Passing ambulance crew helped save motorist's life after heart attack at the wheel
A professional gardener who suffered a cardiac arrest at the wheel of his car has been reunited with the passing paramedic crew who saved his life.
Paramedics Ciara Bollard and Geraint Lloyd were driving down the A494 near Denbighsire after finishing a night shift together.
The crew-mates had been working a busy night-shift together and were running over an hour late returning to base after a last-minute job took them to Glan Clwyd Hospital.
They were just 30 seconds behind John Lawson, 65, when he started feeling unwell while at the wheel of his vehicle.
Mr Lawson said that he tried to pull his car and trailer over to the side of the road, but that he fell unconscious meaning that his employer Freddie had to pull the handbrake to stop the vehicle.
“I attempted to pull the car and trailer over to the side of the road but fell unconscious, Freddie pulled the handbrake to stall the vehicle and put the hazard warning lights on," John explained
"Things could have been so different if we were in separate cars.
"I could have lost control and had a crash and I don’t like to think what could have happened."
Ciara and Geraint recalled the moment they saw the hazard lights ahead the ambulance on the road, they said that she knew instantly something was wrong.
“We were on our way back to base on one of only two routes and ordinarily would have gone the other route, but that day we went on the A494," said Ciara.
"It had been a long busy night and through the fog we saw a 4x4 and trailer in front of us stopped in the middle of the road with the other lane blocked also," Geraint said.
“We thought, ‘hey up what have we got here?' and that is when a gentleman came running up to the cab window screaming ‘my friend is having a heart attack’."
Geraint and Ciara ran over to the car to assess the patient and begin their observations – it was clear John was in cardiac arrest.
Ciara ran back to the ambulance to fetch their defibrillator and other equipment whilst Geraint and Freddie got John out the car.
"I did CPR for around a minute and when Ciara arrived back we cut his clothes open and gave him one shock with the defibrillator," Geraint said.
Ciara then said that John immediately snapped back to life and started telling the pair that his wife, who is a retired A&E nurse was "going to kill him for this".
“After another set of observations we were able to call a back-up crew from Bala to get him to hospital in Wrexham," Ciara continued.
“Everything had gone John’s way that day and I said to him; ‘Somebody was watching over you, today was not your day to go’.”
John said that he did not know how to express his gratitude to the pair, saying that now he feels fine after having a pacemaker fitted in hospital.
“I really want to thank Ciara and Geraint for saving my life, I don’t know how to put it in to words," he said.
“The fact they were running late, the fact they came on that road and the fact that Freddie and me were in the same car, it’s a miracle."
Ciara has been a paramedic for two years and Geraint an EMT for four years but both admitted to never seeing an incident like this.
“We’ve done some big jobs together and this was the first time I’d been involved with a successful resuscitation from cardiac arrest," said Ciara
“It was amazing how quickly and well he came around."
Geraint added: “To get this result and in such circumstances was a great way to finish a night shift.
“I was buzzing afterwards and luckily had two rest days ahead of me as there was no way I’d sleep that day.”
John is now resting at home on doctor’s orders but keen to get back to work and an active life as soon as he can.