An Angus cyclist’s brush with tragedy has seen the first public access defibrillator put in place to fill a glaring gap beside one of Tayside’s busiest roads.
George McClure from Kirriemuir suffered catastrophic injuries in an accident beside the Forfar bypass last September.
For almost a quarter of an hour he ‘died’ at the roadside.
But his life was saved by an amazing double stroke of luck.
He was resuscitated by a passing nurse and Tayside Police Mountain Rescue Team members who were the first on the horrific scene.
The accident left the 55-year-old in an induced coma for more than a month.
And he required major facial reconstruction.
Remarkably, George is now at home and making good progress in his recovery.
He said: “I was unlucky with the accident – but I couldn’t have been luckier with the people who stopped to help.
“They saved my life.”
And his family has now raised the funds for the lifesaving defib beside the A94 junction on the Dundee to Aberdeen dual carriageway.
Sunday afternoon cycle turned to near tragedy
The accident happened just after George left the Dunnichen Stone restaurant at Orchardbank where his wife, Morag, is the manager.
Morag, 52,” said: “It was a Sunday afternoon and I was working, so George had cycled down from Kirrie.
“He set off for home and I left just behind him in the car because I had finished my shift.”
But seconds into the journey, Morag found her critically injured husband lying on the ground at the A90 underpass.
It’s thought George suffered an aneurysm before hitting a roadside pole.
“I couldn’t even dial 999 for fear, and ended up Facetiming my daughter, Ashley instead,” said Morag.
Moments later a car containing young nurse Carrie Todd stopped to help.
She lives in nearby Douglastown and immediately began CPR on the seriously injured oil worker.
Morag said: “The next vehicle was the police mountain rescue team who had been on training.
“They had a defibrillator in their Land Rover and used it on George.
“He died for 13 minutes,” revealed Morag.
“He was too far gone for an air ambulance. The trauma team spent an hour and a half working on him at the roadside.”
A catalogue of appalling injuries included a brain bleed, broken neck and broken collarbone.
“George also broke every bone in his face from his forehead to his top lip – only his lower jaw escaped,” added Morag.
“He was unrecognisable.
“In HDU there were two male patients and his injuries were so bad my other daughter, Helen, didn’t know which one he was.”
He spent more than four weeks in an induced coma but slowly began the journey to recovery.
After a spell in Royal Victoria Hospital, George was able to return home and is now undergoing regular physiotherapy.
No recollection of accident
George remembers nothing of his brush with death beyond setting off for a cycle ride.
“I woke up in the ward after nearly two months and thought ‘what am I doing here?’,” he said.
During the lengthy bedside vigil his family realised the nearest public access 24-hour defibrillator was nearly 1½ miles away in Forfar town centre.
Morag added: “My daughter Helen set up a Go Fund Me Page and it just took off.
“People flooded it with support and we had a very generous donation from local businessman Mark Guild.
“We wanted to get the best defibrillator we could, and then local electrician Jamie Milne agreed to connect it for free.
“My employers, Marston’s were happy to have it installed here at Dunnichen Stone and supply the electricity.
“This part of the town is a really busy area. It’s right beside the dual carriageway with a lot of businesses.”
And George has thanked those who funded the defib as well as the lifesavers who came to his immediate aid.
“It’s good to know it’s here now,” he said.
“But I hope no-one has to use it soon.”
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