Paramedic the hero as man ‘dies’ on aircraft

Passenger’s heart stopped beating on storm-hit flight

A north-east paramedic has been hailed a hero after he saved a cardiac arrest victim’s life on a stormbattered plane heading for the Western Isles.

Lewis native Chris Morrison, who now lives in Stonehaven, leapt into action after a fellow passenger suffered cardiac arrest and stopped breathing.

Iain Mackay’s heart stopped as wild winds hindered Loganair LM155 flight from landing at Stornoway airport.

Passengers were told to be prepared for the plane to return to Inverness as the winds made it hazardous to touch down on Tuesday afternoon.

A Loganair cabin crew member noticed Mr Mackay, 37, was unresponsive.

And as the plane rocked wildly Dyce-based Mr Morrison began CPR.

He said: “I dragged him out of his seat and on to the floor.”

He cut off Mr Mackay’s clothing and delivered a shock from the defibrillator provided by the stewardess.

But, as there was still no pulse he resumed CPR efforts. A nurse took over resuscitation for a spell as Mr Morrison, 28, rushed to the cockpit, telling the pilot to make an immediate emergency landing.

He said: “Then an announcement came over the tannoy for all passengers to adopt the brace position as it was going to be a bumpy landing.

“Everyone buckled up but I continued resuscitation.”

Another passenger told of how Mr Morris delivered “several shocks” with a defibrillator, finally getting the casualty’s heart beating again and stabilising him, as the pilots radioed ahead for assistance. Once on the ground an ambulance took the ailing passenger to Stornoway hospital three miles away. Stornoway Coastguard helicopter later emergency airlifted Mr Mackay to Glasgow for specialist treatment where he was recovering.

A Loganair spokesman said: “Our first thoughts are with our passenger, who we sincerely hope will recover.

“We’re proud of the way our cabin crew member handled this challenging situation on board, and would like to extend our gratitude to her and the off-duty paramedic for their professionalism and timely assistance.

“Tuesday’s events also have proven beyond all doubt that our choice to carry defibrillators on every Loganair aircraft was the right decision.”

“Everyone buckled up but I continued resuscitation”

QUICK-THINKING: Paramedic Chris Morrison, who saved fellow passenger Iain Mackay’s life when his heart stopped on a flight to Lewis