Kottayam doctor performs timely CPR, saves 50-year-old accident victim
Kottayam: A doctor from Kottayam acted swiftly to save a 50-year-old accident victim, giving him a second chance at life through timely cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The incident occurred on Tuesday night, shortly after Dr Ajayakumar S left his residence in Enathu to pick up his wife from Mannady near Adoor in Pathanamthitta.
Roughly a kilometre into the Enathu–Mannady stretch, the doctor noticed a middle-aged man riding a two-wheeler at high-speed overtaking his car. Within seconds, and barely 15 metres ahead, the rider collided head-on with an autorickshaw approaching from the opposite side. The impact flung both the rider and his vehicle onto the road, reports onmanorama news.
Reacting immediately, Dr Ajayakumar stopped his car and hurried to help the injured, unconscious man. The victim was later identified as a 50-year-old, a native of Mannady. Assessing the critical situation, the doctor performed two cycles of CPR. Within moments of the intervention, Sreejith regained consciousness, underscoring the life-saving impact of prompt medical assistance at the scene.
Dr Ajayakumar, 54, currently serves as a medical officer at the Community Health Centre Kulakkada in Kollam. He has been serving in the medical field for almost 17 years; however, he never encountered such a situation where he had to save a patient roadside. “I had seen him overtake my vehicle. He was speeding and not wearing a helmet. The crash happened right in front of me,” the doctor recalls.
According to The Daily, when the CCTV footage was examined, the two-wheeler could be seen moving to the wrong side of the road after overtaking the doctor’s car, leading to a head-on collision with the autorickshaw, which then swerved off the road and rammed into a nearby shop building. As a result of the collision, an autorickshaw driver, a woman passenger, and one child were thrown out of the vehicle, while another child, a girl, remained inside for some time before coming out. Fortunately, none of them suffered severe injuries, and each was able to get up right away. “The bike rider was the only one lying unconscious. Since the others seemed stable, I rushed straight to him,” Dr Ajayakumar added.
The doctor found the patient lying on his side when he checked his pulse, and he realised that CPR needed to be administered. “It was a busy time because a temple festival was taking place nearby. Many people gathered, but most were unsure what to do. When I told them I was a doctor and asked for help, they cooperated immediately.” After that, the patient regained his consciousness, and the doctor sought a cloth from the bystanders to control the bleeding and help immobilise his fractured right leg, reports The Daily.
Soon ambulance arrived, he was rushed to the Taluk Hospital in Adoor and was ultimately admitted to the Government Medical College, Kottayam, for further treatment. "It is learnt that the man had also suffered a head injury. The autorickshaw passengers were taken to the hospital earlier in another vehicle," Dr Ajayakumar said. “I haven’t visited him in person since then, but we stay in touch over the phone, and I regularly enquire about his recovery,” he added.
