‘Miraculous’ way dad-of-two survived being face-down in canal for half an hour
Steve Martin, 43, fell into a canal whilst out on an evening run and suffered a heart attack remaining in the icy water for half an hour but has lived to tell the tale
A DAD-of-two lay face down in a freezing canal for more than half an hour after he suffered a heart attack whilst out running but survived to tell the tale.
‘Super fit’ Steve Martin, 43, was on a work trip to Worcester and went for an evening run along a towpath at around 6pm on February 6.
Mr Martin floated face-down in the icy water for 34 minutes where is body temperature dropped from a regular 37C to just 26C.
The hospital technical inspector was saved when a passerby spotted him and called 999.
Emergency crews hauled him out of the Stourbridge canal with ropes and he was rushed to intensive care in Worcester.
Doctors said Mr Martin, who comes from Torpoint in Cornwall, survived due to the freezing water, which effectively shut his body down and 'preserved' his organs.
Wife Anna, 38, said the drive up to the Worcestershire Royal Hospital was the “hardest of her life”, and left the family badly shaken.
Steve and Anna have two children – daughter Emily, six, and ten-year-old son Harry. They're thankful that Steve pulled through.
Anna told : "He was under the water for 34 minutes, he was resuscitated, and his body temperature was 26C. He wasn't expected to live, he was in an induced coma.
"Because of the cold water he survived. It preserved his body. He was face first in the canal.
"He has knocked his two front teeth out and desperately needs to get new ones so he can talk and eat better.
Anna continued: "For him to survive the ordeal is unbelievable, let alone being under the water. The medical professionals have all said he is a miracle.
"We cannot thank the passers-by who spotted him and alerted the emergency services, the firefighters who went above and beyond the call of duty to pull him out, the police, paramedics and all the hospital staff enough for what they have done."
Mr Martin is expected to be home to his wife and children on the Cornwall-Devon border soon.
To most, the idea of being face-down in cold water for more than half an hour and living to tell the tale is baffling.
Dr James France, emergency department consultant at Worcestershire Royal Hospital, explained the science behind it: "Undoubtedly the fact that Mr Martin was a keen runner and in very good health improved his ability to survive the initially submersion in the canal lock.
"This combined with the very rapid drop in body temperature is likely to have been protective to his heart and brain; combined with the excellent pre-hospital care given by the river rescue team and the ambulance service, [it] meant that when he was brought to the Worcestershire Royal Hospital emergency department his chances of survival were greatly increased.
"While in the emergency department the A&E and ICU teams worked together to gradually increase his body temperature whilst aiding his breathing and protecting his heart.
A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesperson said they were called to reports of a drowning when they found Steve.
A paramedic officer, together with a hazardous area response team, an ambulance, and two paramedics in a response car, were sent from the Air Ambulance base in Strensham.
A spokesman said: "Emergency services arrived to find a man in the water.
"The fire service worked quickly to rescue the man, who had fallen into a lock, using ropes to lift him out of the water.
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"Once rescued, ambulance crews assessed the man and found he was in cardiac arrest.
"The team quickly commenced advanced life support on board the ambulance where they successfully managed to restart his heart.
"Ambulance staff continued vital treatment en route to Worcestershire Royal Hospital.
"The hospital were pre-alerted to the arrival of the man, who was said to be in a critical condition."
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