Shortland Street scriptwriter Alison James put her former nursing skills to use when she recently saved a man’s life after his SUV had crashed into a tree.
James told the Herald on Sunday she’d been driving along Central Park Drive in Henderson at around 9am when she came across the accident.
At first she said she thought it was a minor nose to tail, but realised it was more serious when she saw a Toyota SUV had veered off the road and crashed into a tree.
Image/NZ Herald
The Te Atatu-based scriptwriter, who began her television career as medical advisor on the show, had also been a former nurse.
She said her nursing instincts immediately kicked in and she pulled over to help.
“I asked people to let me though because I was a nurse and I saw the man was in a really bad way.
“I couldn’t find a pulse so I started doing CPR but I didn’t think it would work,” James said.
Fortunately another nurse arrived on the scene and both worked on the man until an ambulance arrived.
Watch a mother using CPR to bring back her 3-month old baby who had stopped breathing. Article continues after the video.
While unsure at the time of the man’s chances of survival, James said she was thrilled to later get a call from police to say the man’s wife had passed on her thanks for saving her husband.
The experience may also make its way into a future storyline as a way to raise awareness about the importance of learning CPR.
“Few people know how to do it but it can be a really important skill to have in an emergency situation.”
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