A Blairgowrie rugby player’s life was saved by his teammates after he collapsed in the middle of a game.
Hamish Bell, 20, was playing a match at Blairgowrie Rugby Club when he fell to the ground and went into cardiac arrest on Tuesday.
First aid-trained teammates quickly rushed to the young man’s side, where they performed CPR before using a defibrillator to restart his heart.
He was then taken to Ninewells Hospital where he is now recovering.
‘Eternally grateful’
Hamish’s dad, Arthur, thanked the players for their quick thinking, saying: “All I can say is that without the prompt action of the club members in attendance my son would not be alive today.
“For which myself, family and Hamish’s friends shall be eternally grateful.”
Club president Mark Reddin is also proud of how his team responded.
He said: “We’ve got a couple of guys who are police officers at the club, and two of them knew what to do straight away and started giving CPR.
“Everybody there jumped into action and did exactly what they’re supposed to do.
“Hamish is a young guy, 20, about to turn 21, and I’m delighted that he has survived this.”
‘His lips were turning blue’
The experienced sportsman also described what happened in further detail, saying: “We were just playing a touch game that we do during the summer months.
“It was about 7pm and Hamish fell to the ground, I think he was holding his head and he started fitting, it was clear that it was a big issue.
“He couldn’t breathe and his lips were turning blue.”
Defibrillator ‘worth its weight in gold’
Mark said the incident has also shown how valuable defibrillators are at sporting venues, saying: “Hamish actually had his heart stop, it was the defibrillator that brought him back.
“It’s worth its weight in gold, I think what this shows is the importance of these machines, the fact that having it there can even save one life.”