2023-08-04 07:00:00
Jürgen Will from Dortmund was honored by the Automobile Club of Germany with the “Hero of the Road” award for the month of July. The pensioner, who was himself in poor health, revived a 66-year-old cyclist who was lying on the road.
On the way home from friends, Jürgen Will crosses the bridge on federal highway 54 over the Datteln-Hamm Canal in Lünen with his wife in the car. First they notice two cars with their hazard lights on, then a few people standing around. The 67-year-old pensioner stops and wants to ask what’s going on. Then he spots a cyclist lying on the road. Jürgen Will learns that the emergency services have already been alerted, but no one is taking care of the injured person. “They obviously didn’t know what to do,” suspects Will, who says it wasn’t the first time he’d been in a situation like this.
He therefore immediately goes to the 66-year-old lying on the ground and checks his pulse. The cyclist is already slightly blue in the face and appears to have hit his head on the pavement. Will turns him into a recovery position, puts a pillow under his head and checks whether his airway is clear. He collects vomit from the victim’s mouth and turns the man onto his back to begin chest compressions. The victim breathes briefly, wheezes, but collapses once more. A 33-year-old nurse, who happens to be on site, comes and supports the first aider and his wife with resuscitation.
When the emergency services and police arrive, the emergency doctor states: “We have to intubate immediately.” Things are getting hectic. Jürgen Will, who suffers from walking and breathing difficulties and is 100 percent severely disabled, is a little under the weather following the saving act and has difficulty getting up. He slowly becomes a little nervous and trembles, but at the same time the pressure falls off him when the cyclist is in the best medical hands.
The first responder received great praise from the emergency doctor, paramedics and the police. It takes Will and his wife a few days to come to terms with the incident. He still can’t understand why no one intervened earlier. “Why should you be afraid of someone who is supposed to be dead?” he asks somewhat provocatively, pointing out that even his first aid course dates back almost 50 years.
In addition to the “Road Hero of the Month of July” award from Kia, as a cooperation partner in the road safety campaign, Jürgen Will will receive a Sportage plug-in hybrid for two weeks and 1000 km for personal use. He will be reimbursed for fuel or electricity costs of 250 euros.
Every month the AvD is looking for committed people who have behaved in a particularly exemplary manner in critical accident situations. Everyone can name people around them who have helped in accidents or prevented an accident through their intervention. Suggestions are accepted under the keyword “Hero of the Street” and the email address HdS@avd.de. The initiative is also supported by the magazine “Auto Straßenverkehr”. (aum)
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