On Air Now

The Retro Coast

2:00pm - 3:00pm

  • 01723 336444

Now Playing

Scarborough Gym Instructor Promotes Learning CPR After Saving a Life

Scarborough gym instructor and volunteer coastguard David Mort has been commended for his rapid response and life-saving skills after administering CPR in two separate incidents within the same week.

The first incident occurred in a Scarborough supermarket car park, where David noticed a woman slumped over her steering wheel with the car engine still running. Acting swiftly, he assisted in breaking the back window, while someone else called 999 for an ambulance, and then performed CPR until paramedics arrived. Sadly, despite his best efforts, the woman could not be revived.

Just five days later, while on duty at the Barons Fitness Gym, David was called to help when a walking football player collapsed. 

Recognising the signs of cardiac arrest - specifically agonal breathing, which can often be mistaken for normal respiration - David immediately began CPR and instructed someone to fetch a defibrillator. After delivering a shock and three more rounds of CPR, the man regained consciousness. When the ambulance crew arrived, the man was awake and alert. 

The 32-year-old said:

“He came back to the gym a few months later to say thank you; it was quite overwhelming but great to see him looking so well.

“I would encourage everyone to familiarise themselves with recognising the signs of a cardiac arrest because the sooner you can start CPR, the better their chances of survival.”

The signs of a cardiac arrest can include sudden collapse, loss of consciousness, and the absence of normal breathing.

In some cases, a person may display agonal breathing, which is a gasping, irregular breath that can be mistaken for normal respiration or appear as if they are having a fit.

Other signs may involve no pulse or movement, and the person may not respond when spoken to or shaken.

Immediate action, such as calling 999 for an ambulance and starting CPR, is vital when these signs are observed.

 

Did you find this article useful?

This is the Coast is committed to providing a daily local news service for the Yorkshire Coast. We are a small locally owned and operated business which employs professional journalists and reporters. We do not receive any public funding or grants and we are entirely funded by our local commercial operations. We enjoy fabulous support from local businesses who work with us on their advertising and marketing campaigns, but the cost of providing high quality, well researched, fact checked local news coverage is significant.

If you appreciate what This is the Coast does, and would like to help support our journalism, please consider supporting us on a monthly basis today.

A small contribution from all our readers would really help support independent journalism for the Yorkshire Coast.

More from Yorkshire Coast News

Comments

Add a comment

Log in to the club or enter your details below.

Follow Us

Get Our Apps

Our Apps are now available for iOS, Android and Smart Speakers.

  • Available on the App Store
  • Available on Google Play
  • Just ask Amazon Alexa
  • Available on Roku

Today's Weather

  • Scarborough

    Low-level cloud

    High: 13°C | Low: 9°C

  • Filey

    Low-level cloud

    High: 13°C | Low: 8°C

  • Whitby

    Low-level cloud

    High: 14°C | Low: 8°C

  • Bridlington

    Low-level cloud

    High: 14°C | Low: 8°C

  • Hornsea

    Low-level cloud

    High: 14°C | Low: 9°C

  • Driffield

    Low-level cloud

    High: 14°C | Low: 9°C

News