Andy Reeves

Said the following about Dave Sexton:

“I would like to nominate Dave Sexton as his chest compressions restarted a man’s heart and saved his life.

On 9/7/19 around 08:00, 71 year old Mr P had a heart attack whilst sat on a bench at platform 4 in Huddersfield. Mr P had travelled from Slaithwaite on a Northern train. Dave, a Northern Rail Train Driver of 18 years, was road reviewing in the front cab. Arriving at Huddersfield, Dave was changing ends to return to Manchester. Mr P had already alighted and was now was sat on a bench. Mr P called over to Dave, asking him to call for an ambulance as he was having a heart attack. Dave called for an ambulance and stayed to comfort Mr P while his colleagues, (Mike F and Mike M), went for assistance with the TPE platform staff. They returned with Andy (TPE platform staff) who assisted Dave in looking after Mr P. Dave suggested his colleagues continue with the train service so not to delay the service as he would stay with Mr P and comfort him. Dave gained important information from Mr P and relayed this to the emergency operators, whilst also getting Mr P to confirm whom to contact and how to contact them. Mr P gave his wife’s name and contact details, unfortunately in his poor state he gave his works telephone number and not his home number, (Despite this and many phone calls later Dave still managed to contact her). Mr P lost consciousness and stopped breathing, with Andy’s and Dave’s quick thinking they got Mr P down onto the floor so that they could resuscitate Mr P. Fortunately moments later the emergency services arrived and immediately started giving chest compressions but unfortunately to no avail, Mr P was dead. They asked Dave to continue with the chest compressions while they set up the defibrillator, he did, and while they were sticking on patches and getting ready to use there defibrillator, amazingly Mr Park started breathing again. The chances of surviving were very slim, especially as Mr P had had two previous heart attacks. Dave continued to stay with Mr P, supporting his head and verbally reassuring Mr P even though he was unconscious. Throughout the ordeal Dave also managed to keep other passengers away, to give Mr P some dignity and respect. In the end six professional paramedics turned up to help Mr P and transfer him to hospital. Despite Dave having no idea which hospital Mr P had been sent to he made many phone calls to find him before he was able to visit him. They admitted that Mr P chances of survival without Dave were very slim. A few days after that Mr P received a pace maker to regulate his heart beat - when he had arrived in hospital his heart beat had been 210bpm.

Whilst Dave had undoubtedly been part of a fantastic railway and emergency response team that had pulled together in times of need, and we’d all like to think that we’d do the same in an emergency, Dave kept his cool and calm in times of extreme high stress and restarted a man’s heart.

Dave kept quiet about the incident, until someone in the messroom let it slip. Dave has also been a great mate, an excellent instructor, a superb union rep and a messroom champion of BRASS pensions.

And thats why I’d like to recommend Dave for a Rail Staff Award.“