An off-duty paramedic has recounted the tragic events leading up to the death of a father-of-two on a flight home with his two sons. Chris Neill was returning to Liverpool John Lennon Airport from Burgas, Bulgaria, on Monday, September 16, when he began experiencing chest pains.
The Jet2 flight was compelled to make an emergency landing in Cologne, Germany, where it is believed Chris suffered a severe heart attack. A week after his son’s death, Mal Neill, Chris’s father, paid tribute to his son and, along with Chris’s mother, Lesley, urgently sought to raise funds to bring their 40-year-old son’s body back from Germany.
Mal, 68, has given permission for the Liverpool ECHO to report on how the medical emergency unfolded after the off-duty paramedic who helped Chris on the flight took to Facebook to explain what happened.
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Sharing details of how the incident unfolded, Rach-Victoria Leyland wrote in a public social media post: “Permission given by Christopher’s Dad in desperate times! As most of you are aware I attended a medical emergency last Monday on the flight home from Bulgaria. I was asked to assist with a 40 year old male with chest pain, the male being Chris. It was apparent to me Chris was suffering from a massive MI, in simple terms a heart attack.”
“I did a few checks and interventions and made the decision to tell the crew that the pilot needed to do an emergency landing. I managed with the help of an off-duty colonoscopy nurse and the crew to get Chris to the front of the plane so I had space in case Chris needed any emergency care. Sadly after a few minutes of being sat at the front of the plane, Chris had a small seizure and went into cardiac arrest”.
“Between myself, the crew, and the nurse we attached the AED and started chest compressions instantly working for over 30 mins. Sadly Chris had his 19 year old son and son’s girlfriend and his eight year old son on the plane. I did a medical handover on the runway to the German medical team.”
“Chris Sadly passed away in hospital not so long after. Such a small world I have connected with Chris’s dad Mal Neill today as he actually lives in Morecambe and knows two good friends of mine. Mal sent me some flowers to work today, bless him.”
In Mal’s tribute to his son from Runcorn, he praised Jet2 and asked for help in raising money to get his son home from Germany where his body remains. He said: “He was a staunch Everton fan and brought his children up as Everton fans.”
“He lived life to the full and he was bubbly. He was 6ft 4in and went to the gym every day, he was massive. He lived for his children and when I was going through photos for the GoFundMe there are so many of him and his sons.”
“He was full of fun, bubbly, he would do anything for anybody. I know people say that when someone dies but he would have. He was really liked by everyone.”
Paramedic Rach shared on Facebook: “His Dad Mal has set up a GoFundMe page in desperate need to get Chris home. Sadly, I did not manage to save Chris’s life, despite all our efforts, but I am going to do my utmost to help him get Chris home to his family where he belongs so they can put him to rest.”
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