Man who was clinically dead at Baulkham Hills meets doctor who saved his life
FIJI Indian Bimal Deo was due to be home this week. Instead, he was reunited with the hero doctor who brought him back from the dead after he suffered a heart attack behind the wheel at Baulkham Hills.
Hills Shire
Don't miss out on the headlines from Hills Shire. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- Man ‘brought back to life’ with public help after accident
- Rouse Hill Anglican teachers honoured for saving grandpa’s life
FIJI Indian Bimal Deo was due to be home this week. Instead, he was reunited with the hero doctor who brought him back from the dead after he suffered a heart attack behind the wheel at Baulkham Hills.
But Dr Matthias Axt — who happened to be cycling past the Cook St scene on his way to work at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead on March 28 — has downplayed his role in the incident.
Almost two weeks after the accident, Mr Deo and Dr Axt were reunited bedside at Westmead Hospital where he is in a stable condition.
Gasping for air while whispering in his bed at Westmead Hospital, he said: “I think that guy saved my life and he bring me to the hospital.”
Mr Deo who was on holiday to visit his ill 74-year-old mother Sarban Graham at Castle Hill was on the way to a relative’s house when he suffered a heart attack and slammed into another car.
Paramedics have lauded passers-by who dashed to the aid of 39-year-old father and taxi driver from Nausori, near Suva.
Without their rapid response, he would be dead.
Carley Austin and Andrew Taliana were the first to call the ambulance and pull Mr Deo, who was due to fly home on Friday, from his car.
Another gentleman, who has not yet come forward, also pulled Mr Deo out and started CPR on him.ê
Dr Axt, a Castle Hill father-of-four, started resuscitation that ultimately saved his life and from brain damage.
But the humble Dr Axt, who has been a physician for 30 years and migrated to Australia from his native Germany in 2002, said he was part of a rescue team.
“We have quite a few people with medical backgrounds in our community and ... I’m very happy that I have contributed to this person’s survival and also that his family’s grateful but I’m not the only one and, certainly, I don’t think it’s extraordinary what I did, but just did what was my duty.
“Someone already helped him out of his vehicle and I introduced myself and said ‘I’m an orthopaedic surgeon’ and took over and did CPR.
“It’s a chain of things that happened to help him survive and I helped him survive.
“A few minutes later the ambulance arrived and took over.”
Dr Axt praised those first on the scene including Ms Austin and Mr Taliana, who lied Mr Deo on the road and began CPR.
“That was excellent they did that,’’ he said.
“We all played the same role and ambulance officers perform CPR on a daily basis and nobody would think they’re doing anything extraordinary but they’re the real heroes — those who save lives on a daily basis.
“I could do CPR for a while but that person would not have survived without giving oxygen. I just contributed to his survival but I don’t think it’s just me.”
Mr Deo’s sister, Shiu Kumari, who was also on holidays in Sydney, praised Dr Axt and had a chance to thank him on Monday.
“It’s a miracle that the doctor was there,’’ she said.
“He was very lucky.”
She said her younger brother had been hospitalised for heart problems in Fiji but this was the worst incident.
“The way I have seen my brother I would never thought that he would be alive,’’ she said.
“I would like to thank Westmead Hospital and the doctors and nurses looking after my brother’s life. May God bless him and his family.
“He can now live a long life.”
CARLEY AUSTIN, 24, BAULKHAM HILLS
Aspiring musician Carley Austin was running late to the bus stop on Wednesday, March 28 and was the first to call 000.
“I know it sounds horrible but my first instinct was ‘is this a drunk guy?’ she said.
“I was on the phone to the ambulance. The real hero of it all was this random guy who said ‘I’m an orthopaedic surgeon’. When you hear someone do CPR properly you can hear the chest sound. He did it properly for a minute.
“Surely angels exist. He just came in and did it properly and walked away. It was a nice community thing.”
She was told to stay calm and lie the man flat.
“I never saw anyone gone before. It was very surreal. We all got a bit teary because we saw this man was dead.’’
It had been a watershed week for Ms Austin, who quit her job in advertising to pursue her passion for music after a meeting with a talent agent. She learned CPR at school but was rusty on the technique. “It’s definitely inspired me to learn it again.”
ANDREW TALIANA, 44, CRANEBROOK
The warranty officer driving to work at Rhodes when he witnessed the crash.
As an RFS volunteer, he is familiar with crash scenes but this was different.
“I’ve been to accidents and seen bodies in cars and what not and that didn’t affect me as much as that accident,’’ he said.
“There’s been other emergency services before and we’re not actually working on the patient. “Being there and waiting for the emergency services was a bit more pressure and a lot more nerve wracking.
“The accident we went to where the person was deceased and there was not a lot we could do.”
Mr Taliana was turning from Windsor Rd to Cook St when he saw the crash.
“My first instinct was the guy must have got out to check his load or it was a dispute,” he said.
“After it happened I felt relieved when the ambulance turned up. It felt like hours.”
FIONA ISBISTER, 38, WINSTON HILLS
AS A preschool teacher at the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children North Rocks, Fiona Isbister has CPR training.
She was 40m from car that crashed and shouted from her car. “I was waiting to turn right into Cook St and I could see it literally just happened and thought what’s that car doing?” she said. She witnessed the first responders doing CPR.
“They were doing CPR and weren’t pushing hard and I yelled at the top of my lungs. It was a crazy time and I couldn’t get to him.”
She walked to the victim and said: “I’m here if you need me” and by that time surgeon Dr Matthias Axt had arrived. “The orthopaedic surgeon-full credit to him.’
“He did it and the ambos came. Honestly I was quite traumatised and I got up and spoke to Carley and she was quite traumatised and I thought he was dead.
“I honestly didn’t think he was going to make it.
“Honestly I was so upset in a happy way. I want people to be aware of CPR.”