Paramedics thank bystanders for helping save man at Ottawa airport
American Airlines staff, border agents among group of people who came to help 68-year-old man
Border agents, airline workers and passengers were among a group of people who helped a 68-year-old man that went into cardiac arrest after getting off his flight at the Ottawa International Airport Tuesday night.
Paramedics said witnesses immediately started performing CPR on the victim when he collapsed just after 8:15 p.m.
American Airlines staff, Ottawa police, Canada Border Services agents, passengers and airport staff teamed up to quickly use one of the airport's 17 defibrillators on him.
By the time paramedics arrived, they said the man had regained consciousness and didn't remember collapsing.
His only complaint was that his ribs hurt from the CPR.
Paramedics transferred him to hospital in stable condition.
"This event clearly shows what bystanders and law enforcement officers can do to save a life with CPR and a defibrillator," paramedic spokesperson Marc-Antoine Deschamps said in the news release.
"Without their interventions, the outcome might have been quite different. Congratulations to all individuals involved in saving that man's life."
