SECONDS FROM DEATH
British skier ‘died for 20 minutes’ after falling behind friends on slopes before strangers ‘brought him back to life’
by Emily PrescottA BRITISH skier's heart stopped for 20 minutes on an Austrian ski slope after his pals left him behind leaving him to be saved by passersby.
Health officials said that the 66-year-old man had technically died on the slope in the Ski Alberg area in Austria after he suffered a massive heart attack.
It was only through the quick actions of other skiers and later a medical team that he was saved.
The man's lifeless body in the middle of the ski piste was spotted by 43-year-old Dutchman and his companion.
The two skied quickly over to the Englishman and began resuscitation.
They were helped a short while later by a 47-year-old doctor from nearby Hallein who was also skiing on the slopes at the same time.
HELL ON THE SLOPES
The three raised the alarm and an air ambulance was quickly on the scene where the emergency crew managed to restart the heart of the 66-year-old 20 minutes after he was found.
A police spokesman said: "The man had no heart activity at 11:35am. At 11:55am they were able to once again detect heart activity."
It was unclear how long he had been lying there before the Dutchman found him.
A helicopter then flew the British man to the Feldkirch hospital where police confirmed that the other members of his group had not noticed he was missing until they arrived in nearby Zurs.
Police said that it was unclear whether the man had fallen and suffered a heart attack, or the heart attack had caused him to fall over, but confirmed that he showed no injuries or signs of having crashed.
An update on the man's condition has not been provided by the hospital because of confidentiality.