TWO West Fife rail workers jumped into action to save the life of a colleague who had collapsed at Inverkeithing rail station.

Lorna Bathgate and Charlie Algeo have been praised for their heroic efforts after a person had collapsed at the station.

The drama happened when a member of the public raised the alarm and Lorna, who works in the ticket office, and train dispatcher Charlie, came to the rescue and provided life-saving intervention before the emergency services arrived.

When she realised the person was not breathing, Lorna began to give CPR compressions while Charlie retrieved the station’s Automated External Defibrillator (AED).

While on the phone with the emergency services, they began to use the defibrillator to resuscitate their colleague.

The pair then continued to give CPR compressions, with assistance from members of the public, until paramedics arrived. 

Thankfully, the casualty was breathing again when the paramedics arrived – just 20 minutes after first collapsing – and is now recovering well with no signs of permanent damage.

David Lister, ScotRail safety, engineering and& sustainability director, applauded the actions of both ScotRail workers.

"What started as a normal day heading in to work for one person quickly turned into a horrible nightmare which, thankfully, has had a positive ending," he said.

“In an emergency, a defibrillator can be the difference between life and death, and that’s been proven true. It’s why we’ve made sure we have them at many of our busier stations across the country.

“The railway is often described as a family, and while they may not have known at the time, Lorna and Charlie’s actions helped keep that railway family together – they are a credit to ScotRail and I could not be prouder of them.”

More than 30 Automated External Defibrillators (AED) have been installed at rail stations across Scotland since 2018.

The life-saving devices can help save the life of someone experiencing a sudden cardiac arrest by shocking a patient’s heart into restarting. They are easy to use, portable, with clear step-by-step instructions so anyone can use them, from a bystander to a trained professional.

A cardiac arrest can happen to anyone at any time and the employment of a defibrillator and CPR within the first few minutes after an arrest, while professional help is on its way, can increase the chances of a patient’s survival by up to 70 per cent.