Dying man saved by stranger he accidentally rang for help who mistook him for a HEAVY BREATHER



Ged Hall accidentally phoned Mary Readman as he tried to call for help

Had suffered a blood clot on his brain and could only 'groan' for help

Ms Readman hung up but called back after realising something was wrong

She called the police who found him at home and he was taken to hospital



A dying man was saved after he phoned a stranger for help and she contacted the police, because she mistook him for a crank-calling heavy breather.

Accountant Ged Hall drifted in and out of consciousness on the floor of his home for 36 hours as he suffered a blood clot on his brain.

After eventually managing to crawl to the phone to try and call someone he knew for help, he accidentally hit the wrong numbers and telephoned Mary Readman, 56, who he had never met before.

Lifesaver: Ged Hall (left) accidentally phoned Mary Readman (right) as he suffered a blood clot on his brain

Mr Hall, 59, tried to ask for help but could only 'moan and groan', leaving Ms Readman thinking he was a prankster.

She put down the phone thinking it was a hoax but then became concerned and called him back.

After she heard more groaning, Ms Readman realised something was wrong and called the police, who traced the call and went to Mr Hall's house and kicked his door in.

Officers found him on the floor and he was rushed to intensive care where surgeons removed the blood clot and saved his life.

Borough councillor Mr Hall and Ms Readman, both from Hartlepool, have now met for first time since the incident last year.

Calling for help: Mrs Readman put down the phone thinking it was a hoax but then became concerned and called him back before calling 999



Ms Readman said: 'I don't have a clue how he phoned my telephone number, I wouldn't know Ged even if he walked past me in the street.

'It was so strange how it happened. There was this groaning down the phone and I just kept saying "hello" thinking it was a drunk or a prank.'

Mr Hall said: 'I owe her everything. I was unconscious. When I woke up, I was lying on the floor. I tried to get up and I couldn't. I couldn't shout or get to the door or anything.

'If it wasn't for what she did, and when she did it, I might not have pulled through. They say I will get completely better within two years - that is down to her.'

Mr Hall suffered his near-fatal brain clot at 7.30am on July 12 but did not manage to crawl to the phone until the next night.

He was not suffering any health problems and was not on medication before he took a turn for the worse.

He said he felt a 'bizarre 20-second whirring sound' in his head and is unable to completely recall what happened over the course of the next 36 hours.

But he thinks he spent the majority of it drifting in and out of consciousness with his condition deteriorating by the minute.



By the Saturday evening his right arm and leg were both 'completely dead' and even though he was struggling to move he somehow managed to get to the phone.

Unaware of exactly what he was doing, he dialled a number and got through to Ms Readman, who was watching TV at her home two miles away.

The mother-of-three said: 'It was the way the person on the other end put the phone down made me think something was wrong.

Recovering: After three operations and a long stay in at James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, Mr Hall is still recovering at home. Police found him on the floor and he was rushed to intensive care



'It was an old-type receiver, not a mobile, and they were having trouble getting it back on the hook.

'I rang the number back and the person was still groaning. I asked if they were okay but they couldn't say anything back to me.

'The police rang me back just after midnight saying the man was in a bad medical state and thanked me for what I'd done.'

After three operations and a long stay in at James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, Mr Hall is still recovering at home.

The Labour councillor said: 'When I was rushed to hospital I couldn't do anything, I could barely move, I couldn't say a word. But I was lucky to be alive.