Pensioner revived after near fatal collapse at Wigan Athletic match

The 80-year-old collapsed with a cardiac arrest in the west stand concourse shortly before kick-off at Saturday’s match with Barnsley at the DW Stadium.

Fortunately for the casualty, a family of Latics season ticket holders saw him crash to the ground and, even more fortunately for him, one of the family was an off-duty nurse who immediately started to perform CPR while her husband went to get medical assistance.

North West Ambulance Service paramedics were also very quickly on the scene and continued to deliver chest compressions until they got the patient, who has not be named, breathing again and his heart beating once more.

Once in recovery, the pensioner was transferred to the ground’s main first aid room until he was taken to Wigan Infirmary.

A spokesman for the club said: “I am happy to say that the elderly gentleman is doing OK.

“He will remain in hospital until he can have surgery later this week.”

One onlooker at the concourse drama, who did not want to be identified, said: “It was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen.

“It was just before the match and and I saw the 80-year-old man collapsed.

“He was, in effect, dead: not breathing, no heart beat.

“When that happens you expect the worst.

“There aren’t many people who come back from that.

“But people acted quickly and I watched as paramedics gave him CPR and brought him back to life.

“By the time they had worked their magic he was sitting up and chatting to the medical staff. It was just brilliant to see.”

An NWAS spokeswoman said that the service was called at 14.53 on Saturday to reports that a man had collapsed at the DW Stadium.

She said that the casualty was successfully revived but taken to hospital in a critical condition.