Victoria Cyclist’s Life Saved by Four Roadside Humanitarians

Client: Awards
Date: July 26, 2012

Four people who came to the immediate aid of a collapsed cyclist on a quiet residential road earlier this month received provincial Vital Link Awards in a BC Ambulance Service (BCAS) ceremony in Victoria.

Bystander Heather Ann McRae was driving her vehicle when she saw a cyclist veer into the middle of the road and fall over. “I pulled over and got down on my knees beside him. His eyes were fixed open, he wasn’t breathing and his shoes were still clipped into the pedals. I could see that his bottom lip was going blue so I just started doing compressions,” said Heather.

Eugene Hahn witnessed the incident from his house and came out to assist Heather Ann along with his father in-law Gus McTavish. Eugene called 9-1-1 and began relaying CPR instructions from the ambulance dispatcher to Heather. Another driver, Brenda McPhail, stopped to help and assisted Heather Ann by holding the patient’s head and checking his pulse.

“I was counting compressions and talking to him and thinking desperately, not on my shift buddy,” recalled Heather Ann. “I am so grateful he survived.”

BCAS Acting District Supervisor Bill Big-Canoe says that Heather Ann, Eugene, Gus and Brenda performed life-sustaining CPR for approximately 10 minutes while the ambulance was en route. The crew continued CPR treatment and transported Nicholas Woodiwiss to the Royal Jubilee Hospital.

Nicholas, who is an avid cyclist recovered successfully from his near-death experience to attend the ceremony and thank the four award winners in person. The award recipients each received the BCAS Vital Link medal for contributing to the CPR that saved Nicholas’ life.

BCAS attends between 2,400-2,800 cardiac arrest calls each year. Approximately 500 occur on Vancouver Island. Only 12 per cent of British Columbians who suffer a cardiac arrest survive.

Vital-Link-Event-Victoria-July-26-040---Nicholas-&-Recipients-in-Ambulance

Cardiac survivor Nicholas Woodiwiss relaxes inside an ambulance with the Vital Link Awards recipients who helped to save his life. The fourth humanitarian Brenda McPhail was unable to attend the ceremony.