Man who survived cardiac arrest on Rutland Water Aqua Park meets lifeguards who saved him
A watersports enthusiast who suffered a cardiac arrest while enjoying a family day out has met the lifeguards who saved him.
Dave Francis was on the Aqua Park course at Rutland Water with his niece and nephew back in May when the medical drama unfolded.
His wife Sheryl saw him collapse on one of the inflatable obstacles and called for help. Lifeguards George Pollard and Reuben Hutchison, both 17, sprang into action.
Using a paddleboard they brought Dave to shore and began CPR immediately.
Reuben, who lives in Billingborough, said: “The lifeguard training we were given was so rigorous that our response came instinctively.
“Once Dave was in the hands of the emergency services, the emotions then hit. It was surreal.”
George, who lives in King’s Cliffe, added: “In the moment you just do your best.”
It was George’s first day working as a lifeguard and Reuben’s second shift, and the water park had only been open for a few days for the summer season.
Alongside duty manager Nathan Liptrot and Aqua Park manager Charlotte Bambrick, the lifeguards used a defibrillator to shock Dave’s heart back into a normal rhythm and continued CPR for more than 20 minutes, before an air ambulance arrived. This was about the time Dave began to regain consciousness.
George, a pupil at Uppingham School, said: “When we found out he’d come around it was amazing and we knew he was in capable hands with the air ambulance team.”
He was airlifted to Glenfield Hospital in Leicester where he had surgery to fit a stent and a mini defibrillator.
Since his cardiac arrest Dave, who owns a window company, has made a good recovery.
He said: “One minute I was having a brilliant day enjoying the obstacles and the next thing I remember is waking up with ear defenders on in the air ambulance.
“I’ll forever be grateful to George, Reuben, Nathan and Charlotte. They are heroes in my eyes and I’m so pleased to be able to express my gratitude to them in person.”
He added: “Fortunately, I can’t remember a thing about the experience and now that I’m feeling much better I want to do something to help other people who might find themselves in my position.
“I didn’t even know I had a heart problem so I want to stress the importance of routine heart check-ups."
On Friday (August 2) the 64-year-old, who lives in Surrey, met the lifeguards to express his gratitude.
Dave and Sheryl were told by hospital doctors as well as the air ambulance crew that without the trained lifeguards and the defibrillator, which was bought by the Aqua Park two years ago, the outcome could have been very different.
The four lifeguards were also awarded with certificates and trophies from Rutland Aqua Park and Royal Life Saving Society UK, which delivers training and offers a counselling service.
Aqua Park has operated up to four water parks in the UK since 2016, and in that time welcomed more than 500,000 visitors, but this is the first time there has been a serious health issue on the course.
Charlotte, who has worked at the Aqua Park for four years and was pregnant at the time of the incident, said: “Of course, looking back it’s quite a dramatic situation, but we didn’t think about that during the event and simply tried our best to help save Dave’s life.
“Everything happened very suddenly. We just followed our training plan, worked together and tried to stay calm.
“It was quite emotional afterwards because while we train for these scenarios, we don't expect them to actually happen.
“We always wondered what happened to Dave and we’re so thankful that he’s now feeling much better.”
Despite Dave’s traumatic experience, he says he would return to Rutland Aqua Park in the future - if they would have him - and encourages people to visit themselves.
