Otford Life Saving Incident

Around mid-morning on Thursday 3 November 2022, Mick Ware accompanied by Joe Hainie (B&M McHugh) Richard Kashoro (Network Rail) and Anthony Buckley arrived at Otford station in Kent to undertake an inspection of completed works with the intention of handing the site back to Network Rail.

On arrival they were alerted to a call from a member of the public that a man had fallen down the stairs outside the station. In response, they ran out of the station where they saw an elderly gentleman laying at the top of the stairs on his back. They approached the man with caution to discover he was unconscious. Calmly, Mick and Joe gently shook him and spoke with him to which he responded. The gentleman was keen to sit up and was assisted in doing so.

Mick and Joe both asked him questions i.e. his name, did he know what happened, was he ok? The gentleman said his name was Phillip and he was felling unwell, and advised them he suffered with high blood pressure which had probably caused him to faint. The Emergency Services were immediately called, and Philip was gently placed in the recovery position under the instruction and guidance of the emergency operator.

Alarmingly, it then became clear Philip was slipping out of consciousness and it was noticeable his breathing had stopped. His pulse was checked and could not be found. Quick thinking from Mick and Joe then kicked in; they laid him on his back and commenced CPR (the emergency operator had told them to commence this procedure).

One of the team then ran into the station returning with a defibrillator. The box was opened and instructions were calmly followed. Mick and Joe administered three shocks to Philips chest with the defibrillator and continued with chest compressions until the emergency services arrived.

On arrival, the paramedics took over ensuring a further two shocks with their own equipment. Air ambulance and additional medical teams then arrived on site and continued with treatment for Philip.

The team remained on site until the police arrived and provided a full statement of what had happened. When they eventually left site, Philip was conscious and breathing without support.

B&M McHugh’s Operations Director thanking Mick Ware and Joe Hainie for taking the life saving action.