Family thank Windermere community for trying to save dad's life

Retired mechanical engineer John Burton, 76, died from pneumonia in Cumberland Hospital despite the best efforts of the staff - and the quick response of the public in Windermere after he collapsed at the wheel of his car.

He was on holiday in the Lake District with his wife Alison Jean Burton.

The woman thanked the community for its effort to save her father (Image: Cassy Burton)

His daughter Cassy Burton said: "They had been out on a lovely day, they had been out on the boats. 

"They went for some fish and chips. They drove out and they came to the red lights because of road works or resurfacing. 

"My dad said: 'Why do we always seem to hit red lights?' And that is when he collapsed. He had his foot on the pedal and he was revving the engine. 

"The people behind were wondering what was going on. My mum ran round and tried to get his foot off the pedal. 

"There were two ladies and they got him out of the car really fast and they were taking turns for CPR. 

"One young man said: 'I will ring the emergency services.' Another young man hopped in a van and said: 'Is there a defibrillator around?' Another woman said: 'Yes I know' - they hopped in the van and came back. 

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"One of the ladies doing CPR knew how to use them. The air ambulance came and took over. 

"There were so many people on the scene giving their support. Things were looking up, the hospital was looking after him really well. 

"Bringing him back [from the cardiac arrest] brought an infection. His heart wasn't strong enough to see it off. He got pneumonia with the ventilation. 

"He had a very rough time in hospital but he was sedated all the time so we don't think he would have suffered." 

Cassy said that her father, from Mirfield in West Yorkshire, had a prior heart condition.

She said: "Because they acted so quickly and gave him that chance it did allow all his family from West Yorkshire to come and see him. If they hadn't been around there would have been none of us nearby - that was a comfort."

She called the women who gave him CPR 'angels.'

"We thought someone was looking down on him. We thought that he would pull through but he gave us extra time," she said.

Cassy wanted to thank the Green Gables Guesthouse for looking after her mother and offering to take her to Cumberland Infirmary.

She said that there should be more defibrillators available and more people trained in first aid.

Cassy described her father as someone who loved the Lakes and had a great sense of humour. 

She hopes to visit Windermere for the first time in his memory.