Gardaí save several lives in just one month

Life-savers among the ranks of An Garda Síochána ranged from regular duty officers to members of the Emergency Response Unit. File picture: Colin Keegan

Armed gardaí in Cork city saved the life of an unconscious man whose hand had been slashed right to the bone in a vicious knife attack and who could have died from blood loss.

It is one of a number of cases in the space of just one month where the swift actions of gardaí saved members of the public from death or serious injury.

Other cases, highlighted in the Garda Commissioner’s monthly report, featured a baby that turned blue and was choking after a piece of food got lodged in its windpipe, and a motorist who suffered a heart attack on the M1. There were also two barricade incidents and an abduction.

On February 27, a person sought urgent help at Anglesea Street Garda Station in Cork city for their partner, who had been seriously assaulted. The victim had received “a laceration to the bone, across his palm and base of his hand”. He had lost consciousness and his condition was deemed “life-threatening due to blood loss, causing the onset of shock”, the report said.

Members of the armed support unit who have had emergency first responder (EFR) training rushed to the scene.

“They treated the injured party with high-grade tactical trauma dressings to stem the blood loss and stabilise their condition, prior to their transportation to Cork University Hospital,” said the report. 

The actions of the gardaí in this case had a direct impact in preserving the life of the injured party. 

Gardaí have not so far identified possible suspects for the attack and investigations are continuing.

• On February 22, a baby’s parents sought help from gardaí in the North Western Region, after the child had “turned blue and stopped breathing”. The seven-month-old had been in their walker when a small piece of food became lodged in their windpipe. Gardaí who were on the scene quickly successfully managed to clear the obstruction and the child regained consciousness.

• On February 17, members of the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau were on duty along the M1 when they saw a car parked in the central median and a clearly distressed person trying to wave down passing motorists.

The officers stopped and discovered that the driver of the car had suffered a heart attack. They were not breathing and did not have a pulse.

Two members conducted CPR. The person was subsequently transferred to hospital. They found a faint pulse, though the driver remained in a critical condition. Both gardaí had received EFR training.

“The knowledge and expertise from their training saved the life of this individual,” the report said.