A carpenter whose heart stopped for 20 minutes during a roadside cardiac arrest has been reunited with the three strangers who saved his life.
Dave Turner, 58, had just finished a job on a farm and was driving home when he began feeling unwell.
The amateur cricketer pulled over and called 999, but as his condition deteriorated, he stepped out of his van.
Luckily, Paul Knight, 26, and his friend Anna-Marie Brentnall, 27, happened to drive by and saw Dave struggling on all fours by the roadside.
Initially thinking he had dropped his keys, the pair quickly realized something was seriously wrong. Paul turned the car around, and as they approached, Dave revealed he was suffering from chest pain and difficulty breathing.
Anna-Marie, a student midwife, checked his pulse just as Reece Comer, 34, an emergency care attendant who was passing by on his motorbike, stopped to help.
The three worked together, performing CPR as Dave’s heart stopped multiple times. He suffered three cardiac arrests and a heart attack.
Anna-Marie kept 999 updated on Dave’s worsening condition, and within ten minutes, paramedic Savannah Radford, emergency medical technician Anna Fitzgeorge, and emergency care assistant Millie Hemley-Tucker arrived.
They took over from the bystanders, delivering shocks with a defibrillator to stabilize his heart.
Once stabilized, Dave was rushed to Essex Cardiothoracic Centre at Basildon and Thurrock University Hospital, where he underwent surgery to have a stent placed in his blocked artery.
Remarkably, Dave made a speedy recovery, returning to the cricket field just over a month after the July 17 ordeal. He has since been able to meet some of the bystanders and emergency responders who helped save his life.
“It’s impossible to express how humbled I feel knowing so many people stepped in to help me that day,” Dave, from Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, shared with VKNews24. “I owe my life to them, and my family and I are eternally grateful.”
Less than one in 10 people survive an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, and medical experts credit Dave’s survival to the high-quality CPR he received from passersby.
Paul Knight reflected on the experience, saying, “It feels surreal to have played a part in saving Dave’s life. Reece and Anna-Marie had CPR experience, which was crucial, and I had basic life support training, so we all knew what to do. It’s an amazing feeling to have helped, and we’ve kept in touch.”
Anna-Marie added, “I remember Dave telling me how much his family meant to him right before his first cardiac arrest. It’s incredible to know we helped keep him alive for them.
This experience shows how vital it is to learn CPR – you never know when you might need it, and it could save a life.”
Paramedic Savannah Radford, who also met Dave after his recovery, said, “It’s wonderful to see Dave doing so well.
Every second counts in a cardiac arrest, and the quick actions of Anna-Marie, Paul, and Reece undoubtedly saved his life.
I remember telling them at the time that we were looking at a good outcome thanks to their efforts.”
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