Corby man's life saved by quick-thinking 'angels' after heart attack

A man has heaped praise on the people that saved his life after he suffered a heart attack at work at the former Rockingham Speedway in Corby last week.

Steve Drysdale, 52, has spoken of his thanks to workers at Groupe CAT and the medics that rushed to his aid following the near-death experience on Thursday, March 3.

The incident started when Steve, an on-site rep for vehicle delivery service ECM, experienced severe chest pains - and alerted staff member Ryan Mahoney.

Steve said: “I felt hot and had really bad chest pains I’d never experienced before. I called Ryan to see if he could arrange cover while I nipped home. Although we work for different companies, Ryan and I work closely together, and he said he could tell by my voice that something was not right.”

Groupe CAT compound supervisor Ryan asked compound driver, Adam Hartley, who was near Steve’s office, to go and check on him. When Adam reached Steve, it became clear that he was seriously unwell.

Adam, from Corby, said: “I could see he was in a bad way. I immediately dialled 999 but they said there would be a two-hour delay. I didn’t know if he could wait that long so we called Meditech.”

Meditech Global operate from Rockingham Logistics Hub - the former Rockingham Speedway - where Groupe CAT is located.

The initial call was taken by Alison Warner shortly after 9am. She sprang into action and deployed her team, who were carrying out a training exercise at the time.

Experienced medics, Gary Watts and Kevin Thorpe, arrived within minutes. Meditech delivered specialist assistance before getting Steve to hospital fast.

Steve’s wife, Traci Pearson, also rushed to his side.

She said: “I arrived to take Steve to urgent care but Meditech were able to blue-light him to Kettering General Hospital where he received surgery that saved his life.

"They are all angels – they should have wings. I’m going to give them (Adam and Ryan) both a big hug when I see them. If it wasn’t for them and the help Meditech provided, he wouldn’t be here.”

Gary, a medic and operations director at Meditech, said: “When we saw Steve, we immediately recognised the severity of pain he verbalised and we made the decision to go straight to Kettering hospital which has a dedicated cardiac unit. We phoned the team ahead so they were waiting to get him on the operating table when we arrived.

“A lot of credit goes to Adam. We have seen him respond to incidents before and he is a fantastic first aider that keeps his cool. The hospital consultants said if he had acted just five minutes later, it would have been a different story. It was fortuitous that everything fell into place that day. We are no heroes, this is what we train for, but it’s good to make a difference.”

Adam is one of five first aiders at Groupe CAT. He said: “When you are in the moment, you do what you have to do. The only thing that mattered to me was hearing that Steve was okay.”

Ryan Mahoney, Groupe CAT's compound supervisor, commended those involved. He said: “A huge shout out to Adam for his efforts. He saw the condition Steve was in and made the right calls. The same goes for Meditech and their super-fast reaction which saw them get to Steve within five minutes. Everyone should be proud of what they did that day to save a man’s life. Steve is a top man.”

Laura Murdoch, from Resource Management Solutions, Groupe CAT’s dedicated onsite HR and recruitment service, said: “Our first aiders are essential and, as shown here, make a crucial difference. Adam was level-headed in an intense situation. He didn’t panic but responded swiftly and responsibly. We are proud of those involved, and over the moon that Steve is doing well.”

Steve is now recovering at home following surgery.

He said: “It wasn’t until I spoke to the hospital doctors, I realised how close to death I was.

"It was a matter of minutes. I owe my life to them.”