Quick action by a Good Samaritan may have saved the life of a 71-year-old Qualicum Beach man after he lost consciousness and collapsed while riding a bicycle along Morningstar Drive Monday afternoon, Oceanside RCMP reported.
At 2 p.m. Monday, an RCMP cruiser was flagged down by a passerby on Roberton Boulevard and the driver said a man was down on the street on Morningside Drive, said RCMP Cpl. Jesse Foreman.
The victim had been riding with his wife when he collapsed to the street — "Thankfully, he was wearing his helmet," Foreman said.
Several people were in the area, and one of them stopped and began performing cardio-pulmonary resuscitation on the man. Foreman, who was on-site with the RCMP, did not have the man's name but said the CPR was continued until B.C. Ambulance attendants arrived to take over just after police. The victim regained consciousness and was responsive before being taken to hospital in Nanaimo.
"It looked like the efforts of a passerby or someone in the neighbourhood were responsible for saving a life," said Foreman. "It was pretty incredible to see."