Court Support, CPR and quick thinking combine at the right place and the right time to save a life.
We would like to commend the efforts of Darryl McCarthy, our Court Support Officer out in Cunnamulla. Darryl recently had to go beyond the normal call of duty to intervene in a critical situation to save a life.
Darryl was in his office printing paper work for a client when she suddenly collapsed. “I called her in and just as I handed her the pen her eyes rolled back and she nearly fell through the window,” Darry said. “At first I thought she was joking but we fell to the ground together, by the time I got to my hands and knees she had stopped breathing. I checked her pulse but there was nothing.”
Darryl responded quickly putting his first-aid training into action, beginning CPR on the lady and directing her family to call an ambulance. He persisted with CPR until the ambulance arrived and her vital signs returned. She was transferred to a hospital in Brisbane but is now at home recovering well. The young lady and her family were of course very appreciative of Darryl’s efforts.
Darryl said the first aid training he had undertaken as part of his job requirements at ATSILS made all the difference and was the main reason the situation ended well. “It provided me with the skills and confidence to act.” Darryl was happy to speak about his actions in the hope that it would give others the confidence to put their training into action and be part of a rescue if ever needed. Although understandably shaken up about the whole incident, Darryl is just happy that this young client is ok.
From all the team at ATSILS, fantastic job Darryl!
