Air ambulance called after man collapses on train at Westerfield

A man who collapsed on a train in Westerfield this morning has been flown to hospital after being resuscitated by paramedics.

Three rapid response vehicles, an ambulance crew, an ambulance officer and an Essex and Herts air ambulance were called to the village’s railway station at 9.21am today.

The man, thought to be in his 40s, was travelling on the East Suffolk Line and was on board the 9.17am train from Ipswich to Lowestoft.

An off-duty police medic stepped in to help the man, who had gone into cardiac arrest, after staff on board the train called the ambulance service.

He carried out CPR for around seven minutes until crews arrived at approximately 9.30am.

Senior paramedic Liam Smith praised the “fantastic” efforts of the off-duty policeman, the air ambulance crew and his colleagues, who later gave the man a series of electric shocks to resuscitate him.

He said: “The man was shocked with a defibrillator, resuscitated, and then sedated before he was airlifted to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital for further care.

“He had collapsed on the train after falling seriously ill, there were a lot of us on the scene and it’s critical in these situations to get early treatment in, and that’s how the off-duty policeman really helped us.

“He was able to administer some early CPR before our crews arrived, the air ambulance crew were also great and we all worked well together.

He added: “I would like to thank everyone involved for their efforts in treating this man, it was a fantastic example of the teamwork between emergency service colleagues and we wish him the best.”

The man was flown to Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital in a serious condition.

Trains travelling to and from Westerfield station were disrupted for a short time and the service the man was on was stopped while emergency services dealt with the incident.

Stay with us for updates on this developing story as we receive them from the emergency services.