Strabane man hailed a hero after saving woman’s life

RESIDENTS in Sion have been queuing up to praise the actions of a local community worker after he effectively saved the life of an elderly woman in the village.

On Friday past, Andy Patton received an urgent phone call from a 90-year-old woman who had fallen in her home, and he immediately leapt to her defence.

Mr Patton takes up the story, “I received a call from a neighbour at 7.26pm on Friday night,” he said. “At first I was unable to hear her but was eventually able to make out, ‘Andy, I’ve fallen. I’ve fallen.’ so, immediately, I made my way to her home. On the way there, I called an off-duty policeman I know and asked him to inform the local station. This lady lives on her own and I thought she wouldn’t be in a position to open the door. While he called the police, I called the ambulance and informed them of what was happening. I was asked if she was breathing but couldn’t say for certain at that point.”

Upon arrival at the house, Mr Patton called police who gave him permission to gain forceful entry to the premises.

“I was unable to do it and had to wait for the police to arrive and they used the enforcer to get into the house which took a while,” he continued. “As this lady is very safety-conscious it was proving difficult to get in up to that point. Once we gained entry, we found her on the floor and, as myself and a policeman tried to help her up, the lady passed out. When she came round, she told us that while attempting to sit on a chair, she missed it and banged her head severely on a cold, tiled floor. It’s pure luck that she was able to make it to a table where her phone was, and pull it down to call me. I dread to think what would have happened had that not been possible.”

Following a lengthy wait in A&E until the early hours of Saturday morning, the lady was kept in for assessment with a nurse telling Mr Patton that he surely saved the woman’s life. He has been in regular contact with the lady, who is doing well.

Mr Patton believes that the incident highlights the need for community co-operation and urges anyone who might be elderly or in a vulnerable position to always have a point of contact if needed.

“Thankfully this time things turned out OK but what if they hadn’t? This lady lives on her own and has no relatives in the area and, had I not been available to help, she may have lain there all night! Thankfully a care package is now being put in place so she can return home, but I don’t think she’ll ever live alone again. The most important thing we should take away from Friday night is, if you’re elderly or vulnerable, always ensure that you always have the contact of someone who can help if needed.”

All weekend, plaudits rang out on social media praising Mr Patton’s actions with many lauding him as ‘the best of us’ and ‘a true gentleman’, another said he had a ‘heart of gold’ while a third said ‘he always goes above and beyond the call of duty.’