Former Newbury soldier performs CPR on stranger hit by car
Mike's actions helped save man's life
A FORMER soldier has recounted the moment he gave CPR to a stranger who had been hit by a car in Newbury.
Mike’s training and experience on the battlefield kicked in when he came across the incident outside St John’s Church on his way home from the shop on Tuesday evening.
“I saw a number of cars parked strangely and just knew something was wrong,” he explained.
“We were always taught to look for the absence of the norm. I looked down and saw a man flat on his back with blood all over his head.
“I just pulled the car in and ran over to ask if anyone was first aid trained and if they had called an ambulance.
“There were three ladies already there with him and one was on the phone to the emergency services.
“The man definitely needed assistance and it was all down to the quick thinking of the first lady who had stopped to help and called the ambulance.
“It was obvious I had only just missed what happened, so I knelt down and did the drill of shaking him, talking to him.
“His eyes weren’t moving. I was trying to take his pulse and he let out a funny gasp.”
It was at this point the lady on the phone said she didn’t think he was breathing anymore and the emergency call handler advised them to start CPR.
Mike, who now works as an engineer at Vodafone, didn’t think twice and began chest compressions, before the injured man “gasped and grunted and began breathing again”.
“We then pulled him into the recovery position and held him there until the ambulance arrived,” Mike added.
“In slow motion it felt like we were there for about an hour, but in reality it was about five minutes.
“I do not know any of the people present on the scene but thank God we were there at that time and all came together and without a doubt saved that man’s life.”
The injured man was immediately strapped on to a stretcher and taken away by ambulance.
Mike, whose surname has been withheld, lives in Newbury with his partner and three children.
He served two tours in Afghanistan before leaving the army in 2015 and said he wouldn’t hesitate to stop and help again if the need arose.
“I had additional medical training on my first tour of Afghanistan and I drew back to that,” he said.
“The muscle memory and training just all kicked in.
“Both tours of Afghanistan were quite challenging times and we learnt to control ourselves in intense situations.
“It is always better to do something than nothing in those situations. It really highlighted to me that we need to take life seriously, because anything can happen.”
Thames Valley Police told NewburyToday yesterday (Thursday) afternoon that the man is still in hospital receiving treatment and no arrests have been made at this stage.