40-stone patient is rescued by fire crews

29 January 2010

A 40-stone man had to be rescued by six fire crews after he suffered a heart attack.

The man, who has not been named, from King's Lynn, Norfolk, was lifted out of a first floor window using an aerial ladder on Tuesday afternoon after he fell ill, a spokesman for Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service said.

Paramedics were called to the man's home because he was suffering from breathing difficulties, a spokeswoman for the East of England Ambulance Service said.

While paramedics were at the scene the man went into cardiac arrest.

Reinforcements were called so the man could get the urgent medical attention he needed.

A spokesman for the fire service said that due to his size and condition, getting down the stairs was not an option.

He said six crews attended the scene to help put the man on a stretcher and lift him out of the window to a waiting ambulance.

A spokesman for the Queen Elizabeth Hospital said the man was stable but seriously ill.