Man driving on ‘isolated road’ spotted cyclist making strange noises—his intervention saved cyclist's life
In emergencies, every second is important and cannot be ignored. Being vigilant and quick to act in such situations can render life-saving help to those in need. A man named Darren Neil was out to play golf as usual and didn’t think he’d be responsible for saving a life, per Daily Record. He was driving to get to the golf course when he spotted a cyclist, Jamie O’Kane, acting strangely. On further observation, he realized the man required help and saved him from a fatal occurrence. The duo now are bonded in gratitude and friendship.
Neil recalled driving in his car to get to the golf course on an isolated road. There were two cyclists ahead of him but he was unable to overtake them and was driving behind and by default had an eye on the duo. He then noticed O’Kane, on the right, “veered across the road and went headfirst into the curb.” The man immediately got out of his vehicle to see what had happened. Neil initially thought there must have been a puncture or some other problem with the cycle that caused the abrupt collision. However, when he approached the cyclist, he noticed the man feeling uneasy. “I could see he was unconscious and was starting to make noises, fitting, and groaning,” Neil recalled.
As soon as he understood the situation, he jumped into action to administer CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) to the cyclist. To his luck, another driver stopped to help him. The other driver was a nurse and offered as much assistance while the ambulance arrived with a doctor on board to provide immediate assistance. The man was moved to a hospital and was in an induced coma for nearly five days. When he awoke, he had no recollection of what had happened. Niel, however, was pondering the encounter. “Although I’d broken his sternum, the reality was that if I wasn’t there, he might have died. But I found it very difficult to talk about and I worried, thinking whether I could have run faster or done the CPR better,” he remarked.
The situation had the man worrying for the cyclist, who was a complete stranger. "It was amazing to hear that Jamie was okay. I don’t think I have cried so long in my life with so much emotion." Nevertheless, when things got better, Neil couldn't help but remark, “It feels like everything was set up for Jamie to survive that morning.” O’Kane, known for his otherwise fit personality had quite a few heads turning with the news of his condition. "People couldn’t believe that I had had a cardiac arrest. I was known as the fit, strong guy,” he mentioned. However, he shared that his lesson was to “learn CPR.”
“I was saved and believe we all need to look after each other. It’s not just about the person beside you that you know but the stranger passing on the street,” he added. DavidMcColgan, head of the hospital, mentioned, “Jamie owes his life to Darren, who by chance was in the right place at the right time and was able to give him CPR that morning. But you just never know when that day will come and you must ask yourself, will you be ready?”