RNLI recruit’s quick action saves heart attack victim

THE quick actions of an RNLI lifeboat recruit have been hailed after he saved the life of a man who collapsed in the street with a heart attack on Sunday.

Kilrush RNLI member Martin O’Gorman only completed a casualty care course last Thursday.

He was in a cafe in the Clare resort of Kilkee when his wife rang. A man in his 50s had been walking with his wife when he collapsed at 2.15pm. The couple, believed to be from Limerick, were in Kilkee for the weekend.

Speaking yesterday, Mr O’Gorman said: “My wife rang to say someone had collapsed in the street and asked if I could help. She drove up to collect me and brought me straight to the scene. There was a woman already working on the man but she didn’t appear to be getting good compressions so I started full CPR.

“A nurse who was passing also stopped and the crew from Kilkee Marine Rescue Service arrived with all their equipment very quickly.

“They were brilliant and very professional and must have done the same training course as me because we worked very well together. They also had a defibrillator which brought the man back with the second shock.

“When I got there, the man was unconscious and didn’t appear to be breathing at all. After getting the second shock from the defib, he started to respond a bit.

“I only finished my casualty care training course on Thursday night and no way did I know I would need to use that training so soon but it worked out well in the end, thankfully.”

Kilkee Marine Rescue public relations officer Manuel DiLucia said: “Martin initiated the treatment of the casualty by commencing CPR and there is no doubt that this young man was a major factor in saving the casualty’s life.”

The man is recovering in the Mid Western Regional Hospital in Limerick.