Against all odds, a hero dad’s quick thinking ended up saving the life of a man who was having a seizure while driving his out-of-control vehicle.
The Manchester, UK resident performed a controlled stop in front of the out-of-control vehicle, knowing that he may well be severely injured or dead by the end of the entire ordeal. The man’s actions were lauded by the local police, and he has since been covered by BBC, The Guardian, and other major publications.
Earlier on Sunday, 59-year-old John Barlow was driving on M62 and was accompanied by his family. On his way to get a new kitten for his 7-year-old son, John saw a passed-out motorist who was spewing blood from his mouth.
The man in the other car was having a seizure and his car was out-of-control. Wasting no time, John brought his own vehicle further until the man’s car bumped into his own. Officers investigating the ordeal later said that John’s actions averted “potential serious collision” on the freeway
Meanwhile, one of the persons on the road, used his hammer to smash through the passenger side of the window of the other man’s vehicle, and John used his first aid knowledge to revive him.
The Facts of the Matter
When 59-year-old Jiu-Jistu trainer John Barlow stepped into his car with his family to get a kitten for his son, little did he know that he would be saving a life of a man having seizure, and help avert a “potential serious collision” on the freeway.
Driving on the M62 near Leeds, the Manchester resident spotted another driver appearing to be dead, with blood spewing out of his mouth. John honked and tried to get the attention of the driver, who had his feet on the accelerator of the car which was driving at around 30 mph. However, his attempts of getting attention failed.
“Cometh the hour, cometh the man”
This was when John decided to get his car in front of the man’s car to avoid any potential mishap. Knowing that he could be injured at the end of the ordeal, he kept his car on the same speed, and overtook it.
He then kept the car in the same speed, and put his feet on the brakes, deaccelerating slowly and steadily, so that the car behind him would only come to an easy halt rather than a harsh hit. “When he hit me the first time, my little boy was screaming, but there was nothing I could do. We’d already decided then we were going to try and stop him,” he was quoted in a Guardian report.
Doors Locked, Tradesman Uses Hammer
In a Facebook post, he further narrated how team work saved the life of the man in the vehicle behind him.
“Jumped out and waved for all the traffic which was still moving to stop so i could get in his passenger door. Unfortunately his doors were locked so tried repeatedly elbowing his passenger window (Note to one’s self, elbows don’t win fights with car windows),” he wrote.
It’s often said that fortune favours the brave, and this time fortune favored John’s bravery. Somehow, the entire incident received the attention of a tradesman who had a hammer. The tradesman broke through the passenger side’s window and got the man out.
Serious of Fortunate Events
As if all the stars were perfectly aligned for John to save the man’s life, he had recently had a first aid refresher course and used the same to help the man get out of his seizure. As this was going on, a doctor arrived at the scene and he fortunately was carrying a defibrillator.
The man was successfully revived and the story ended on a happy note.
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