A HEART attack victim has thanked his two work colleagues who put their first aid training into practice when he collapsed.

Tony Klopotwoski, 57, believes he may not have survived the episode if it wasn’t for the treatment and help given by Julie Leishman and Tom Berwick.

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The trio work together in a seven-man team at Point Control Print Finishing Ltd in Accrington.

Now on the road to recovery, Mr Klopotwoski said he couldn’t put into words how he felt about his colleagues.

He said: “It really highlights the importance of first aid skills as, without Julie and Tom knowing what to do and getting help fast, I might not be here to tell the tale. I can’t thank them enough.”

Mr Klopotwoski collapsed just after 9am and Julie, 46, said that he was struggling and the situation looked serious.

She said: “When we got to Tony he was very disoriented and distressed.

“I suspected that he might be having a heart attack and knew we needed to get help quickly.

“Tom Berwick and I worked together to get Tony into what’s known as the ‘W’ position to ease the strain on his heart.

“While Tom reassured Tony that help was on the way, someone went off to get a blanket and fleece to keep Tony warm.

“Someone else went to wait on the main road to direct the ambulance and someone went to a company on the estate that has an automated external defibrillator (AED) in case things took a turn for the worse.”

When the paramedics arrived, they assessed Mr Klopotwoski and confirmed he was having a heart attack and was transported to Blackpool Victoria Hospital where he underwent immediate surgery.

Both Julie and Tom learnt first aid with St John Ambulance but Tom only qualified in July.

He said: “I was a bit nervous when Tony collapsed as we weren’t sure what we were going be faced with but, once you have the first aid skills to help, it’s instinctive to help and it really can be the difference between life and death.”

Julie is now involved in a scheme to raise funds from neighbouring companies to install a communal AED machine.