A Baby Suddenly Stops Breathing
One afternoon in January 1978, Janet Whittle was at home in St. Helens, England, feeding her three-month-old daughter, Lisa.
After feeding and burping the baby, Janet placed Lisa in her crib and went to the kitchen to wash up.
When she returned, something was wrong.
Lisa’s face had turned pale. She was making choking sounds and struggling to breathe.
Janet immediately called for her husband, Paul.
Paul rushed into the nursery, picked up their daughter and ran with Janet toward the hospital. Fortunately, the family lived close to the hospital, so they were able to reach the emergency department within minutes.
Doctors Could Not Remove the Blockage
When Paul arrived at the emergency department, he shouted for help.
A nurse and doctor quickly took Lisa into an examination room. They could see that the baby was struggling to breathe.
The medical team believed Lisa was choking on food.
The doctor turned Lisa over and used the heel of his hand to strike her back in an attempt to clear her airway.
But the attempts did not work.
Lisa still could not breathe normally.
The situation was becoming critical.
The doctor told the nurse to call an ambulance. Lisa needed to be taken to a children’s hospital where more specialized equipment was available.
Lisa Was Rushed to a Children’s Hospital
An ambulance driver named David Lamb was assigned to transport Lisa.
He knew the baby was in serious condition.
Before the ambulance left, the emergency doctor reportedly warned that Lisa’s skin was turning gray and that she might not survive the journey.
But there was still a chance.
David drove toward the children’s hospital as quickly as he could.
Lisa’s parents were not inside the ambulance. They traveled separately by taxi.
The Ambulance Crashed at an Intersection
As David approached an intersection, the traffic light turned red.
He slowed down and checked for approaching traffic before beginning his turn.
Then he heard the sound of screeching tires.
A car struck the side of the ambulance.
The impact caused the ambulance to spin and crash into a hotel.
For Lisa, however, the crash had an unexpected effect.
The Crash Cleared Lisa’s Airway
About 20 minutes later, Janet and Paul arrived at the children’s hospital.
They went to the reception desk and asked about their daughter.
A nurse soon came out and told them that the ambulance carrying Lisa had been involved in a crash.
Janet was already expecting terrible news. She feared that her daughter had died.
But the nurse had something unexpected to tell them.
The crash had apparently helped save Lisa’s life.
Before the accident, doctors had been unable to remove the object blocking her airway. The force of the collision had apparently dislodged the blockage from Lisa’s throat.
She began breathing normally again.
The color returned to her face.
Lisa Was Not Injured in the Crash
The remarkable part of the incident did not stop there.
Lisa had survived the choking emergency, and she had apparently suffered no injuries from the crash itself.
The other people involved in the collision also survived.
Afterward, Lisa was reunited with her parents.
For Janet and Paul, the frightening ordeal had finally ended.
Their daughter was alive and breathing normally.
A Strange Turn in a Medical Emergency
Lisa’s story is unusual because the event that appeared to make the situation worse ended up helping her.
Doctors had tried to clear her airway but could not remove the obstruction. During the ambulance journey, the collision produced a force that reportedly dislodged it.
In effect, the impact acted in a similar way to a forceful thrust used to clear an airway.
The story is sometimes described as an accidental Heimlich maneuver.
But this should not be taken as evidence that a crash can safely treat choking. A collision is extremely dangerous and can cause serious or fatal injuries.
The Importance of Immediate Action
The story also shows how quickly a choking emergency can become life-threatening, especially in a very young baby.
Janet noticed that something was wrong and immediately called for her husband.
Paul took Lisa to the hospital without delay.
Doctors then attempted to clear her airway and arranged an emergency transfer when they could not resolve the problem.
Those actions kept the focus on getting Lisa medical care.
The eventual outcome was extraordinary, but the crash itself was not a safe or predictable rescue method.
Conclusion
In January 1978, three-month-old Lisa Whittle faced a life-threatening choking emergency in St. Helens, England.
Her parents rushed her to a nearby hospital, where doctors tried unsuccessfully to clear her airway. She was then placed in an ambulance for transfer to a children’s hospital.
On the way, the ambulance was struck by another car.
The collision could have ended in tragedy. Instead, the force of the crash reportedly dislodged the blockage in Lisa’s throat. She began breathing normally and was later reunited with her parents.
What happened to Lisa was an extraordinary accident. It was not a treatment anyone could safely plan for. But after a terrifying sequence of events, the three-month-old baby survived and went home with her parents.