A woman, believed to be in her fifties, who was airlifted to hospital after she became unwell while swimming on Lough Derg, died at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) on Thursday evening. Emergency services were alerted to assist a woman who got into difficulty while swimming near the fishing stands on the Killaloe side of the Twomilegate bathing area. Killaloe Coast Guard was tasked to the scene at about 6.40pm and arrived to Ballycuggeran within seven minutes practically at the same time as one HSE paramedic. Members of the public had commenced cardiocompulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on a fishing stand near the forest area at Ballcuggeran. This was continued by two advanced HSE paramedics with assistance from Coast Guard members. It is understood that there were a lot of people swimming in the water at the time due to the hot weather. Assistance was requested from the Emergency Aeromedical Service, which sent the HSE’s Cork-based air ambulance, Aeromed 01, to the scene. …
Read More »CPR Skills Essential Says Hero Doctor
AN Ennis doctor who helped save the life of a hurling fan after he collapsed in a busy Dublin train station has modestly told us, “I think there was a lot of luck involved and I was in the right place at the right time.” Dr Carly Lewis, who is originally from the Tulla Road in Ennis, sprang into action and performed CPR on the man who is in his 70s after discovering he had no pulse. Fortunately he is now doing well, and following the experience Dr Lewis is appealing to the public to get Basic Life Support training saying, “The more people who are trained, the better the outcomes all round”. Dr Lewis was in the Drumcondra train station with her sister having come from watching Clare play Kilkenny in the All Ireland semi-finals in Croke Park when the emergency situation unfolded. She recalls they were about to get on the train when she noticed a commotion on …
Read More »Hero, 21, saves life of man at workplace
Hotel employee springs into action to save guest experiencing cardiac arrest AN Ennis hotel worker and Irish Red Cross volunteer has been hailed a hero after saving a man experiencing cardiac arrest while at a family event. Anthony Quinn, aged 21, works at the Old Ground Hotel and was on duty when he was alerted that a man in his 50s had collapsed in one of the function rooms and needed medical assistance. Anthony, who is trained in CPR through his volunteering with the Irish Red Cross told The Champion, “I just went down to him straight away and there was a crowd gathered around him and I could see he was turning blue. “My training just kicked in and I went and checked his pulse and assessed him to find he was in cardiac arrest. I rang 999 and co-ordinated with the emergency services and commenced CPR.” Every minute of a cardiac arrest is vital and Anthony asked the …
Read More »Trish’s life-saving response prompts call for more defibrillators
A BAREFIELD woman, whose quick action helped save the life of a man in Ennis at the weekend, is calling for greater availability of defibrillators and urging people to get CPR training. Modest Trish Baker says she was “just in the right place at the right time”, when she came to the aid of a man who had gone into cardiac arrest in Cairde café on Barrack Street on Saturday morning. The trained nurse sprang into action, when her daughter raised concerns about one of the customers. “I was out the back in the store room, when my daughter, Erin, came out to tell me he was asleep and he had gone a very funny colour. I came in and realised that he actually had arrested. On assessment, he didn’t have a pulse and he wasn’t breathing. “My training as a nurse and as a CPR instructor just kicked in. I surprised myself. I’ve taught hundreds and hundreds of people …
Read More »‘every parent’s worst nightmare’
A verdict of accidental death was returned at the inquest into the death of a 15-year-old boy in Killimer at Clare’s Coroner’s Court this week. Described as “every parent’s worst nightmare” by County Coroner Isobel O’Dea, the jury heard how Kevin Donnellan, of Ballycurrane, Knock spent his last few hours with a friend at “his favourite place” – Killimer Ferry. The tragic events that unfolded, after the consumption of a significant amount of alcohol for a boy of his age, has had devastating consequences for his family and for the woman who accidentally caused his death. The court heard that Kevin left his home on Hallowe’en night, 2016 to meet a close friend near Burrane National School. His friend outlined that Kevin had brought a litre bottle of vodka, which was half full and hip flasks also containing vodka. They arrived at the school around 1.40am and decided to walk towards the ferry, which was “Kevin’s favourite place”. His friend …
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