Pair help save life of woman at city fair

Two women who dashed to help a fair-goer who collapsed on a ride in Peterborough said they were '˜just in the right place at the right time' after saving the woman's life.
Air Ambulance, Ambulance and Police attend an incident at the fair., Fair, Peterborough 31/03/2017.  Picture by Terry Harris. THAAir Ambulance, Ambulance and Police attend an incident at the fair., Fair, Peterborough 31/03/2017.  Picture by Terry Harris. THA
Air Ambulance, Ambulance and Police attend an incident at the fair., Fair, Peterborough 31/03/2017. Picture by Terry Harris. THA

Gerry Wells and Nicky Alexander were visiting the Mart Fair at Fair Meadows Car Park on Friday evening with their families when the drama unfolded.

Gerry, a midwife at Peterborough City Hospital, and Nicky, a childminder, were both first aid trained, and dashed to give CPR to the woman, who had suffered a cardiac arrest while on a ride.

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The woman, aged in her 20s, was taken to Peterborough City Hospital in a critical condition.

Air Ambulance, Ambulance and Police attend an incident at the fair., Fair, Peterborough 31/03/2017.  Picture by Terry Harris. THAAir Ambulance, Ambulance and Police attend an incident at the fair., Fair, Peterborough 31/03/2017.  Picture by Terry Harris. THA
Air Ambulance, Ambulance and Police attend an incident at the fair., Fair, Peterborough 31/03/2017. Picture by Terry Harris. THA

Gerry said: “We were just in the right place at the right time.

“We saw a lady being placed on the floor, and she was being put in the recovery position.”

Nicky said “We could see they had not checked to see if she was breathing or had a pulse. Gerry went over, and we found she was not breathing.”

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The ambulance service was called, while the pair carried out CPR - Gerry carrying out chest compressions, while Nicky performed mouth to mouth.

Air Ambulance, Ambulance and Police attend an incident at the fair., Fair, Peterborough 31/03/2017.  Picture by Terry Harris. THAAir Ambulance, Ambulance and Police attend an incident at the fair., Fair, Peterborough 31/03/2017.  Picture by Terry Harris. THA
Air Ambulance, Ambulance and Police attend an incident at the fair., Fair, Peterborough 31/03/2017. Picture by Terry Harris. THA

Gerry said: “She did not have a pulse throughout, and we carried on doing it until the paramedic was ready to give her a shock.”

Nicky said: “We left our numbers with the woman’s partner, but once she had started breathing, we left the fair.

“We were contacted by the woman’s mum later who thanked us for what we did. She phoned on Saturday to say she was out of intensive care as well.

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“It is so important for people to know what to do in situations like this. People should know to shout for help, and to check for a pulse and breathing.”

Air Ambulance, Ambulance and Police attend an incident at the fair., Fair, Peterborough 31/03/2017.  Picture by Terry Harris. THAAir Ambulance, Ambulance and Police attend an incident at the fair., Fair, Peterborough 31/03/2017.  Picture by Terry Harris. THA
Air Ambulance, Ambulance and Police attend an incident at the fair., Fair, Peterborough 31/03/2017. Picture by Terry Harris. THA

A spokesman for the East of England Ambulance Service said: “Every second counts when a person is in cardiac arrest. Immediate and effective cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) greatly improve the chances of survival when someone is in cardiac arrest.

“We would like to praise the efforts of the bystanders who performed CPR and helped resuscitate the patient. Their efforts helped save a life that night.”