels like an eternity. It's a rare view. Uncomfortable and yet compelling. Human drama in all its rawness. Just along the corridor are the armed police. They're frequent visitors to Resus; as common as the gang members and their victims that have given this area south of the Thames a reputation for violence. The London riots were right outside the hospital. SIRENS WAIL It was quite scary. All of the Walworth Road, which this hospital leads into, had all its glass front smashed. There were skirmishes with police in the streets surrounding. One of our staff was attacked as he drove in. 10 youths, he reckoned average age 14, came around the car and started rocking the car and trying to get him out of the car. As London burned, it came face to face with an angry young underclass that Chris Lacy sees every week in the neighbourhood. So, Brixton is just down there and the hospital is back that way. There's certainly a lot of knife-and-gun related crime in south-east London. It's one of the hot spots in the country. A child died just on that corner back there. Being stabbed. I think he was 15. The fracture goes from the frontal sinus to the base of the skull, to the clivus. Back in Emergency, Chris is keeping calm and carrying on under pressure and under the camera's unflinching eye. This young life is still in grave danger. And you remembered Kofi? And you remembered Kofi? I did. Out of all the cases you've dealt with, you remembered that. Did you think, 'He'll make it.' Did you not know? Did you think, 'He'll make it.' Did you not know? I didn't know. He had quite a severe head injury, and you don't really know often in the first 24 hours quite how that's going to go. Yeah, half the time I just wanted to go home. From the moment he regained consciousness, he wanted to go home. (LAUGHS) Months on, Wayne Cadogan is thrilled just to be sitting beside his son, Kofi, and keen to praise his son's Kiwi doctor. Very compassionate, very organized, very on the ball, very informative. I've a lot of respect for Chris. Kofi's now well mended and still a talented footballer. Hey! Hiya. Hello. How are you? I'm Chris. Hi. Wayne, hi. Oooooooooh. (LAUGHS) He's so tall. As I was walking down here, it suddenly dawned on me that this is the first time you'd have seen him. I only saw him in the PICU, and he was all wired up. This meeting is a chance for Chris Lacy to see past the trials of major trauma. You can talk about pain. There's pain that you experience in your body. Physical pain. But, um, that was another kind of pain. You have children, and you never imagine anything like that happening to your children. The railing, presumably, that he hit, did most of the damage. In a city as vast and hectic as London, it's a rare chance to savour a good result... I'm-I'm so happy for you to see him. ...and find a little peace. I am just an ordinary doctor, and I'm surrounded by lots of lovely ordinary people that work really hard. I think that's what keeps me going. That's what gives me a buzz. It's all about teamwork. It's all about... It's all about people working together to make a difference. It's not about individuals. (LAUGHS) The new series of '24 Hours In A & E' will screen on TV ONE later this year. Kua mutu te mahi naianei. That's it for tonight. We'd love you to check us out on Facebook and have your say ` - Sunday TVNZ.