PCSO Dan Banks brought John Elsworth 'back to life' (From This is Hampshire)

PCSO Dan Banks brought John Elsworth 'back to life'

11:40am Sunday 7th March 2010

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FOR 12 minutes he lay “dead” in the middle of a busy shopping street.

John Elsworth had suffered a heart attack so sudden that his chances of survival were almost zero.

But that did not stop Dan Banks.

The 22-year-old, only in the second week of his new job as a Police Community Support Officer (PCSO), would simply not give up and saved the pensioner’s life.

Now quick thinking Dan will get a prestigious national award from the Royal Humane Society for his efforts in the dramatic rescue.

He told the Daily Echo: “We were told in training an officer will only do this once in a lifetime so I didn’t expect it to happen in my first two weeks.

“You instantly realise you just have to do something. The situation is so serious that if it doesn’t work, there is nothing worse that could happen because this man was already dead.”

Dan came across the 63- year-old John’s body in Shirley precinct while on patrol with fellow PCSO Katie Ridd.

The pair along with Sainsbury’s first aider Jill Grub and an off–duty doctor helped the grandfather of six, who collapsed into the bike racks by Lloyds Pharmacy after he had returned a library book while his wife Pauline was running other errands.

Dan put his recent training into practice and began to try to re-start John’s heart.

He said: “I couldn’t find a pulse, he wasn’t breathing and he was purple all the way from his head to his neck. But I knew I couldn’t give up.”

After eight minutes of compressions, the ambulance arrived but Dan continued to fight to save him with paramedics for a further four minutes.

Dan said: “It was the longest eight minutes waiting for the ambulance. But when they turned up and started doing more serious procedures and that wasn’t working, it is scary.”

Then after three shocks, the retired Red Funnel worker and seaman finally responded.

After being rushed to Southampton General Hospital, John stayed in intensive care for four days on the brink of death.

Dan added: “It was a waiting game. We kept calling the hospital twice a day for news. I couldn’t sleep for three nights because the picture of his face stayed with me. It was a relief to hear he was OK.”

Now John, of Nelson Road, Freemantle, Shirley, has a defibrillator implant to monitor his heartbeat and is fighting fit, he has booked up holidays with Pauline to make the most of his second life.

Placing his hand over his implant with tears in his eyes John, said: “It’s like I’ve got Danny with me all the time now.

“He does deserve a medal.

I get so overwhelmed talking about it and he knows exactly how I feel. Danny saved my life.”

No date has yet been fixed for the presentation of the award.

The Royal Humane Society secretary Dick Wilkinson, added: “Were it not for PCSO Banks’ first aid expertise he might not have survived.”

Stephen Mason, resuscitation officer at Southampton General Hospital, said: “This an excellent example of the importance of good cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR), which, if started immediately and continued until expert help arrives, can drastically increase the chances of survival. Well done PCSO Dan Banks.”

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