Out of the lion's den

13 September 2006

St John Ambulance volunteers and football medics saved the life of a man after his desperate friends rushed him to Millwall Football Club, when a blood clot on his brain burst.

The drama unfolded at The Den on Saturday after the man, who was recovering from surgery to a fractured skull, collapsed at his home nearby and began to bleed internally.

His friends, concerned that an ambulance would not get to him in time, rushed him in a car to Millwall’s ground where they knew they could find medical help. When St John Ambulance volunteers got to him, they found he had suffered a cardiac arrest and police had already commenced CPR . The St John volunteers swiftly took over

Peter Greenwood, St John Ambulance officer-in-charge at Millwall FC, comments: “I am very proud of our volunteers; their quick action saved this man’s life. This was an extremely anxious situation and it seems as though the man will make a good recovery.”

Alison Leary, manager of crowd medical services at Millwall football club, said: 'They are heroes. The St John Ambulance staff and the club’s doctor undoubtedly kept this man alive.'

St John Ambulance volunteers, the club’s doctor and paramedics from the London Ambulance Service managed to resuscitate the man and he was taken to King’s College Hospital, where the man is making a good recovery.