A Scottish dad who collapsed during a friendly football match was brought back to life thanks to the intervention of ambulance workers and several bystanders.
Peter Dunn was playing for Falkirk FFIT (Falkirk Football Fans in Training) against Ness FC at Falkirk football club when he suddenly suffered cardiac arrest in the 88th minute.
Ambulance technician Christopher Adams and paramedic Martin Macleod – who had been playing for Ness FC – started CPR immediately, while a charge nurse and two police officers also stepped in to help.
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The part-time gardener said: “I would like to thank everyone who helped me, including my partner Karen and my daughter. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be here today.
“It was in the last two minutes of the game and I just collapsed.”
A paramedic response unit was dispatched and arrived within five minutes to help save the life of the 64-year-old.
The next thing Mr Dunn remembers is waking up in the hospital. He said: “I just sort of sat up and came to. I didn’t know what had happened until I started getting messages.
“The nurse explained that I had a cardiac arrest. I actually felt absolutely great, but I think it was because of the morphine. I still had my football boots on.”
Mr Dunn spent the next three weeks in hospital after the incident on August 4, 2023, and has since returned home where he continues his recovery after having a triple bypass.
He has returned to work and might return to “walking football” down the track. He also thanked the hospital’s nurses and doctors for the care he received.
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Following the incident Mr Adams and Mr Macleod were shortlisted for the Central FM Local Hero Awards held in Dunblane in November.
Mr Adams, a technician at Stornoway ambulance station, said it was a privilege to be nominated for the awards alongside Mr Macleod, a paramedic for Barvas ambulance service.
He said: “Initially thinking he'd stumbled, I realised he had made no effort to stop his fall or in fact get back up. I knelt down and rolled him onto his back and check his breathing and pulse.
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"At that point one of my teammates and a player on the other team, who are both A&E nurses, helped with compressions and mouth to mouth as I removed his shirt. Another player had run to get a defibrillator whilst Martin was on the phone to the ambulance call handler.
“As we prepared to enter the second shock, the Falkirk PRU arrived. It was following that shock we regained an output and Roddy Mackenzie, the A&E nurse from Stornoway, cannulated Peter.
"The ambulance arrived and the crew took Peter into the back of the ambulance where he was able to give them his personal details and they transported him to a hospital.”
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