Heroic young mum speaks of CPR drama after saving man collapsed in street

Megan James was walking home with her little boy after shopping in Seaham at around 3.30pm on Thursday, July 3, when she heard a man’s cries for help.

The 19-year-old saw that a man was trying to carry out CPR on his friend who had taken ill on the dene by Harbour Walk in Seaham.

Instinct took over and Megan was able to find a passerby to look after son Elijah, two, while she went to help the man.

With an ambulance service operator already on the phone, Megan was able to follow their instructions to carry out chest compressions until the man took a huge breath.

Megan said: “I was on my way home as I had been out shopping with my little boy when I heard someone from the dene shouting for help.

“I looked down the dene where I saw a man giving compressions on the floor.

“I shouted to see if he had called and ambulance and he was on the phone to them.

“I then left my son with a woman who was passing by while I went to help.”

Megan said she had previously undergone a first aid training course in case she needed to help her son in an emergency situation.

“It all happened so quickly,” Megan said.

“It was a surreal experience and I was running on so much adrenaline.

“When I went to check for a pulse there was nothing, so I started to do the counts for the compressions.

“The man eventually took a massive breath and just then the paramedics arrived at the top of the bank."

After handing over to the paramedics Megan spoke to the police before returning home.

Since then she has been overwhelmed by praise from her family and neighbours for her heroic actions.

“I never expected anything like that to happen,” Megan said.

“I think anyone would do it in that situation.

“[But] I do think a lot more people need to know CPR and how to do first aid.”

The North East Ambulance Service confirmed they were called to an incident in Seaham.

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