to send to us, logon to our website caught on camera@msnbc.com. i'm contessa brewer. that's it for this edition of "caught on camera." life comes at us so fast sometimes. it could be a freak explosion. >> it's a scene of devastation. it looks like something not real. >> a raging fire. or a very bad day at the big top. >> it was so loud in my head. it felt like a bomb went off. >> events that happen in the blink of an eye. >> he was trying to murder us. >> situations that can force

people to make split second decisions. >> if i had to turn one second later, it would run me over. >> moments that could be the difference between life and death. >> body checked him. went flying off. >> and rides that can make your heart skip a beat. >> he goes, go! i said, are you sure? >> monumental decisions that can make the jump from paralyzing fear. >> i said, okay, you know what? i'm doing this. >> to the most triumphant moment of a lifetime. >> yeah! "caught on camera, in a split second." imagine a wall of water as tall as a nine-story building, careening towards you at breakneck speed.

now imagine you're standing at the bottom of that wall on a surfboard. it's a life or death proposition. >> if you fall there, you're probably not coming home. >> a professional surfer and ocean explorer, garrett mcnamara, tackles the biggest and baddest waves the ocean has to offer. and it's the promise of a whopper that bringing him, girlfriend nicole, and a video crew to the coast of portugal in november 2011. what was once a completely individual sport has evolved over time. toe surfing, where one person on a jet ski pulls another on a surfboard, allows surfers to catch waves that were once out of reach. they were just too far out to paddle to. simply put, this raises the stakes and the danger level. >> surfing is such a -- i don't know, for lack of a better word, maybe a selfish sport. it's us, our surfboard, catching our wave, not wanting anybody

else on our wave. with toe surfing, now you have a partner. so there's that relationship. and that all plays on every given moment. >> on this day, garrett is the designated tower. his friends, al and andrew, catch the majority of the waves. while garrett never even intends to get on his board. >> they wanted to surf the left in front the rocks. and i didn't really want anything to do with that left. if you fall there, you're probably not coming home. so we go back out, and they're like, garrett, you go. and i'm like, no, i'm just driving you guys. >> with waves crashing all around him, it doesn't take much to convince this life-long water adventurer who has been surfing since age 11. >> i was like, ok, i'll take a wave. and we start going out, and he started to try and turn for the first wave. and i'm like, number two, number

two. so then we go over the first wave, and there is this mountain coming at us. >> there isn't a moment to lose. and without hesitation, garrett makes the immediate decision to ride the wave. >> and he starts turning perfect to put me on it. and i'm going, slow down because you've got to put it in the right spot. >> strapped to his board, which has a camera mounted right on it, garrett gets ready to ride. >> when we're sitting out there and we're getting ready, i always breathe. i breathed. i hyperventilate to oxygenate my blood, and then i calm myself down, slow my heart rate down. usually i just flow right through it and just enjoy it. and this one, i knew if i made any mistakes, it could be my last. >> with his breath and body primed, garrett is pulled into the wave. >> it pulled me up, almost like slow motion. and even though i didn't realize

it was going to be that big of a wave, something really felt different. >> to avoid getting eaten by this killer wave, garrett needs to carefully choose the exact moment to let go of the rope. >> at the last second, as long as possible, i waited. i'm always trying to get into the barrel. so i waited until the last second and then turned, and went up to go get barrelled, and it just kind of -- this big mountain of whitewater came. and it was like, i don't know, something came from up top and just landed right on my shoulders. as i was going down, this -- the chops that are coming off the face are like moguls. like you're on the mountain of ice with moguls everywhere. it felt like a ton of brick landed on me. and it kind of squashed me down. >> traveling at 70 miles an hour on his board with a wall of water coming down on him, this ride is touch and go. and just when it seems like it can't get any more treacherous -- >> another mountain of water

came from behind, like a train. just running me over. when that thing hit me, that's when i was really thinking, come on. stay on the board. stay on the board. and then it hit me again. and i'm thinking, you've got to see yourself making it. know you're going to make it. think you're way through it. and i was just thinking, make it. make it. >> garrett disappears inside a giant mountain of water. >> just kind of gently let me down. i came out, and i was like, right on. that was good. and i was just so hungry. i didn't get the rush. i was so hungry for the rush, and i was like, put me deeper on the next one. put me deeper on the next one. and he looked at me like, this guy is crazy or something. >> one year earlier, garrett towed his girlfriend, nicole, into another big one. in that very same spot. that moment was also caught on camera in november 2010. >> he said, you know, i don't know if you're going to get a

wave. i'm just going to pull you up on the board. we're going to drive around. feel the board. make sure you feel comfortable. >> and as soon as she gets up, this biggest as they come, you know, it was like a 20-foot wave. not too big, but still. >> the second he pulls me up, it was literally maybe less than a second, that i'm standing up, and this wave just pops out of nowhere. and he goes, go! and i said, are you sure? and i like -- i hesitated. so if i would have maybe gone at that point, i would have been able to come down on my own. since i hesitated, it was kind of like a slingshot. >> she lets go of the rope. she comes flying down, and right at the bottom she fell off the board and she's skipping like a little rag doll. >> nicole takes a beating. >> when i got to the bottom of the wave, i fell. and i skipped like a little rock, like three times, on the face of the wave. and the whole time i'm like, ah, i'm fine. i'm just going to pop out the back. well, i didn't pop out the back.

i went over the falls. and in the video, you can see my little head and arms sticking out. so i, you know, eat it really bad. i got pounded. >> garrett has only seconds to rescue her. >> and i come up, and i pretty much don't know where i'm up. because i can't see the shore. i can't see the rocks. i don't see garrett anywhere. i don't see a ski, hear a ski, nothing. >> but he is forced to leave her to avoid getting pummelled by another wave himself. >> so i had to go back and circle around because you can't go in. if you don't go in at the right time, you'll miss them. >> everybody was like, yeah, but eventually you'll make it to the beach. you won't. i've seen it suck people all the way down before they can come in. it just takes to you the impact zone where you just get wave after wave. >> she got pounded into the beach. when she was real close to the beach, i'm all, stand up! and i hadn't gotten pounded there yet. so i didn't know how powerful this wave was. >> and then i made it.

i just like let the white water take me in. and the guys just come over. and garrett is strolling nice and slowly like it's no big deal, and i'm just like dead. >> she is sitting there exhausted. i go to hug her, and she just falls down. >> it may have ended nicole's big wave career, but it only whetted garrett's appetite for more. >> a lot of people think i'm crazy. and i think everybody's comfortable in different situations. like i am very comfortable in the ocean. and i have a plan every time i go out there when it's big. >> there's something about him, that i never worry about him when he's in the water, ever. even if he probably would have fallen on that wave, i would have known that he was going to be ok, because he always is. >> garrett not only rode that wave, a world record breaker, but he's not finished yet.

>> i don't ride horses. i don't jump out of airplanes. and i don't even ride motorcycles. but we did find another wave that's a lot bigger, and we will be surfing it soon. coming up -- a morning commuter train blows right past its stop, and crashes into a barrier wall in one of the worst train wrecks ever. when "caught on camera, in a split second" continues. why are you deleting these

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a busy commuter train careens out of control and slams into this station, and argentina's worst train accident in 40 years is all caught on a station security camera. on february 22, 2012, more than 800 passengers are aboard a commuter train in buenos aires, argentina.

santiago is in a rush to get to his construction job. the train, as usual, is packed. >> translator: it was a disaster. very crowded. >> sitting next to santiago is his younger brother. >> translator: we were together talking a bit. he told me we need to get there. i said, yes. we're almost there. >> but the train doesn't stop where it's supposed to, at the platform. instead, it blows right past the end of the line and slams into a barrier wall. >> translator: and that's it. there was an explosion. and i lost consciousness. >> dr. alberto crescenti is one

of the first responders on the scene. >> translator: we received a message from headquarters. a radio operator told us a train had crashed along the station with a fire and people trapped inside. >> the doctor and his team arrive at the station within ten minutes. >> translator: we didn't know yet, but we were estimating the number. once the people arrived at the steps, then we realized it was a major problem. >> with more than 30 years of experience in medical emergencies, the doctor is trained in triage, determining priorities in critical situations. >> translator: the idea is to quickly make a mental list of the things we are going to encounter. clear your mind.

be totally cool. not to be guided by your emotions. it's impossible to do if you're guided by your emotions. >> the impact leaves the first three train cars collapsed like an accordion. the collapsing cars throw some passengers around and compress other passengers together. >> translator: and there were people already dead. and the living were seeing them. and we had, along with the firefighters and the rest of the teams, to provide support to people that we could get them out. >> the emergency team must now make life or death decisions. >> translator: you have to decide. it's tough, but you have to decide. because you could make the mistake of focusing on a patient who is practically dying and let another patient die who could

have been saved. >> the doctor and the other first responders quickly survey the scene. >> translator: the only thing we could see were faces staring at us. i had 140 faces staring at me. just the faces. >> and so begins the work of extricating the living and the dying. >> translator: the fire chief asked me to get vaseline from a hospital near where we were. >> they used vaseline to ease people apart so they could be pulled from the wreckage. >> translator: they did it with the first ones that were most compressed. when they unstuck the first ones, they were able to take out the rest from the sides and the roof. >> the team spends two and a half hours triaging hundreds of victims.

>> translator: they determine how many ambulances, how many beds, how many boards. the order of care. you can't think about what you're seeing because you won't be able to make the right decisions. you can't go back. >> santiago doesn't remember being rescued from the train. >> translator: i woke up at the hospital. i didn't remember anything. the doctor asked me, do you know where you are? i said, no. you are in the hospital. i couldn't believe it, because this was bad. >> due to his memory loss, it takes santiago a week to realize the enormity of his personal situation. >> they told me that my brother had died. i thought he was still working. still now, i can't believe it. >> even professionals experienced in disaster

management are shaken to the core. >> translator: a lot of us, myself included, couldn't sleep for five or six days after. the adrenaline is so strong that you cannot sleep for weeks. you see images flying around in your head. >> there were 51 fatalities, and more than 700 injured. though the driver of the train blamed faulty brakes, the cause of the crash is still under investigation. >> translator: when you see the news, i'm not well. my head hurts. i can't sleep. i am overwhelmed. i think a lot about my brother. >> there are dead people. so we are sad. and we give our condolences to the family members.

so when they ask was the operation successful, gentlemen that are deceased, it is finished. coming up, a fire raging out of control forces a man and a woman to make a desperate decision. >> you hear people telling them not to jump, not to jump. >> when "caught on camera, in a split second" continues. it's more than the cloud.

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a couple desperate to escape a burning house jumps off a second floor balcony to the horror of eyewitnesss. while a fire in a small suburban row house goes boom. both dramatic incidents are caught on camera. december 20, 2011. a fast-burning fire rages in a home in downtown detroit. >> this is a story we first brought you last night. it was breaking at 11:00.

two people had to jump to safety to make it out of their burning home alive. >> detroit firefighter michael joiner is one of the first responders at the scene. >> we got a call to a dwelling fire. it was on helen street. which is on the east side of detroit. it appeared someone fire bombed the structure. >> from the outside it looks like the fire is raging out of control. it's actually contained to the front of the house, but the two clearly terrified residents, a man and a woman, are so panicked they may not realize it. >> when they threw the fire bomb, it broke out on the porch, whatever type of accelerant they had, it ignited and created a lot of flame, a lot of smoke. the porch was on fire, but it never extended into the actual dwelling. >> onlookers scream for the residents to wait for the fire department, but they make a

split second decision to jump. the man goes first. come on. >> he lands without major injury. seconds later, the woman tumbles out. >> oh! [ screaming ] >> she's not as lucky. she is taken to the hospital where she's treated for broken bones. the lesson to be learned here with nearly 3,000 americans killed in house fires every year, it's critical to be prepared. >> have a plan and means of egress so that everyone can meet and everyone is out and you don't know they're out. don't wait until you're in that situation to try and navigate it, because in that situation, you just don't think like that. >> across the atlantic, firefighters in south yorkshire think they have a fire contained. but seconds after they clear the building, a massive explosion engulfs the house in flames. and it's captured on city

security cameras. >> the effect of that explosion is like a bomb. >> retired fire investigators chris clark is called to the scene after the the fire is extinguished. he quickly discovers the chain of events that led to the blowout. >> on 9 the night of the incident, the second house up was the house where the first fire engine attended what was reported to the fire service as a gas meter on fire. we could see there had been some electrical activity in and around the corrugated steel supply kit with a tube to the gas meter. if we look closely at this particular one, you can see the small holes in the tube where the electrical overcurrent has melted the tubing and allowed the gas to escape. >> the holes are caused by electric current passing through the stainless steel tube which

has a very high resistance and acted like an electrical fuse, basically melting. two houses next door to each other, both with gas meters on fire, unusual circumstances to be sure. but from there, it gets even more unusual from a fire investigator's point of view. >> the fires developed in such a way that the two small fires that are being dealt with. and then within a few minutes, the third house up, the door is slightly open. and all of a sudden, you can see the front door slam into the door frame. this all happens in less than a second. >> out of nowhere, this third house that seemingly has nothing to do with the fire two fires explodes. clark's investigation reveals the explosion is caused by a back draft. >> so within a split second, the

door slammed, and the window on the second floor has started to blow out of its frame. glass and debris is flying across the street. followed by a big flame. >> no firefighters or residents are injured. once the fires are out, investigator clark's work begins. he discovers that the back draft was caused by a growing criminal enterprise, copper wire theft. >> what we do know about these properties at the time of the fire is electricity was supplied to the houses by overhead copper cables. they were mounted on wooden poles. what we believe has happened is somebody stood on the top of this outbuilding here with a pair of big wire croppers, cropped the wire at this point here.

and then it's flicked back, down the street. >> copper wire theft is a massive problem worldwide. in the uk alone, nearly 1 billion dollars of copper wire is stolen every year and sold for profit. in this case, the way the thief cut the cable caused the gas leak. the gas then mixes with air. and the result is an explosive combination that blows the roof right off the house. a back draft. and a caught on camera moment chris clark will never forget. >> it's certainly not a normal incident. there are a number of factors that suggests there's something unusual going on. and firefighters generally see the aftermath of that explosion. it's very rare that firefighters are at the scene when the explosion occurs, and even rarer to catch that on video.

coming up, a heart stopping moment when an experienced motocross rider plummets 30 feet to the ground in a midair, freak free fall accident. >> ladies and gentlemen, this is not part of a performance. when "caught on camera, in a split second" continues. can you pick me up at 6:30? ah... (boy) i'm here! i'm here! (cop) too late. i was gone for five minutes! ugh! move it. you're killing me. you know what, dad? i'm good. (dad) it may be quite a while before he's ready, but our subaru legacy will be waiting for him. (vo) the longest-lasting midsize sedan in its class. the twenty-fifteen subaru legacy. it's not just a sedan. it's a subaru. yoplait has the only yogurt brands endorsed by weight watchers and your taste buds have always endorsed us. so, you know what this means... this is a real win win! yoplait, it is so good!

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and find answers to your questions. you can even check your connection status on your phone. now it's easier than ever to manage your account. get started at xfinity.com/myaccount hi. richard lui with the top stories. occur fee has been ordered in texas due to the severe weather. flooding led to dozens of high water rescues in central texas, forcing interstate 35 to close. john nash died in a car crash with his wife in new york. the news was stunning. now back to "caught on camera." at a circus in michigan, a

freestyle motorcycle rider gets in a devastating midair accident, and it's all caught on camera by stunned spectators. february 5, 2012. the ninth and final show of the shrine circus in saginaw, michigan. what should be a routine ride for 20-year-old josh headford is anything but. a professional motocross rider, josh has plenty of experience with massive jumps and even greater risk. but the final act will end before it has a chance to even take off. >> we were the last act, and that's because it's the most dangerous. we're jumping metal to metal to tigers and horses on the landing side. and it was one of the sketchier jumps i've ever jumped here, you know? and that was like -- i was ready to do it.

>> although he's done the show eight times before, this time josh doesn't have the chance to do a final check of the setup. >> i didn't no problems with it at all. like i could adjust and do it fine. but there's a happy medium on how stuff needs to be. especially in our sport. because we've had buddies die just on regular stunts just out of nowhere. >> as josh readies for his opening jump, the master of ceremonies gets the crowd pumped up. >> and now, ladies and gentlemen -- >> it's supposed to be just a show, you know. put on a show for a crowd, and pray everything goes good. nothing bad happens. >> but something bad does happen. a large black cable hangs from the ceiling. it's not supposed to be there. and it's in the direct path of josh's motorcycle. >> i went to go jump through the bars, and i seen the cable. and as soon as i jumped, i went off and like it just was there. like in my sight. like it was like -- it looked

like just a big line. and i was like -- i didn't know if it was going to like cut me in half or what was going to happen. >> in midair, josh has no time to react. >> so i was just like in shock that there was a cable there looking at me. i didn't know if i was going to hit it or not. and then like i hit it. but i felt like i didn't hit the bike because of just the way i flipped over it, it was just weird. it was crazy. >> also there for the final performance, al bazner, aka yum yum the clown. he is from mid michigan. >> i sensed something, caught something out of the corner of my eye. knew that it was not a good thing. >> in the front row, al immediately knows the jump has gone horribly wrong. >> i saw him when he hit the wire. that was it.

>> for josh, the terrifying, midair moment seems to take much, much longer. >> when i hit the cable to the point i hit the ground, it felt like it took about 20 seconds, just because everything went into slow motion. i thought i was just going to die, you know? >> another spectator captures the moment of impact. >> it was like dead silence at the time when i was going through the air. and then i hit that cable. and when i hit that, it felt like i had gotten hit in the head with like a truck or something, because it was so loud in my head. like it felt like just a bomb went off. and after that, it just -- i just zoned out, and was like, here we go. i'm going. >> josh plummets 30 feet from midair, and smacks the ground. moments later, the emcee makes a stunning announcement. >> this is not part of the performance. >> al bezner is not a doctor,

but he is a veteran of two wars. and he recognizes danger when he sees it. the cable is still swinging, and he jumps in front of it, taking the full force of it to the face. >> i remember being hit with it. after that, i don't remember anything until emergency people were around me asking how i was. >> doctors later tell him that if the wire had hit him a few inches lower, it could have killed him. >> the side of my face, by the corner of my eye right here, is still very sensitive. it looked like i had gone 12 rounds with a professional fighter. >> josh's injuries are far worse than al's. >> and i hit the ground, and i was like -- i opened my eyes, and i was knocked out. i kind of knew my femur was broke and my arm was messed up, but i didn't know my elbow was literally split wide open. like it busted right in half. two bones in my forearm were broken. my wrist fractured. my shoulder blade.

fractured. and there was internal damage in here that i could feel. but mostly it was just fractures, you know. >> multiple surgeries and several months later, josh is on the mend. >> i ended up getting some pins on my elbow that i think are holding my elbow cap thing together. and then i've got a rod up in my femur. about like i think six screws and some wire holding that together. that's all drilled up into the hip bone, all the way up into the socket just about. >> still, his recovery isn't as fast as he'd like it to be. >> they say i won't ride for six months. and it's like, come on. it just depends on how strong i can get in that time and rebuild stuff. >> josh isn't the only one ready to get back into the ring. despite yum yum the clown's injuries, he's not ready to retire the red nose just yet. >> i'm going to be around for

quite a while. i plan on doing this as much as i can, and as long as the good lord is willing to let me do it, i'll be doing it. coming up -- a peaceful bike ride is shattered when an enraged driver rams his car into a crowd of cyclists. >> it wasn't an accident. it was a crime. he was trying to murder, to murder us. >> when "caught on camera, in a split second" continues. g for ad car, i want to be comfortable. i don't want an aggressive salesperson breathing down my neck, pressuring me into a decision. when i go to the supermarket there's no one pushing me to buy the more expensive cereal. i just want to shop like i do everywhere else. ♪ as long as people drive cars carmax will be the best way to buy them. ♪ five, six, seven o'clock. eight o'clock pop. ♪

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so you never have to settle. $80 a month. for 10 gigs. and $15 per line. stop by or visit us online. and save without settling. only on verizon. ii accept i'm not the sprinter i was back in college. i even accept that i live with a higher risk of stroke due to afib, a type of irregular heartbeat, not caused by a heart valve problem. but i won't accept giving it less than my best. so if i can go for something better than warfarin, ...i will. eliquis. eliquis... reduced the risk of stroke better than warfarin, plus it had less major bleeding than warfarin... eliquis had both. that really mattered to me. don't stop taking eliquis unless your doctor tells you to, as stopping increases your risk of having a stroke. eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding. don't take eliquis if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. while taking eliquis, you may bruise more easily and it may take longer than usual

for any bleeding to stop. seek immediate medical care for sudden signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. eliquis may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines. tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures. i accept that i'm not as fast, but i'm still going for my personal best... and for eliquis. reduced risk of stroke... plus less major bleeding. ask your doctor... if eliquis is right for you. a peaceful bike ride is violently disrupted, and it's all caught on camera by one of the stunned riders. february 9, 2011, a friday night in brazil. several dozen cyclists take to the streets for their monthly ride. they're taking part in critical

mass, an event with a single purpose, to promote cycling as an alternative to driving. in cities around the world, bicyclists get together once a month for solidarity. most critical mass rides are peaceful. not this one. livia and eldown are two of the riders. >> i go to the march every month. so it was a normal critical mass for me. it was a rainy day. we were expecting lots of people. >> translator: what is important is going there, contributing. to make the program more popular with the people. >> the event takes on more significance in congested urban areas where conflict and competition between bikes and cars can put people on edge. livia says brazil is particularly prone to this situation.

>> our streets, bridges, highways, everything is planned for the car. drivers, for example, they don't move because there are lots of cars. >> that evening finds the roads heavily congested. tensions are building between riders and drivers. >> translator: at a certain point when i was behind the people, i noticed an argument between riders and the driver of a black car. >> and that argument is about to boil over. >> translator: i looked back and saw some cyclists making gestures toward the motorist. and when i looked back, the car was already coming, accelerating. and i thought, oh, no, it's coming. that's what i thought, it's coming. but we didn't think that someone was going to accelerate their car on purpose to run us over. >> in a split second the peaceful ride turns bloody when the enraged driver plows his car

into the crowd of cyclists. a fellow rider captures the heart-stopping moment on camera. elton is among several cyclists hit. >> translator: and before i was able to look back again, the car collided with the back of my bicycle at the beginning of its acceleration, so it didn't hit me with all of its force. but the bike and i were thrown into the air, and i fell to the ground. i was left terrified from what happened, from seeing people lying on the ground. the sound of crying. the other cyclists that weren't run over trying to help those that were run over. some that were even unconscious on the ground. there were bloodstains on the ground. >> fellow riders tend to those who have been struck and ambulances arrive within minutes.

in the end, 17 riders are hurt. the there are no fatalities. >> i am always surprised to know that nobody died in the so-called accident. it wasn't an accident. it was a crime. he was trying to murder, to murder us. >> after fleeing the scene, the driver checks himself into a psychiatric clinic where he was later arrested. he claims he mowed down the cyclists in self-defense. he is still awaiting trial. leaving the riders to wait for some form of closure. >> it's difficult for me to remember this because it was simply the worst thing i have ever saw in terms of violence. >> you do see aggressive motorists sometimes, and it's sad that that happens. but usually when you see that, it means that the city needs the critical mass.

>> bill of times of new york has spent three decades as an environmental activist trying to increase awareness and push the benefits of bikes. >> you're in a car and you're very isolated. so you don't realize, hey, that person is on a bicycle or on the street. you almost has this huge weapon. and then you have the bike culture which is completely different. you smell the trees. you feel the bumps, you know. >> but not everyone is on board with the critical mass philosophy. critics accuse of group of trying to obstruct traffic. and in new york city, riders have had high profile confrontations with the nypd. two of which were caught on camera. the first was captured by a critical mass rider in 2007. the second in 2008. filmed by a tourist in times square and given to a critical mass representative shows rookie officer patrick hogan shoving cyclist christopher long off his bike.

the officer was later convict the of submitting a false report and removed from the force. >> this one incident, the christopher long incident that happened in the middle of times square. what a great location for an incident to happen. it can then go viral. which it did. a rookie police officer came out of nowhere, we were just riding our bikes through times square like we have done all the time and he body checked him. he went flying off his bicycle. part of the success of the biking story and the critical mass is the city was doing a lot of stuff, the police, to stop it. so to capture it on videotape was very embarrassing to the city. >> these videos are credited for changing the city. the city says they have created more than 280 miles of bike lanes in new york city. whoever is responsible, the bikers are happy campers. >> we can turn it around and make it cool to care or cool to

ride a bike, and that's what we've been doing. now you see the bike lanes with bridge access. the bike parking. the auto free plazas. time square is even auto free. it's amazing what you can get in you stay with it. coming up -- from terrified to triumphant. one girl's uphill journey down the mountaintop. when "caught on camera, in a split second" continues.

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>> on top of a 40-foot ski jump for the very first time, in a split second a 10-year-old goes from scared little girl -- >> my ski is slipping off. >> to mountain conquerer. >> here i go! >> and it's all caught on her own helmet camera.

>> oh, yeah! whoo! yeah! >> ski jumping is the sport of throwing yourself head first down a mountain at 60 miles an hour to see how far you can fly. when the sport became an official olympic event in 1924, only men were permitted to compete. for decades, women clambered for their right. they finally got it in 2007. >> women ski jumpers got the news they have been hoping for as the international olympic committee announced it will include women's ski jumping in the 2014 games in russia. >> for members of the u.s. women's team who campaigned long and hard for this to happen, the announcement itself is practically a gold medal. >> it was a team effort. even though it's an individual sport, accomplishing something as a team was really cool. >> jessica jerome is america's

top-ranked ski jumper. >> i started when i was 7. and i took my first jumps on the five meter. and now i compete on the 90 meter. and i don't remember exactly what my first jump was like, but i remember every time i would move up to a bigger hill being terrified. >> this is the first time that we can actually call ourselves olympic hopefuls and mean it. >> teammate abby hughes had only dreamed of the olympics. >> it's definitely a goal that i've had since i started jumping when i was 6. and when i was younger, i always looked up to the boys. i never had any girls to look up to. >> but now with this being an official olympic sport, young girls do have role models. zia terry has jessica and abby. the 10-year-old grew up skiing the same mountain as her idols at olympic park in park city, utah. >> they have inspired me by being women and ski jumpers. and they have always inspired me because they got it into the olympics. >> on march 11, 2012, zia, who up to this point has only jumped

the 20, wants to jump the 40-foot ski jump by the end of her practice session with coach eric. >> so by around like 3:00, they had to go back to school. so i was like, are you ready to jump the 40? and she was really into it. she wanted to jump it. >> i asked him a few questions that i was wondering, and he gave me the straight answer. do you go faster on the end run? >> a little bit. >> a little bit? >> yeah. >> is it any steeper, do you think? not much? >> same steepness. it's just longer. >> just longer. just longer. just a bigger 20. that's all. >> i was just trying to keep her calm. just saying that she could do it. and she can. she jumped the 20-meter fine. so the 40-meter, do the same thing and you'll be fine on the 40-meter. i was just trying to talk her through it. >> she's in position, but it's an uphill battle for this downhill ski jumper to let go. zia has to literally talk herself off the ledge from fear to courage. >> here goes something. i guess.

you can do this. i'm going to -- i'm going to jump. >> i was worried that i was going to do something wrong, try to back out at the wrong moment. i was worried about all the things that could go wrong. things that could go wrong in my clothes. >> in the spirit of the moment, however, zia's bravery takes over. >> i got it! here i go. and then something in my brain just goes -- and i'm like, wait. nothing's going to go wrong. i'm going to do this. oh, yeah! whoo! yeah! yeah! >> that was awesome. that was definitely the best day

as a coach. and after watching the video, you can tell how excited she was. >> the video of zia's jump resonates with more than 1 million youtube viewers. not to mention with fellow jumpers. future olympic hopefuls jessica and abby. after all, it wasn't that long ago they were in the same spot themselves. >> not only is she showing the world what ski jumping is, but she's showing the world from her perspective. but for her, it was something that i think not a lot of people feel. you know, that adrenalin rush and being scared, but excited at the same time. and the first time i met her, i was just -- i was so excited that this little girl could bring herself to do that. >> when we're going to a new hill or we're jumping a bigger hill, there's always a little bit of adrenalin rush, and you're really questioning what you're doing. and then you jump, and you land, and you want to cheer every time. >> yay! whoo! >> back on the mountain, student

and coach savor the moment. >> i thought it was like really scary at the top. but then at the bottom, i'm not sure if you heard this, but i was kind of exploding. >> really? >> yeah. i was like, yeah! >> oh, yeah. i saw the video. >> whoo! >> that was awesome. >> it's so moving to the u.s. team members, they surprise zia with a very special acknowledgment. >> we would like to make you an honorary junior team member. >> not every first-time ski jumper is going to get that kind of reward, but they can get the same satisfaction of achievement and overcoming fear. >> it's hard to be scared and then just say, this is scary, i know it is, but i'm going to try. i'm going to try and i'm going to do this. i'm just going to go.

a kid coming home from the dentist. >> is this real life? >> a piano-playing cat. >> i'm like, oh, my god. oh, my god. look at this. >> artwork made with ketchup and fries? >> i couldn't believe that it was real. >> they are videos so original, so funny, so bizarre, you just have to pass them on. they're viewed by millions. >> owwww! >> what's their secret formula? ♪ "caught on camera: viral videos - millions served." >> hello. i'm contessa brewer.