Driver thanks St John Ambulance Essex for saving his life

A man who owes his life to St John Ambulance is returning to the scene of his near fatal cardiac arrest.

Driver feeling unwell

On Saturday 10 July sprint car driver Vince O'Connor, from Basildon, Essex, felt unwell after his first race and went to see the St John Ambulance crew on duty that night.

The crew soon realised that Vince was having a heart attack. Darren Bartholomew, one of the five St John Ambulance first aiders on duty said: 'We quickly assessed him in the ambulance and decided to transfer him to our on site medical centre for a more thorough check. When Vince started complaining of chest pains and pins and needles we called the East of England Ambulance Service (EEAST) to request paramedic back up.'

Condition deteriorates

But, within minutes, Vince’s condition had rapidly deteriorated and he fell unconscious and stopped breathing.

The crew determined he was in cardiac arrest so started CPR and delivered two shocks with their defibrillator which managed to restart Vince's heart. The St John Ambulance team worked with the EEAST paramedics when they arrived to run further tests and take Vince to their ambulance for emergency transfer to Essex Cardiothoracic Centre at Basildon Hospital, where he underwent an emergency procedure.

Swift action

This weekend (Saturday 31 July) Vince is returning to the at the Rolling Thunder Show at Arena Essex Raceway in Purfleet racetrack to thank the St John Ambulance volunteers and EEAST paramedics who helped save his life.

'I don't remember much about that evening but I do remember being in the St John Ambulance Medical Centre having chest pains. I would like to thank the St John team for everything they did. If I hadn’t gone over to see them the outcome for me would have been very different,' said O'Connor.

Bartholomew added, 'It just goes to show that first aid really can be the difference between a life saved and life lost. The St John Ambulance volunteers all know Vince so it was great to be able to help.'

David Elkington, a paramedic from the East of England Ambulance Service and duty on call bronze officer for St John Ambulance, paid tribute to the work of the St John Ambulance crew.

'The St John first aiders did a fantastic job identifying the patient's condition and acting quickly to assist him. Situations like this one can be unsettling for the most experienced of clinicians, but the volunteers stayed calm and followed the resuscitation protocol to the letter. For patients in cardiac arrest, every second counts, and there's no doubt that their actions played a big part in saving this man’s life,' he said.