Two carpenters save elderly man with dress and tape after artery injury
Two carpenters in Queensland, Australia, saved a 93-year-old man's life by using a dress and adhesive tape to stem severe bleeding from an artery injury. The men provided emergency first aid until paramedics arrived at the scene.
Why it matters
The story serves as a notable example of community heroism and the effectiveness of improvised first aid in life-threatening situations.
An ordinary morning in Gracemere, Queensland, turned into a life-threatening emergency when 93-year-old Ian Barton suffered a severe wrist injury after falling while carrying a bowl of porridge. The bowl shattered during the fall, and a fragment sliced an artery in his wrist, causing heavy bleeding. Hearing a woman screaming for help from across the street, carpenter Josh Sander and his apprentice Gary Tunbridge abandoned their work and rushed to assist him. When a tea towel failed to control the bleeding, the two men improvised a tighter dressing using a dress and adhesive tape from their work vehicle. They continued applying pressure while waiting approximately 40 minutes for an ambulance.
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