Everyone else looked away

Styrian saves 45-year-old’s life on the ski slope

Mountain rescuer Bernhard Koch happened to be in the vicinity of the incident and immediately began resuscitation attempts.

(Bild: Bernhard Koch)

When a 45-year-old Styrian woman recently collapsed on the Weinebene, mountain rescuer Bernhard Koch was by chance the first on the scene. His courageous assistance saved the skier's life. "The only thing you can do wrong is to do nothing." 

Bernhard Koch, a mountain rescuer from western Styria, was on his way to the lift ticket office on the Weinebene at around 9 a.m. on a Sunday, March 17, to report who was on mountain rescue duty that day, when he suddenly heard cries for help. A few seconds later, his alarm went off. He was the first rescuer on the scene. A 45-year-old woman from the Graz area had collapsed and suffered a cardiovascular arrest. 

Scared minutes on the slope
The mountain rescuer immediately checked the breathing and pulse of the collapsed woman, whose husband had raised the alarm, and was shocked to discover that she showed no signs of life. He immediately began artificial respiration and chest compressions and radioed for a defibrillator, helicopter and reinforcements, including an emergency doctor.

After the first pass with the defibrillator, the woman actually started to respond - after around 15 long minutes, she was finally responsive again. "It was the best feeling ever when she showed signs of life and was responsive again," Koch recalls the moment when the resuscitation attempts finally worked. Accompanied by the emergency doctor and the flight rescuer, the skier was then transported to the helicopter in a quad bike by the mountain rescue team. "The rescue chain worked perfectly. Also thanks to the help of the lift company," emphasizes Koch. 

The use of a defibrillator can make a life-saving difference.

(Bild: pixelaway - stock.adobe.com)

"There really should be a defibrillator everywhere and people need to know how easy it is to use. Refresher first aid courses should be held much more regularly. Then the inhibition to help is much lower. For most people, the last course was decades ago," says Koch. 

"A little bit of luck" 
 If Koch hadn't happened to be nearby, things could have turned out differently. "When the woman collapsed in front of the till, everyone left. Nobody took the initiative and helped," says Karl Fauland, head of operations for the Weinebene piste rescue service. "Every minute really counts here. The quicker the rescue chain is set in motion and the first measures are taken, the better your chances are," says Fauland. Prolonged cardiac arrest can cause irreparable brain damage due to a lack of oxygen.

Civil courage necessary
"Many people are afraid of doing something wrong with first aid measures. But everyone needs to remember this: you can't do anything wrong unless you do nothing and look the other way. It is helpful just to set the rescue chain in motion and raise the alarm. Of course, it would be even better to provide active help," says Koch. 

On the Monday after the successful resuscitation, the 45-year-old's husband had good news for the head of the piste rescue team, as his wife was already able to leave the intensive care unit. She had had a stent inserted and was on the road to recovery, mainly thanks to the efforts of the mountain rescue team.