Community response saved the life of cyclist

Leon Ogier, 48, paid tribute to a member of the public and the emergency services who delivered the life-saving care which has enabled him to recover from the incident.

‘I know how lucky I am, I’m incredibly thankful for everything that each and every person did that day,’ he said.

On Saturday 1 March, Mr Ogier, a former Island Games cyclist who works at a repair shop, was riding his bike at a ‘very easy’ pace northwards along Les Banques when he suddenly became dizzy.

‘I pulled onto the grass just past the Halfway bus shelter and stopped,’ he said.

‘From that point on I personally don’t remember a thing, I’ve been told subsequently what happened.

‘However I knew it was a heart attack, as I had one in January so I knew the symptoms.’

As Mr Ogier was sat on the grass, he was spotted by Simon Welch, who was driving towards Town about to take his mother shopping.

‘Leon was sat upright with his bike on top of him and his body was shaking.

‘I ran over and asked if he needed an ambulance, to which he replied “yes”,’ Mr Welch said.

‘I thought he’d broken his leg or something, but then he said he was having a heart attack and knew it to be so, because he’d said he’d had one earlier in the year.’

Mr Ogier went into cardiac arrest while Mr Welch, was on the phone to the Joint Emergency Services Control Centre.

‘Leon’s eyes were like pinholes,’ Mr Welch said.

‘I said down the phone “if an ambulance doesn’t come now, he’s going to die”. I was terrified.’

Under the instruction of JESCC control room operator Rachel Lee, Mr Welch, an engineer, started to perform CPR on Mr Ogier, delivering chest compressions for a few minutes before police and then Ambulance & Rescue arrived.

‘Simon was understandably a bit panicked but he did really well to stay calm as we worked through what to do,’ Mrs Lee said.

Guernsey Police officer Jess Clarke was among the first emergency service responders on the scene.

She said the incident was the first time in her six years of service that she had been required to deal with a cardiac arrest.

‘It was a new situation, but you’re so glued in to what you’re doing, you’re not really thinking about what could potentially happen,’ she said.

‘Lisa (De Abreu, colleague) and I gave a mixture of compressions and shocks while we waited for the ambulance to arrive.

‘Eventually hearing that Leon was breathing was such a relief.’

Mr Ogier received three defibrillator shocks in total, two from police and one from Ambulance & Rescue.

Paramedic Emily Baudains, who took over responsibility for Mr Ogier from the police, said his condition continued to deteriorate before stabilising.

‘He was unresponsive but his heart was beating,’ she said.

‘Our role in that type of situation is to deliver the life-saving care before handing him over to the ambulance.’

Fellow paramedic Ross Senior said only between 7% and 12% of cardiac arrest victims were expected to survive.

‘You really do have to unfortunately consider the worst-case scenario in a situation like Leon’s.

‘Without the efforts of Mr Welch and the police before us, we could have had a very different outcome.’

After being taken to hospital Mr Ogier was flown to Southampton for further treatment.

He is now on the road to recovery back at home, and despite still feeling anxious about his health, he said he generally felt fine day-to-day.

‘I’ll be on aspirin and other medications for life, and I’ll probably have regular medical appointments to check how I’m doing,’ he said.

‘Ultimately I’m just grateful to still be here, and it’s thanks to all of those who played their part on the day.’