Clydebank man saved OAP's life after heart attack at the wheel on Erskine Bridge

Robert Adams was in the right place at the right time when the man, believed to be 74-years-old, took unwell on the Erskine Bridge on Saturday afternoon.

The 49-year-old, from Clydebank, was heading to Hillington when he noticed something was wrong and decided to intervene.

Robert said: "Me and my missus were going to sell her car but we ended up having to move the appointment to later on. We should have been on that bridge an hour before we were.

"Just as we got onto it, the traffic started to slow down and I thought 'oh no, we're going to be late'.

"Someone had crashed into the barrier. There were cars in front of me but they were all still moving.

"One woman stopped and got out. I thought they had crashed into each other but I could see no damage to her car. She was looking into the window and was on the phone."

Robert decided to park his car and headed over to help. He noticed that the man was passed out and blue in the face, but was told by the woman that all the car doors were locked.

"The woman was on the phone to the emergency services," Robert said. "I told her to ask them if we should put the windows in and they advised not to because they were on their way. The man had taken a massive heart attack."

Despite being advised not to give CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), Robert decided he needed to take action to help save the man's life.

He retrieved a wheel brace from his own car and smashed the back passenger window of the pensioner's car.

Robert Adams

He said: "I climbed in, opened the driver’s door from the inside, took him out and started CPR. Another guy appeared and asked how he could help. I asked him to hold the man’s head to stop it banging on the concrete.

"After about three minutes of CPR I started to see wee twitches in his face. I kept going and could see his belly going in and out but then that disappeared. He was slipping in and out of life.

"I could hear sirens in the distance and heard they were stuck.

"We got the traffic moving so they could get through. The fire brigade were first to arrive, and they just let me keep doing CPR.

"Another minute later the paramedics arrived, and they let me continue working on him. They then took their machines out and put the wee sticky pads on him and told me to stand away.

"I knew he would stand a chance because he was back again by this point."

After being successfully revived, the man was rushed to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.

Robert, who works offshore as an industrial rope access supervisor, was taught to carry out CPR by St Andrew's First Aid in Glasgow.

Robert at work as an industrial rope access supervisor

He said: "We need to be trained for first aid in case we have to rescue someone. We need to refresh our training every couple of years.

"I took knowing CPR for granted because we have to do it for the job.

"You never think you’re going to have to use it. Now I can see how much of a difference it can make. You only need to use it once, and you can make a huge difference to a lot of people."

The man, who is now recovering well, is believed to have eight children, 13 grandchildren and five great grandchildren.

A Police Scotland spokesman said: "Police were called to reports of a one vehicle crash on the Erskine Bridge around 12.50pm on Saturday, June 19.

"A man was taken to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital for treatment."