Flying heroes honoured after saving life of sky diver Dave Coveney at Headcorn Aerodrome
Clem Quinn, Del Hopkins
and Bernard Devine carried out CPR in the plane on stricken Dave
Coveney
by Chris
Hunter
Three sky divers who fought a life and
death battle to save a fellow parachutist at 12,000ft have been
honoured for their efforts.
Veteran sky diver Dave Coveney, 74,
collapsed with a heart attack while he and teammates were about to
leap from their Cessna Caravan plane on a tandem jump above
Headcorn Aerodrome in October last year.
Thanks to the efforts of fellow
Headcorn Parachute Club members - Bernard Devine, 60, the jump
master and tandem parachute instructors, Clem Quinn, 62, and Del
Hopkins, 49 - Dave was brought back from the brink of death and
survived the horror incident.
The jump was abandoned and the three
performed CPR until the plane landed and they were met on the
ground by chief instructor Peter Sizer, who rushed out with a
defibrillator to meet the group.
Mr Coveney was shocked four times and
CPR was continued until the ambulance team arrived, by which time
he as breathing for himself.
Now the three life-savers are to
receive top national life-saving awards from the Royal Humane
Society for their battle on the floor of the crowded aircraft to
keep their friend alive.
Dick Wilkinson, secretary of the Royal
Humane Society, said : "This truly was a life and death situation
in very difficult circumstances and it is only thanks to the
actions of these three that Mr Coveney is alive today.
"The chilling thing is that the plane
was close to the drop zone. It doesn’t bear thinking about if Mr
Coveney had suffered the cardiac arrest after jumping.
"The three who saved him richly
deserve awards they are to receive. But for them he would almost
certainly have died."
No date has yet been fixed for
presentation of the awards but it is expected to take place in the
near future.
28/02/13
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