A man's life was saved by police and a passerby on Thursday night after he had a suspected heart attack while driving in a suburb of Sydney.
The 32-year-old man was driving along Marian Street in Enmore at 7.05pm when he lost consciousness and crashed into a parked car and a pedestrian, police say.
While witnesses called triple zero, a neighbour who heard the crash started performing first aid on the driver.
She was quickly joined by two police officers, a constable and a sergeant, who performed CPR on the man in the drivers' seat then lifted him onto the narrow road to continue compressions before an ambulance arrived.
The driver was taken to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (RPA) in a critical condition and placed in intensive care. The pedestrian, a 38-year-old man, was also taken to RPA with a cut to the head and some bruising.
Inspector Gary Coffey from the Leichhardt Local Area Command said the actions of the officers almost certainly saved the man's life.
"I've spoken to both the officers involved and I attended the scene," Inspector Coffey said.
"They're just grateful they were in a position to respond quickly to the job and to help the man. The initial information we have from RPA is that certainly the CPR was critical in saving his life."
Concerned bystanders watched as police resuscitated the man, and some contacted Fairfax Media to praise the actions of police.
"They pulled him out and brought him back to life," one man said.
When they are inducted into the police force, officers are equipped with first aid training and receive yearly refresher courses.
Their training, and the speed they arrived at the scene, made all the difference.
"It's just lucky they were there quickly, and the lady that lives in this street as well, and they were able to help this man," Inspector Coffey said.
He said the actions of the trio – especially the woman who went "out of her way" to help – were worthy of recognition.
"All three of them will obviously be recognised in some form," he said. "It's not something that happens every day."
This story was originally published in May 2015.