Corby warehouse worker says defibrillator saved his life

Terry Allen suffered a heart attack at work and survived after colleague Jackie MacDonald used a defibrillator on him

A warehouse worker said he survived a heart attack during a shift because his company had bought defibrillators.

Terry Allen, 65, collapsed at RS Components in Corby, Northamptonshire, but a colleague spotted signs of a cardiac arrest and knew what to do.

First aider Jackie MacDonald followed the instructions from a 999 call handler and said Mr Allen "sat bolt upright" before paramedics arrived.

Mr Allen said: "If I hadn't been at work, I wouldn't be here today."

"I live on my own and there wouldn't have been anyone around to help me. The fact RS had the foresight to have defibrillators on site, it saved my life," he said.

He said he had started to feel hot and sweaty during a break and went outside to smoke, when he experienced severe pain in his chest.

He said: "I was aware there was something serious going on but because there had been no prior signs, I didn't think at first it was a heart attack."

An ambulance was called and Mrs MacDonald prepared one of the company's six defibrillator machines for use.

She said: "I stuck the pads on Terry's chest, the machine spoke to us and told us it was going to shock him and that's when reality hit.

• Bereaved father calls for new defibrillators law

• Crash victim's tearful reunion with CPR lifesavers

• PC commended for saving heart attack van driver

"It then asked me to start compressions, so that's what I did. After three rounds of compressions, my friend Terry here decided to sit bolt upright.

"It was scary but I'm just thankful that RS has defibrillators but if it wasn't for that, it might have been a different story".

Mr Allen said his company's decision to install defibrillators saved his life

Mr Allen has since recovered enough to return to work and has urged other companies to invest in defibrillators.

"If it saves one life, it's worth the cost," he said.