New Year’s Nightmare: Partygoer Collapses 12 Minutes Into 2023
Frances Williamson from Borrowash was ringing in the New Year surrounded by friends and family on 1 January 2023. The mood was joyful as they watched Big Ben chime on the TV and sang Auld Lang Syne—until disaster struck just 12 minutes into 2023.
Without any warning, Frances suddenly collapsed onto the kitchen floor, stunning everyone at the party.
Paramedic’s Quick Thinking Saves Life
Frances recalls, “I didn’t experience any warning signs. I felt fine—no chest pain or symptoms. My last memory was chatting to a friend before I just collapsed.”
Luckily, an off-duty Clinical Assessment Team paramedic, Vicky Gough, was at the party. She immediately jumped into action after hearing, “Vicky, Fran’s collapsed!”
Vicky assessed Frances, who was unconscious but still breathing. When Frances began shaking and gagging then suddenly stopped breathing and lost her pulse, it was clear she had suffered a cardiac arrest.
Vicky and Frances’ daughter-in-law Kate performed CPR while ensuring Frances’s airway stayed clear. A second 999 call was made, alerting emergency control to the worsening situation.
Rapid Response and Defibrillator Shock
Specialist Practitioner and Cardiac Arrest Lead Kerri Lowe was just minutes away when she heard the emergency call. She rushed over during her meal break with a defibrillator. Thanks to the sharp CPR by Vicky and Kate, Frances’s heart was in a shockable rhythm.
Kerri said, “After one shock from the defib, I could actually see Frances’s heart beating through her chest. Immediate life support truly saved her.”
Frances experienced an ‘Utstein cardiac arrest’—meaning she was witnessed collapsing and received crucial CPR and a defibrillator shock right away. Experts say CPR within three to four minutes of arrest hugely improves survival chances.
Support All The Way To Hospital
Kerri and Vicky were joined by paramedics Wayne Rowland, Matthew Lawman, and Jodie Paskin. Frances was rushed to Royal Derby Hospital for treatment.
Jodie described the tense scene: “Cardiac arrests always make your heart flutter. When I arrived, my priority shifted to Frances’s daughter, who was clearly distraught witnessing this.” She drove the daughter to the hospital while the ambulance crew chatted with her to keep her calm.
Matt Lawman, riding in the ambulance with Frances, added, “Her heart was beating but she was unconscious. We supported her breathing and airway until hospital stents could be fitted.”
Grateful Survivor Plans Bright Future
Now on the mend, Frances has met with her rescuers and is full of gratitude.
“It’s been amazing and emotional meeting the ambulance crew. I can’t thank them enough—without them, I wouldn’t be here,” Frances said. “I’m especially blown away by my daughter-in-law Kate, who had never done CPR before that day but just got on with it. Between her and Vicky, they kept me alive until Kerri arrived with the defib.”
Frances urges everyone to learn CPR first aid, stressing, “A cardiac arrest can happen to anyone.”
