How Sheffield driver's life was saved after cardiac arrest at wheel while driving on Richmond Road
“A handshake will never be enough; I am forever grateful to you both’,” a retired Sheffield man said in an “emotional” meeting with the hero police officers who saved his life.
Karl Oliver, aged 76, suffered a cardiac arrest while driving earlier along Richmond Road in the Richmond area of Sheffield, causing him to crash into a wall.
After making a full recovery, Mr Oliver has now personally thanked the two firearms officers who saved his life, saying how “important it was to say thank you in person.”
He met with hero officers, PC Mark Wallace and PC Josh Lawton, who performed CPR at the scene and located a defibrillator, using it in the efforts to save his life. The two firearm officers were on patrol nearby at the time of the incident, and rushed to Mr Oliver’s side after the incident was reported over the force’s radio system.
Speaking after the reunion, which took place at South Yorkshire Police’s Operational Support Complex, Mr Oliver said: “It has been an emotional day, and while saying thank you will never feel like enough, it was a privilege to meet both Mark and Josh and shake their hands.
“I wouldn’t be here today without their efforts.”
Mr Oliver has no recollection of the incident, or how it happened, and only became aware once he woke in hospital.
PC Wallace explained to Mr Oliver what happened during their reunion. He said: “As we arrived at the scene, I opened the car door and Mr Oliver had been flung backwards in his seat, which is often what happens to a car seat involved in a collision.
“My first thoughts were to immediately pull him out, but the position he had come to rest in provided an opportunity to provide effective chest compressions and manage his airway.
“While I was doing CPR, Josh went to get the defibrillator and applied it to Mr Oliver. We then delivered a shock to him with the machine and continued CPR until the ambulance service arrived.”
PC Wallace revealed he has carried out CPR on many people during the course of his 30-year career, but this is the first time he has been able to learn the outcome of his life-saving efforts.
He added: “Meeting Mr Oliver is also a privilege for me.
“On that day, everything came together, the dispatcher quickly seeing the incident, myself and Josh being round the corner and an ambulance there within minutes.
“It makes you realise how effective it is to conduct CPR and use a defibrillator, which can be done by anyone. Any bystander can be the difference between life and death, and seeing Mr Oliver continue to live and enjoy his retirement is a privilege.”
PC Josh Lawton added: “Being a police officer is much more than just fighting crime, it’s responding without hesitation to those in your community who need you, and preserving life.
“During an incident, your training kicks in, you do what you need to in order to try and save that person’s life, but meeting Mr Oliver and seeing him enjoy life and hear that his family still have him in their lives is amazing.”
Roads Policing Officer PC Melissa Horsbrough was allocated to the incident and contacted Mr Oliver’s family to make them aware, as well as visiting and checking in on him in the weeks after.
Thanks to PC Lawton and PC Wallace’s heroic actions, Mr Oliver has been able to continue thriving in his retirement, enjoying pub quiz nights and fishing.