Heroes who helped stab victim be first to survive roadside heart surgery are honoured

A police officer and members of the public who helped in a groundbreaking roadside operation have been honoured for their work in saving a stab victim.
Police and members of the public are rewarded for saving lives.Police and members of the public are rewarded for saving lives.
Police and members of the public are rewarded for saving lives.

The robbery victim, who was stabbed in the chest in Horden last year, was saved by emergency heart surgery at the scene.

Now, the police officer, PC Jason Pool, and three members of the public, Lisa Jones, Kelly Percival and Lyndsey Hepburn, are among those to be honoured for saving people's lives.

The scene of the stabbing in Horden.The scene of the stabbing in Horden.
The scene of the stabbing in Horden.
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A special presentation was held at Durham Constabulary headquarters where officers and members of the public were presented with Royal Humane Society awards for helping to save people’s lives in seven separate incidents.

After the 38-year-old man was stabbed in Horden, in August 2017, Lisa Jones went to help, checked his wounds and put her coat under his head while off-duty nurse Kelly Percival checked for a pulse. She detected a faint pulse in his wrist and carried out three rounds of CPR, assisted by Lisa.

They were then joined by PC Jason Pool and continued CPR until the paramedics arrived, while Lyndsey Hepburn – also a nurse – kept the man’s airways open.

They maintained his pulse until the air ambulance arrived ten minutes later. A consultant then performed open heart surgery, ultimately saving his life.

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Superintendent Colin Williamson, who presented the awards, said: “The Royal Humane Society awards are really special awards for people who have gone above and beyond to do something truly extraordinary and save a person’s life.

“It is a real honour to present these awards. I know it is impossible to fully reflect the magnitude and true value of saving someone’s life, but we hope that these awards go some way to showing our gratitude.”

Chief Constable Mike Barton added: “There are incredible things happening every day, as these awards just go to show.

“The humility and modesty just exudes out of these people who will all say: 'I was just doing my job'.

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“But we couldn’t do these jobs without the help of other people. This is a real team effort between the public, the police and the emergency services who are doing their very best to help other people.”

Others who received the awards were PCSO Mark Rodgers and Robbie Beckwith who helped save table tennis player, Mike Jones, when he collapsed at a match in Ouston Community Centre, Chester-le-Street.

PC Katherine Lawrence, Acting Sergeant Andrew Rochelle and Charlotte Trueman who persuaded a woman with mental health issues to come away from a ledge with an 80ft drop and PC Hanna Liddle who saved the life of a man who was attempting to hang himself.

Others awarded were PC David Taylor and PC Tony Barker who prevented someone from bleeding to death from an arterial bleed from his femoral artery, Inspector Neil Fuller who managed to pull a young woman to safety who was threatening to take her own life by jumping off a viaduct and Temporary Sergeant Alan Newcombe who prevented a man from jumping from a bridge into a river.