Nissan worker saves life of 76-year-old cyclist after he collapsed and suffered cardiac arrest

Karl Harrison, 43, has been praised after he leaped into action when a 76-year-old man collapsed while riding his bike on Washington Road near Nissan Sunderland Plant at about 7.40am on Thursday (August 12).

The 43-year-old, who saw the pensioner collapse as he drove into work, had received his first aid training as part of his Quality Assurance job at Nissan from the North East Ambulance Service (NEAS).

Recognising that the cyclist had gone into cardiac arrest, Karl performed chest compressions while a colleague called 999.

Paramedics and police arrived on scene and used a defibrillator to revive the patient.

The 76-year-old man was taken to hospital and is now in a stable condition as emergency services say Karl’s intervention almost certainly saved the man’s life.

Karl, from Hartlepool, said: “It’s not what you expect at about 7am on your way into work, but human instinct to help just kicks in. When I did my CPR training with Nissan and the Ambulance Service I hoped I’d never have to use it, but this just shows why it is so important to get this training.

“I don’t even normally drive that way – by chance I had taken a detour to a newsagents on my way in. It was a collective effort from me and some other passers-by to keep him alive until the paramedics arrived. I’m just glad he’s going to be ok.”

PC Mary-Anne Hutchison, of Northumbria Police, attended the factory last week to thank him for his efforts.

She said: “There is no doubt that the CPR delivered by Karl in the moments after the cyclist collapsed have saved his life.

“Karl should be very proud of himself and it was our pleasure to meet him on Thursday and deliver the good news about the patient.”

Dr Michael Norton, deputy medical director at North East Ambulance Service joined the police in praising Karl.

He said: “CPR is easy to learn and can make a real difference to someone’s chances of survival whilst our ambulance crews are travelling in those first few minutes after someone’s heart stops beating. Your hands could, quite literally, save a life, as Karl has proven here.”

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