Heroes who saved life of man who cut his throat in Wolverhampton shop given awards
Three shoppers who rushed to help a man who had cut his own throat in a card shop have been awarded for their bravery.
But when they saw what was happening, Dr Muhammad Shah, off-duty paramedic Amy Sangha and Jasvir Sangha came to his aid and helped stop him bleeding to death.
They were joined by PCSOs Stephen Hopkin and Gary Paskin, who held the man while Dr Shah and Ms Sangha fought to stem the bleeding by applying pressure to the open wounds in his throat.
They had no medical equipment and instead managed to slow the blood flow using paper towels.
The incident happened at the shop on Dudley Street, on the afternoon of August 23.
Now Dr Shah, Amy Sangha and Jasvir Sangha have all been awarded Royal Humane Society Testimonials for ignoring the danger to themselves in tackling the man and for the treatment they administered when he was restrained. PCSOs Hopkin and Paskin are to receive Certificates of Commendation from the society for taking over the job of restraining the man while the others treated him.
Andrew Chapman, secretary of the Royal Humane Society, said: “This was an horrific and dangerous incident but the reaction of the award winners was heroic.
Danger
“They went in to try and stop the man despite the very real danger to themselves. And then they went on to save him from bleeding to death.
“They and the two officers who restrained the man all richly deserve the awards they are to receive.”
The roots of the Royal Humane Society stretch back more than two centuries. The Queen is its patron and its president is Princess Alexandra.
It is the premier national body for honouring bravery in the saving of human life.
It was founded in 1774 by two of the day’s eminent medical men, William Hawes and Thomas Cogan. Their primary motive was to promote techniques of resuscitation.
However, as it emerged that numerous people were prepared to put their own lives at risk to save others, the awards scheme evolved.
Today, a variety of awards are made depending on the bravery involved.
