Elderly Pretoria man’s life saved after 8m fall
Bystanders on the scene acted swiftly after the man fell from a ladder at an office park in Persequor.
An elderly man in his 70s survived a terrifying fall from a ladder at an office park on De Havilland Crescent in Persequor in the east of Pretoria this morning (Thursday, February 20).
Volunteer Emergency Medical Response Unit (Vemru) spokesperson Casper Visser said the incident occurred just after 11:00.
He said the man fell approximately 8m down onto the ground, leaving him in critical condition.
“Moments after the fall, the situation became even more urgent, as the man went into cardiac arrest,” he said.
Fortunately, bystanders on the scene acted swiftly and performed CPR while waiting for emergency services to arrive.
Visser said emergency services arrived shortly thereafter and immediately implemented advanced cardiac life support resuscitation.
“Paramedics worked tirelessly to revive the man for nearly 20 minutes,” Visser said.
Their efforts finally paid off when they achieved return of spontaneous circulation and the man’s pulse returned.
After being stabilised, the man was rapidly transported to a nearby hospital under advanced life support care.
Visser emphasised the critical importance of knowing basic First Aid and CPR.
“Knowing how to perform CPR can save the life of a loved one,” he said.
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