The partner of a man who suffered a heart attack at Maidstone East station has praised Southeastern employees and members of the public who helped to save his life.
Sebastian Szymanski was in the process of closing down the ticket office on the evening of Wednesday, 8 August when a member of the public alerted him to a man in the car park who required a defibrillator.
Stuart Legg from Barming in Maidstone collapsed and stopped breathing as he travelled home from London Victoria with his partner, Natalie Bresler.
Southeastern employees acted quickly to call the emergency services, locate and use the defibrillator while a member of the public performed CPR to prompt resuscitation. Laura McMahon, a Southeastern employee was also on hand to support Natalie throughout.
Paramedics arriving on scene to take Stuart to hospital have praised the efforts of Sebastian, the station team and members of the public for their speed, quick-thinking and compassion in a highly pressurised situation.
One of the paramedics, who arrived to help Stuart, emailed Southeastern’s customer service to “convey his admiration for the response of Southeastern’s station staff” and said that without their help; Stuart would not be alive today.
Defibrillation is the only method for reverting lethal cardiac arrest. Acting quickly is crucial as defibrillation in the first minute increases the chance of survival by 70%.
By the time the paramedics arrived, Stuart had begun breathing and regained consciousness.
Natalie has thanked Southeastern employees and members of the public for their heroic act and has said that Stuart is recovering well at home.
Matthew Fraser, Southeastern station manager at Maidstone East said:
“Not only was the situation deeply stressful for Stuart and Natalie, but while at a train station with other passengers looking on, the Southeastern team acted professionally to ensure the safety of Stuart, Natalie and to co-ordinate effectively with the public to control the situation.
“Their actions prove what a fantastic job our station employees do daily, even in incredibly difficult situations, and that deserves recognition. We wish Stuart a full recovery.”
All Southeastern employees receive information and training on the use of defibrillators as part of their company induction.
