Man Thanks RAF Honington Personnel For Potentially Saving His Life

A man whose life was potentially saved by station personnel has returned to RAF Honington to thank them.

Darren Ruck, 40, had a heart attack at the wheel of his car on Father's Day this year.

Personnel from RAF Honington were first on the scene to potentially save his life after Mr Ruck's wife, Marie, managed to grab the wheel but inevitably crashed off the road near the RAF station.

Trainee Gunners Aircraftsmen Thomas Allan and Troy Taylor-Morgan some of the first on the scene as they were returning to the station from the opposite direction on Green Lane, where the accident took place.

The pair rushed to help and removed Mr Ruck from the vehicle via the back seats of the car - the only accessible exit point following the damage caused by the crash.

Corporal Ed Stanley also drove past the scene and his wife, a nurse, immediately began CPR on the man who was drifting in and out of consciousness at the time.

She was later joined by Corporal Alexander Bates, who maintained the CPR assistance, as well as Corporal Sam Waugh who also assisted at the scene.

After being taken to Papworth Hospital, Mr Ruck was sedated for three days with five days on a ventilator.

In total, he spent three weeks between the hospital and Addenbrookes whilst he had stents and a defib fitted.

While Mr Ruck still cannot remember the events of 21 June, he "thanked God that the [RAF Honington] guys were there so soon to help".

Cover image: Darren Ruck and his family visited RAF Honington to meet the personnel that potentially saved his life (Picture: MOD).