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Stevenage: Car crash victim reunites with CPR lifesavers

Kate Bradbrook/BBC Kay RushKate Bradbrook/BBC
Kay Rush crashed into two parked cars when she suffered a cardiac arrest at the wheel

A grandmother who suffered a cardiac arrest while driving has been reunited with the people who saved her life.

Kay Rush, 63, crashed into two parked cars on Fellowes Way in Stevenage at about 15:30 BST on 13 April.

Michelle D'Arcy, a school crossing patrol officer, was off duty at a nearby pub when she kicked off her slider shoes, ran barefoot and performed CPR.

Ms Rush said it was "lovely" meeting her and the emergency services.

"Without them I wouldn't be here," she told the BBC.

"It has been a really emotional day and I will probably go home and cry. It's been really lovely to say thank you."

Sharon Spencer hugging Kay Rush
Paramedic Sharon Spencer and Kay Rush were both emotional as they reunited

The grandmother-of-seven was driving the 10-minute journey from her daughter's house, to her 94-year-old mother's house, when she lost consciousness.

Ms D'Arcy, who was having lunch at the Our Mutual Friend pub opposite, gave CPR inside the vehicle and first-on-the-scene senior paramedic Sharon Spencer took over two minutes later.

Senior paramedic Rachel Trengrove, newly-qualified paramedic Leroy Leachman and apprentice emergency support worker Georgina Bull quickly followed from the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust.

Hertfordshire Constabulary acting Sgt Barry Scott and PC Josh Stephenson also gave CPR assistance.

Kate Bradbrook/BBC Michelle D'ArcyKate Bradbrook/BBC
Michelle D'Arcy ran barefoot from the pub that was opposite the crash scene
Kate Bradbrook/BBC Paramedics Sharon Spencer and Rachel TrengroveKate Bradbrook/BBC
Paramedics (l-r) Sharon Spencer and Rachel Trengrove were the first two ambulance staff on scene

Ms Rush was given four defibrillator shocks over a 12-minute period which restored a sustained heart rhythm.

A crew from the Essex and Herts Air Ambulance gave further treatment but she was transported by road to Lister Hospital in Stevenage, where after 24 hours, she was fully conscious showing no side effects.

Ms Rush, who ran the London Marathon in 2021, was told the cardiac arrest was spontaneous but has been fitted with an internal defibrillator and pacemaker to help build up her stamina.

Kate Bradbrook/BBC Sgt Barry ScottKate Bradbrook/BBC
Sgt Barry Scott (pictured), from Hitchin Police Station, and PC Josh Stephenson have been nominated for awards

Ms D'Arcy, 43, who received first aid training via her employer Hertfordshire County Council, said the experience had given her renewed confidence.

"It's given me a spring in my step, it's helped me with my depression, it's given me a purpose in my life, and I've met some really lovely people," she said, speaking from Stevenage Ambulance Station in Babbage Road on Monday.

Ms Spencer said she felt "on top of the world" meeting her, and said after 18 years in the job, Ms Rush was only her third patient to fully recover from a cardiac arrest.

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Ms Trengrove said: "We have had a really difficult few years in the NHS and it makes it all worth it when you can speak to someone whose life you've saved and made a difference to their whole family."

Insp John Nelms said he was "incredibly proud" of his officers and said both were now nominated for a Royal Humane Society award.

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