A Banff family has said a “huge thank you” to rescue teams who saved the life of a father-of-two after he collapsed onboard a boat 130 miles away from home.
Working alongside staff at Mallaig Boatyard at Corpach, Sean Reddy had been helping to lift his family’s boat out of the water before it was to be winched into a shed for repairs.
The manoeuvre went smoothly, however moments later tragedy struck.
Staff operating the winch turned to look out of the shed window and found Sean, 55, face down on the deck convulsing.
Due to the remote location, two ambulance crews, the fire service, local coastguard teams and the heli-med were tasked to the west coast yard to assist with the rescue operation on June 20.
Sean was sedated and intubed before being removed from the boat and flown to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow for treatment.
Meanwhile – 130-miles away – Sean’s wife Lesley was unaware of the events unfolding.
Rescue crews descend on Mallaig Boatyard
Speaking to The Press and Journal, the 49-year-old mum said: “I don’t know how long Sean was out for but when he started to come around, he was really quite agitated and in panic mode because he didn’t realise what was going on.
“He was sedated and intubed and then they managed to strap him onto one of their boards.
“The guys at the boatyard took a wooden pallet, lifted the pallet by forklift onto the deck of the boat, moved Sean onto the pallet and then lifted it down off the boat.”
Lesley added: “We did joke only Sean could create such a drama that it involved two fire engines, two ambulances, a helicopter, a medical crew and the coastguard, but I think from their point of view, they weren’t quite sure what they were dealing with so let’s get everyone there.”
Despite the ordeal, a confused Sean was up on his feet within a few days, with no recollection of what happened.
Doctors diagnosed him with mastoiditis, an untreated middle ear infection which spreads into the inner ear before infecting the mastoid cells of the mastoid bone at the back of the ear.
“He’s remarkably well for what he has gone through,” his wife said.
Family thank emergency crews for quick response
Sean was discharged from hospital six days later and has since returned to Aberdeenshire.
His family have expressed their gratitude to the emergency teams who turned out to help Sean in his time of need.
Lesley said: “A huge thank you to everybody that was part of that immediate response – from Donald and Sophie and the guys at the boatyard to all the emergency services that came and got him seen too so quickly.
“Without a doubt, had he been there on his own, there was an element that he could have injured himself quite badly or not survived.”
