Street Assist were on hand to potentially save a man’s life after he had “burst an artery” climbing over a fence at Princes Street Gardens.
The incident took place at around 01:00am on Saturday June 11 and required a response from not only Street Assist but also all three emergency services: Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS), Police Scotland and Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS).
Street Assist volunteers, Brad Lawrence, Lewis Allan, Scott Bolton, student paramedic Emma Gray and team leader Kieran Potter, were all singled out by Street Assist head, Neil Logan for their incredible work.
Volunteers had been travelling through the city centre in one of their vehicles when they noticed a man on the ground on South Charlotte Street.
Street Assist, a charity organisation that ensures people’s safety during the night economy hours, stepped in and attempted to get the man home safely.
However he made a run for it and was later found badly injured after he had attempted to hop the fence into Princes Street Gardens.
A volunteer from the charity was able to use a bench to safely navigate the spiked fence and later found the man soaked in blood with the help of a couple of strangers.
On the incident, Neil said: “Most people start their night off with good intentions and no one plans to climb a fence at Princes Street Gardens and become impaled on it.
“But alcohol, drugs and mental health can determine how the night ends for many of us.
“That is why it is good for our folks to drive around the city centre to ensure that anyone requiring assistance can get it.
“We noticed a guy on the ground on South Charlotte Street and a friend on the phone.
“We stopped to check and the male on the ground was intoxicated with the friend phoning 999.
“At that point this was a routine case of intoxication and we set about helping him to sober up and get home safe.
“We established that the two friends had had an argument when the boy got off his feet and took off towards Princes Street.
“Eye witnesses say he went over the fence - the ones that have the pointy spikes on them - and whilst climbing, a spike went through his leg.
“Two members of the public followed him over to try help him as he had visibly lost a lot of blood.
“Our folks got down to the fence as soon as they could and a volunteer managed to get over safely and track him down. We then contacted the SAS.
“We tried to help him stem the flow of blood using one of our bleed kits that were purchased from the Daniel Baird Foundation.
“There was a lot of blood on the ground and his trousers were saturated in it. He later stood up and tried to run off but collapsed in a bush due to the burst artery.
“SAS came on scene and one of their technicians managed to get over the fence and locate our team.”
But the paramedics were unable to gain access to the Gardens in order to transfer the patient to the hospital.
However, team leader Kieran Potter, called the SFRS to attend the event in order to gain access into the area.
All four organisations in attendance worked together to save/prolong the man’s life.
Neil continued: “The guy was still quite agitated so one of our volunteers, Emma Gray, who is training to be a paramedic, went in to help with his treatment whilst he was transported to hospital.
“The bleed kit that we had previously purchased ensured that we were able to stem the flow whilst technicians arrived.
“I am immensely proud of my team for dealing with a number of difficult call outs this weekend.
“We are a vital service that often stops issues from becoming serious but on this occasion we were able to prolong or potentially save a life.”
Edinburgh Live had previously reported about how Street Assist volunteers had rushed to the aid of a man suffering from a drug overdose.
The team helped 17 individuals while out on Saturday June 11, which included rushing to the scene of an unconscious man.
Quick thinking officers called the Street Assist team who carry Naloxone - a drug that can be carried and administered to reverse the effects of a drug overdose and save lives.
A spokesperson for the SFRS confirmed that a team was in attendance to help gain entry to the Gardens.
Those wishing to support the fantastic work that the Street Assist team carry out, can do so here.
