A Douglas man who went into cardiac arrest on Peel Road has thanked the passer-by whose quick action kept him alive, Isle of Man Today reported.
Francesco Romagnosi, 48, was on his way home from work on 28 July when he collapsed on the stretch of Peel Road between Brown Bobby and Douglas Railway Station. He was found by Keith Mourant, who lives locally and has worked with the ambulance service in the past.
Mr Mourant told the paper he called out to Mr Romagnosi twice without getting a reply, then went over and realised something was seriously wrong. After trying to flag down passing drivers, he stopped a builder in a van and asked him to ring 999.
Guided by a nurse on the emergency call, Mr Mourant checked Mr Romagnosi’s pulse and breathing and started CPR. He kept up chest compressions when Mr Romagnosi stopped breathing, and said he eventually got him breathing again. He stayed at the scene for around an hour while the emergency services attended.
“The last time I was shown first aid was maybe 28 years ago,” Mr Mourant said.
Mr Romagnosi was taken to Noble’s Hospital and later transferred to Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital, where he was fitted with a defibrillator to guard against further dangerous heart rhythms. He said tests had not yet found the cause. He described himself as someone who exercises regularly and watches his diet, and said he had had no warning symptoms.
He has little memory of what happened. “He’s my second father as he gave me my life again,” he said of Mr Mourant. He also thanked the ambulance service, both hospitals and consultant cardiologist Patrick Hayle.
Mr Romagnosi said he was troubled that other people had walked past without helping. He suggested some may have assumed he was drunk or caught up in another kind of incident.
“Human life is a value that should go over everything else,” he said.
