Wife praises strangers who saved her husband's life on Northumberland beach

The wife of a man who suffered a cardiac arrest while on their local beach has praised the people who stepped in to save his life.

48-year-old Tracey Snell and 67-year-old Brian Snell from Berwick-upon-Tweed were at Cocklawburn beach in November last year.

Mr Snell was chopping firewood, while his wife Tracey got ready to walk their dog, Teddy.

However as she was getting ready, she heard the sound of the chainsaw stop suddenly, and went over to her husband, where she saw him slumped over.

Remembering the moment, she said: “I went over and shook him, and he fell over and bumped his head. His face was the darkest blue and it was bright red around his lips and his eyes were glazed over.“I used to be a nurse and I could see he wasn’t breathing, and it was very scary.”Mrs Snell rang for an ambulance, and waved down two people who were nearby, who began giving her husband CPR until the paramedics arrived with a defibrillator to restart his heart.

She said: “The paramedics did a sterling job taking over the resuscitation though it took several attempts with the defibrillator and five more minutes of chest compressions from a local man called Neil before they finally got a pulse.

"Several minutes in, his heart stopped again but still they persevered and eventually got it restarted for the second time.”

“For those two people who helped me perform CPR on my husband’s lifeless body for fifteen minutes, the medical professionals have told me that we categorically saved his life, he would not have made it if we hadn’t maintained that level of care in those vital moments.

“I would like to say the most heartfelt thank you to the amazing Great North Air Ambulance crew, North East Ambulance service paramedics, HM Coastguard, the police and a couple members of the public who came selflessly to my assistance.”

Mr Snell was airlifted to the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) in Newcastle where he remained in an induced coma for three days.

He has no recollection of the events that happened, and despite breaking a few ribs from the CPR, he is grateful to be alive and is now back home making slow and steady progress.

Alan Stewart, a paramedic based at Berwick, said: “We don't often hear of what happened to patients post our care, so I’m delighted to hear that Brian is still with us and making a good recovery.

“The incident shows the importance of good early CPR from bystanders prior to the arrival of trained medical staff. The patient’s wife and other members of the public that assisted did a fantastic job which gave the patient a good chance of survival and recovery. They are commended for their actions under difficult circumstances."

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...