Crew members, Barry Dalgleish and Claire Wharton were performing their duties for the Police Services Police Custody Unit in Spalding when they noticed two men, one of whom was covered in blood, sitting near the road.
Reacting quickly, the crew offered assistance to the man, who was bleeding profusely from the head. Their initial assumption was that the man had suffered a knife attack given the quantity of blood but it was later discovered that he had fallen over several times, resulting in a cracked skull.
Mr. Dalgleish and Ms. Wharton attempted to stem the bleeding but the extent of the wound was so severe that the bandages contained within their vehicle’s First Aid kit were insufficient. This forced the pair to use blue roll which is normally reserved for vehicle cleaning.
They continued to try and abate the bleeding for 30 minutes until an ambulance finally arrived. The ambulance crew admits that without their efforts, the man would not have survived.
While this scene unfolded around midnight on September the 2nd last year, the duo have been honoured for their efforts by being awarded the Royal Humane Society Certificates of Commendation.
Andrew Chapman, Secretary of the Royal Humane Society spoke of the recipients, saying “Put simply they were the right people in the right place at the right time. If they had not turned up and been able to give the man immediate attention then there is little doubt he would have died. This was a life and death situation and they were the heroes of the day.”