Tuesday 6th January 2015 – 9.15pm – Murray MacGregor.
A builder who had a seizure on the roof of a six story construction site and almost drowned has been treated by ambulance staff.
The unusual incident happened at about 11.30am on Tuesday morning on the site at the junction of Cardigan Street and Curzon Street in Birmingham.
A rapid response vehicle and an ambulance were sent to the scene.
Paramedic, Jack Lewis, said: “The man, estimated to be in his 30s, had collapsed whilst on the roof of the building. Unfortunately, where he fell, he landed in a large deep puddle.
“By chance, he came down on his side, but had he landed face first, there was a very real chance that he could have drowned. Equally, it was fortunate that he had the seizure whilst in the middle of the roof rather than near the edge, even though there was a guard rail.
“It’s believed that he was found fairly quickly by work colleagues who did the right thing by calling 999. He was just coming round when I arrived.
“After assessing him, we started to warm him up before taking him to City Hospital where they could carry out further tests.
“It is important that people do the right thing when someone has a seizure. Try to put the patient in a safe place; don’t restrain them; and don’t put anything in their mouth – you would be amazed as to the things people, trying to help, have inserted.
“If it the patient’s first seizure dial 999 immediately, if the patient is a known epileptic and the seizure lasts more than five minutes or it takes the patient more than 10 minutes to recover, then you should also call an ambulance.”
Jack is one of the Trust’s corporate tweeters – you can find out more about the job he does by follow him at @wmasjacklewis or click here.
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