Cop Couple Save Cumnock Man Davie

Aug 8 2008

A HEART attack victim was minutes from death when his life was saved by two off-duty cops.

And this week Davie Ferguson, 57, told husband and wife PC Stuart and DC Jennifer McCulloch: “I wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for you.”

The newly-weds were reunited with Davie for the first time since he collapsed with crushing chest pain.

The drama saw highly trained Stuart and Jennifer take control to help save his life.

And they received certificates of commendation for their heroic efforts from Ayrshire’s divisional commander, Chief Superintendent Bill Fitzpatrick.

Davie, of Cumnock, said: “It was quite emotional seeing Stuart and Jennifer walk in and realising just what they had done for me.

“If they hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t be here – that’s it in a nutshell.

“That’s the first time I have seen either of them as I was completely out of it at the time.

“I had nothing in my head to picture what they looked like so it’s been a mixture of emotions.

“I obviously cannot thank them enough.”

The drama happened as Davie and wife Anne enjoyed a quiet Sunday in May. The pair were parked outside Nurseries Direct garden centre, by Trabboch, when the caring cops came to the rescue.

They spotted Davie slumped across the front seats of his car and quickly realised he had suffered a heart attack.

Stuart, 32, tried to find a pulse while Jennifer, 31, confirmed an ambulance had been contacted.

With Davie showing no signs of life, Stuart pulled him from the vehicle, laid him on the ground and began to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation on him.

Although Davie, who is a commercial waste manager with East Ayrshire Council, continued to show no signs of recovery, both officers took turns in performing the procedure until an ambulance arrived 20 minutes later.

Davie was taken to Ayr Hospital where he was given little hope of survival.

However, he beat the odds and returned home two weeks later, fully recovered.

Relieved Anne turned detective to track down the modest husband and wife heroes, who quietly left the scene when paramedics arrived.

She explained said: “You never know what’s round the corner, but Stuart and Jennifer just gauged the situation and acted.

“It was nice to get a chance to show our appreciation for what they did. My family can never thank Jennifer and Stuart enough.

“My husband works beside someone whose brother works at Cumnock police station.

“I asked him how I could contact the officers and started a trace from there. Stuart and Jennifer never sought any thanks for their actions that day.

“They did their bit and walked away when the ambulance came.”

Stuart works with Ayrshire’s proactive crime team, while Jennifer serves in the family protection unit.

Stuart said: “We are delighted with the progress and recovery that Davie has made.

“We were just going back to our car when we saw him slumped – it was quite surreal. As police officers we get first aid training and were thankfully able to help.

“We are obviously delighted with our award, but Davie’s return to health is the most important thing.”

Jennifer added: “It was great to see Davie in better health and have a chance to catch up.”

Chief Superintendent Bill Fitzpatrick paid tribute to the two officers.

He said: “There is no doubt that the prompt and decisive actions of Stuart and Jennifer saved Mr Ferguson’s life. Their combined perseverance in continuing to administer CPR resulted in his survival.

“The Ferguson family speak very highly of the manner in which both officers took control of the situation.

“They were also impressed by the compassionate attitude which they displayed towards them throughout the incident.”