Heart attack victim's hunt for mystery helpers who helped save his life

A GRATEFUL OAP who had a heart attack on the way to buy a paper says he wants to thank in person the crowd of mystery good Samaritans who he believes saved his life.

Albert Mullins collapsed and banged his head on the pavement after being taken ill in Kimberworth.

An off-duty firefighter, who was driving past, stopped and gave him first aid, while a pair of kind-hearted passers-by went to fetch his wife Sheila to the scene.

Recovering at home in Poucher Street, Kimberworth, this week, 79-year-old Mr Mullins said: “I just remember so many came over concerned and I wanted to thank them — I did not get any of their names.”

Mr Mullins said he had felt a tingle in his jaw as he left home last Thursday morning but thought nothing of it and set off to get his paper.

“I was driving to the shop and felt a bit queer so I stopped the car and got out,” he recalled.

“Some people came over and asked if I was OK and I said I would be fine.

“I turned around and took a fall face first onto the pavement.

“I was not unconscious but I didn’t know everything that was happening.

“The firefighter put me in the recovery position and someone put a blanket around me. “The ambulance service were brilliant, too.

“Ever so many people came to help — it’s good in this day and age.

“This firefighter was from Lincolnshire and just happened to be passsing — he’s probably saved my life.”

Mr Mullins, said he was “on the mend but still feeling a bit rough”.

The retired electrician said he had always been “fit as a fiddle” and had no idea what had brought on his heart attack.

His relieved wife Sheila said she had become concerned after her husband failed to return from his usual ten-minute trip to buy the Daily Mirror.

“I was waiting for him to come back and after about 40 minutes I was worried and was going to go and look for him,” she said.

“There was a knock on the door and there were two people, one of whom was definitely a carer. She asked if I was Sheila and said my husband had had a fall.

“They took me to where he was and he was laid on the ground with this off-duty firefighter looking after him.

“There were some other people around at the time. Someone has given the firefighter a mobile phone to ring for an ambulance and there were others that have come across the road to Albert.

“After some time, they took us to the Northern General in an ambulance.

“We’re all still traumatised by what happened but we wanted to thank everyone that came to try and help.”

Albert’s son Keith said: “He’s never had any chest or heart problems so this came as a big shock.

“Dad couldn’t believe people were so good and we are very grateful to everyone who helped.”