A woman who suffered a cardiac arrest and stroke while driving has been reunited with the police officers who played a crucial role in saving her life.
Jacqueline Alston, 62, had her heart stop for over an hour after collapsing behind the wheel in May 2024. Against all odds, she has since made a miraculous recovery and was able to spend Christmas at home with her family.
Her husband, Gary Alston, described the series of events that saved her life as “unbelievable”, attributing Jacqueline’s survival to both the rapid response of emergency services and the kindness of strangers.
The Incident and Rapid Response
Jacqueline had been driving along Dunmow Road in Ongar when she lost consciousness, causing her car to drift off the road and come to a stop against a telegraph pole.
Two passersby, Andy Fleming and Adrian Rowell, immediately rushed to help. Fortunately, her sunroof was open, allowing them to access the vehicle and pull her out.
At the same time, Sergeant Rob Fitt and PC Tom Baggley, from Epping’s community policing team, were stopping for a coffee when they received the emergency call. They arrived within moments and joined a third passerby, Mark Johnson, a trained medic who had pulled over to help.
Life-Saving Efforts
The officers quickly began CPR, while Mark prepared a defibrillator brought in by a fourth bystander from a nearby farm.
They administered four shocks from the defibrillator before helicopter paramedics arrived and delivered two more. A robotic chest compression device was also used to continue life-saving efforts before medics detected a slight electrical charge in Jacqueline’s heart.
She was rushed to Basildon Hospital, with officers from the Road Policing Unit escorting Gary to be by her side.
A Miraculous Recovery
Jacqueline was placed on life support in intensive care, and her prognosis was bleak. Doctors initially believed she wouldn’t survive the night, but four days later, she regained consciousness and was talking.
After undergoing treatment at Basildon, Broomfield, Brentwood, and Homerton hospitals, Jacqueline was finally able to return home in December, just in time for Christmas with her husband, two sons, and three grandchildren.
Emotional Reunion with Officers
Sgt Fitt and PC Baggley stayed in touch with Gary throughout Jacqueline’s recovery, and the officers recently visited the family home for an emotional reunion.
“When we found out Jacqueline was conscious, it was fantastic, but to see her in person was absolutely unbelievable,” Sgt Fitt said.
He described tearing up when Jacqueline personally thanked them for their life-saving efforts, calling it a moment he will “always think back to on tough days at work.”
“You just do the best you can at every job, and those first few vital seconds made all the difference.”
‘A Guardian Angel Was Watching Over Her’
Jacqueline’s husband, Gary Alston, expressed deep gratitude for the emergency responders, saying:
“A neurology consultant told us my wife has a guardian angel, and we truly believe it. Her heart stopped for one hour and seven minutes—what a different Christmas it could have been.”
He added:
“When we met Rob and Tom again, there were tears all around. The police, the ambulance service, the NHS—you couldn’t fault them. Jacqueline’s treatment was filled with love and care. We are so lucky to live where we do.”
Gary, a black cab driver, also urged the public to show more appreciation for emergency services:
“I’ve heard people criticise the police before, but after what they did for us, I put them in their place. What they did was unreal.”
