Pensioner suspected to have coronavirus dies after being rescued by hero Wigan nurse

The 73-year-old had been struggling to breathe and suspected he had coronavirus when he collided into off-duty nurse Lucy Duncan's car on Thursday night.

He was tended to by Lucy, 24, after the collision, who called an ambulance and spent five hours at Wigan Infirmary with him where he appeared to be recovering.

But Lucy, from Atherton, confirmed in a BBC interview this morning that the man has died in the early hours of this morning.

She told the BBC: "I managed to get a message to him last night that I was asking about him.

"And I found out this morning that he had passed away in the early hours of the morning.

"I've a had a little cry before I came on the show."

A tearful Lucy then held up a drink for the man during the interview, as he had wanted to make a cup of coffee and meet her for coming to his aid.

She added: "I know that he was also very fond of me. He was almost very surprised when I kept running back to him and I kept showing up.

"I had to tell my family I was okay. His eyes lit up every time I went back into the hospital. It was amazing to be part of his life.

Lucy, who works for the North West Boroughs NHS Trust as a mental health nurse, had been heading home from Wigan Infirmary after a 12-hour shift when the incident happened.

The man had told her that 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.

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

One message from Angela Smith wrote: "What a wonderfully kind and compassionate lady you are, and what a difference you made to that poor man’s final hours on this earth, you are amazing! And RIP to the poor old man."

Hazel Strong added: "Well done Lucy the brave nurse that tried to save the man that had coronavirus, who was also starving and went out to get food before he died as he did not have any food.

"Really sorry to hear that he sadly passed away this morning, may he rest in peace."

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.

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.”