Bravery Award for woman who saved a life on the way to work

Morning commutes can be a bit tedious, however staying calm and relying on first aid training helped Samantha Laine successfully respond to an early morning incident.     

When Samantha’s car was hit by another in June this year, she quickly realised that something wasn’t right. Sam could see that the other driver was having a seizure and had become unresponsive.  

Realising she needed to act, Sam immediately left her car and ran to assist the woman, whose vehicle was still moving. Demonstrating a great awareness of potential dangers, she managed to lock the other car’s hand brake to stop it from moving any further.  

By the time Sam arrived at the driver’s door, the woman was unconscious and foaming at the mouth. Sam asked a bystander to call an ambulance and placed the driver in the recovery position to allow her to breathe. She then reassured and monitored her until the ambulance arrived. 

Samantha acted rationally and with great clarity, particularly considering her own involvement in the car crash. Sam encourages everyone to obtain first aid training as “you never know when an incident may require you to help someone, and even if it’s just reassuring them while waiting for a paramedic.” She subsequently organised a first aid course for parents at the local primary school to ensure that others would be prepared to respond in an emergency. 

Samantha has received the Gold Medallion Bravery Award for her selfless expression of care for others and her bravery in responding to this incident.

Many people are afraid that they will do the wrong thing when encountering a situation that requires first aid – ranging from sunburns to cardiac arrest. Royal Life Saving has the right course for you to learn these techniques which can help you to potentially minimise the consequences that may occur. 

You can learn more about Royal Life Saving First Aid courses at the link below.