Fairfield Villa boss and fellow football fans praised for 'excellent CPR' which saved man's life - The Bromsgrove Standard

Fairfield Villa boss and fellow football fans praised for 'excellent CPR' which saved man's life

Bromsgrove Editorial 7th Dec, 2021 Updated: 7th Dec, 2021   0

A FOTBALL fan and manager of Bromsgrove’s Faifield Villa and others helped save a man’s life on Sunday.

Keith Draper was on his way back from watching Aston Villa beat Leicester 2-1 when the incident happened.

He and his brother, son-in-law and grandson had returned to their car.

When they went to drive off they realised another car, resting on theirs, had its handbrake off so they had to stay until the driver came back.




While they waited Keith noticed a man ‘dragging another man out of a car’ and went to find out what was happening.

He said: “I thought he was been mugged so went to step in and stop it.”


When he got there he was told the fan was slumped over his steering wheel and had no pulse.

Keith, who was joined by Joe Tilley from Longbridge and Jamie Canning, placed him on the floor and started CPR. The group were then also assisted by an off-duty nurse who was passing at the time.

All three kept up the chest compressions until paramedics arrived with a defibrillator and the police shut off the road.

Keith added: “We were glad when they came as we were all tired and it was very cold.

“They shocked him and nothing happened so me and the others carried on CPR while it recharged.”

After two more shocks the man regained consciousness.

Keith said: “It was crazy – one minute he was dead and the next minute he was trying to get up off the road.”

The paramedics put him on the stretcher and took him off to hospital.

Keith, who owns Castle Pets on Weoley Castle Square, added: “I couldn’t believe what had happened – the guy was dead when they pulled him out the car but was alive when they put him on the ambulance. It was a very humbling experience.

“I have been a first aider in the past but I had not done any for about 15 years.

“Thankfully, when I started CPR, it all came back to me.”

Keith said it showed the importance of everyone learning life-saving skills.

“I am a strong believer in fate – we should have been gone a long time ago and were only there because of the car rolling into ours, the other man does not usually go to the Villa and the nurse was just passing. But all three of us worked together at that moment to save the man’s life. I just hope he pulled through and is recovering.”

Aston Villa have written to all three thanking them for their quick-thinking actions.

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We were called to Aldersea Drive, Aston, Birmingham at 6.49pm to reports of a cardiac arrest.

“Two ambulances, a paramedic officer, a critical care paramedic and a MERIT trauma doctor attended the scene.

“Crews arrived to find bystanders performing excellent CPR on a man.

“Crews took over resuscitation efforts on scene and the man was conveyed to City Hospital for further emergency care.”

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