Torre del Mar local hero waiter uses defibrillator to save man’s life in the street

Torre del Mar local hero waiter uses defibrillator to save man's life in the street

Image of a Zoll AED3 defibrillator. Credit: YouTube Zoll

A waiter from a bar in Torre del mar employed the techniques he had been taught on a defibrillator course to save a man’s life in the street.

A 70-year-old man was saved from dying of cardiac arrest yesterday, Wednesday, July 27, by the quick actions of a waiter from an establishment in the Velez-Malaga municipality of Torre del Mar. His previous training in the use of a defibrillator was put to perfect use in this incident, as reported by Malaga Hoy today, Thursday, July 28.

At around 12:50pm, Jose Antonio Lopez Espinola, the manager of the Espinola cafeteria, located in the Torre del Mar retail market, heard some commotion going on outside in the street. When he went to check, he saw that an elderly man had clearly suffered a cardiac arrest on Calle del Rio.

Having been a student of one of the courses taught by the Velez-Malaga Council Prevention Service, Jose knew that there was a defibrillator installed in the local Day Centre. He subsequently used that training to resuscitate and save the life of that 70-year-old man right there in the street. Immediately after being resuscitated, the man was transferred to the Axarquia Regional Hospital.

As reported by the Municipal Prevention Service, Pedro Manuel Serrano – the instructor who was in charge of the training course that Jose had attended – paid a visit to the cafeteria today to congratulate him for his good work.

Velez-Malaga town hall paid tribute to the waiter’s ‘courage and prompt intervention’. They highlighted that thanks to the cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) manoeuvres that Jose had learned in the course, he was able to revive the man after applying two shocks from the defibrillator.

There are currently 70 Zoll AED3 defibrillators installed in the Malaga province municipality of Velez-Malaga. This is the latest generation and one of the most innovative on the market. Cardiorespiratory arrests are among the main causes of death in Spain. 

The use of a defibrillator during the first five minutes – which is when brain damage begins to occur – increases the chances of survival by 60 per cent. This was indicated by the Veleño City Council, which highlighted that it is one of the more cardioprotected cities in Spain.

These 70 defibrillators have been placed in all public facilities in the municipality. They are in schools, sports centres, libraries, municipal markets, police cars, the Town Hall, museums, civil protection, and social services. Training has also been offered to municipal employees and associated local companies.

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Written by

Chris King

Originally from Wales, Chris spent years on the Costa del Sol before moving to the Algarve where he is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com

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