Friday, September 25 was shaping up to be a routine morning for Leamington By-Law Enforcement Officer Austin Aldridge, but that routine turned into a major event as he made his way west on Talbot Street East.
The six-year veteran of the municipal by-law crew was out on vehicle patrol along Talbot Street East just after 9 am when he noticed something alarming in the distance.
A Canada Post mail carrier was lying face down on the sidewalk with a couple of bystanders rushing to his aid.
Aldridge pulled over his vehicle and ran to the scene, where one person was on the phone with 9-1-1 while the other was trying to locate a pulse on the downed postal worker.
“I couldn’t find a pulse, so we rolled him over to assess the situation,” said Aldridge. “We unbuckled his mail pouch and noticed he had hit his head when he fell. There was a lot of blood.”
Aldridge began chest compressions while the good Samaritan was on the phone with 9-1-1 dispatch. Aldridge put his CPR training to good use as the dispatcher kept everyone focused on the task at hand.
When EMS arrived on scene, they brought out the AED (Automated External Defibrillator) and Aldridge ceased compressions. When the AED didn’t bring the patient back, he restarted compressions.
“It was a pretty scary scene, to be honest,” he says. “It didn’t look good.”
Aldridge said that the EMS crew got the patient into the ambulance and were off to the hospital long before his adrenalin wore off and he started shaking.
“I was in shock,” he says. “Then, later that day, I got a message from my manager that he had pulled through.”
Aldridge was happy that he was able to help and so glad to hear that the patient was going to make it.
For John Ridley, the postal worker who collapsed that day, the memory of the incident isn’t really clear, but he’s grateful to Austin for his prompt action. He and Austin spoke a few days later.
“I have very little memory of that day,” John told the Sun this week. “Thank goodness that Austin was there and able to help as quickly as he did.”
And after two stents and a four-day hospital stay, the soon-to-be 57-year-old mail carrier is now resting and recovering as he awaits a follow-up cardiology appointment.
“My ribs are still sore (from the compressions), but I’m grateful to Austin for his quick action,” added John. “He worked hard. I had the easy job.”
A few days after the incident, Niki Demmans from the Leamington Post Office showed up at town hall to present Austin with a small gift of appreciation on behalf of the postal workers in town.
“There was definitely some emotion going on,” says Austin. “It was very much appreciated.”
In a day and age when sometimes a visit from a by-law officer is looked upon as a negative by many, this interaction with a member of the Leamington community had a positive outcome.
“It’s a good news story,” added Aldridge. “Some pride in helping the community.”
