Off-duty Wigan nurse hailed a hero after helping stricken pensioner with suspected Covid-19 who crashed into her car

The grey-faced and delerious 73-year-old grabbed Lucy Duncan’s armed as she tended to him after the collision and she then spent five hours with him at hospital as he was tended to by coronavirus ward staff then taken to the resususcitation as he fought for his breath.

Lucy, 24, is now keeping in touch with medical staff as to the elderly patient’s welfare, after it was at first feared he would not make it through the night but then appeared to have rallied.

During lucid moments the pensioner had told her he had no family but for a son living in the south of England whom he had not spoken to for years and that he had not eaten for up to 10 days due to self-isolating.

Lucy, who lives in Atherton, works for the North West Boroughs NHS Trust as a mental health nurse and was heading home from Wigan Infirmary after a 12-hour shift when the drama unfolded.

She was rounding bend in her Fiat 500X on Warrington Road, Abram, at about 7.45pm on Thursday night when she spotted a red Vauxhall Corsa coming in the opposite direction.

Lucy said: “I could see he was veering onto the wrong side of the road and then as we passed the front end of his car hit the side of mine. I wasn’t hurt, only shocked. I turned the car round and thought that he had pulled over too, but actually he was driving very slowly.

“I followed and he turned down School Street and came to a stop. It was dark at the backs of houses and I suppose I should have been more careful but the adrenaline was going and as I approached the car I could see that he was an elderly man.

“He was in poor shape. His face was grey and he was streaming with sweat. He was also struggling to speak and breathe. He grabbed my arms and I leaned in to him and he said ‘I’m sorry but I think I have coronavirus.’

“He was really confused and drifting in and out of consciousness. When he was alert he seemed more concerned for the car damage and reassured that he had comprehensive insurance!

“I told him I was more worried about him than the cars and that he needed an ambulance. I went to my car and luckily had a mask with me but no further personal protection equipment. I called for ambulance for the man and he told me he hadn’t eaten for seven to 10 days as he had been in isolation and had no family or friends.

“He had gone out in his car to get some food and essentials, as he knew he would die without them. He said he didn’t trust other people as there were a lot of horrible people in the world.”

Paramedics arrived and took the patient to the infirmary with Lucy following in her car.

Not having anyone else to call on, she stayed there for several hours, waiting while he underwent various tests (Lucy now having been full protective gear) including one which showed that his lungs were only working at 50 per cent capacity.

Eventually she was told by a nurse that she may as well go home.

Giving her account of the story online, Lucy has attracted tens of thousands of messages of goodwill and congratulation.

She is of course now self-isolating herself for the next fortnight which has meant her mum, brother and his girlfriend, with whom she usually shares the house, have had to move out.

Lucy said: “What people have said has been wonderful and I have cried. But really I can’t think anyone else would have done any different if they had been in my situation.

“It didn’t look like he would make it through the night but the last time I rang he was sitting up in bed having a cup of tea.”

Simon Barber, Chief Executive at North West Boroughs Healthcare, said: “Lucy’s story is absolutely fantastic. It brought a tear to my eye.

“I spoke to her earlier to say a massive thank you and well done in person and she really is the most genuinely caring person. I’m not surprised she’s been overwhelmed by all the messages of support – it’s pretty incredible how much attention her social media post has attracted.

“I and the rest of North West Boroughs Healthcare are so very proud of Lucy’s quick-thinking and selfless actions to help someone in need. She is everything we could possibly want our staff to be and is a shining example of true NHS compassion in these difficult times. What a superstar.”

A message from the Editorial Director, Gillian Parkinson:

Thank you for reading this story on our website.

But I also have an urgent plea to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality local news on this free-to-read site and in print, please purchase a copy of our newspaper as well.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on our town centres and many of our valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you buying a copy when you pop out for your essential shop or subscribing for delivery.

Our journalists are highly trained by the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards anywhere in the world. Our content is universally trusted - as all independent research proves.

As Baroness Barran said in a House of Lords debate this week on the importance of journalists: "Not only are they a trusted source of facts, but they will have a role to play in rallying communities and getting the message across about how we can keep ourselves and our families safe, and protect our NHS. Undoubtedly, they have a critical role."

But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis. In return we will continue to forensically cover the local news - not only the impact of the virus but all the positive and uplifting news happening in these dark days.

We thank all our readers and advertisers for their understanding and support - and we wish YOU all the best in the coming weeks. Keep safe, and follow the Government advice. Thank you.

HOW TO SUBSCRIBE: You can subscribe for delivery by contacting us at [email protected] or calling us on 0330 4033004 for details of a participating newsagent near you.