Denbighshire: Man ran out of oxygen waiting for ambulance

Keith Jones was the first responder and spoke at an inquest into Mr Tucker’s death on Monday.

Mr Jones did basic health checks on Mr Tucker and gave him oxygen as the levels in his blood were low, before reporting to ambulance control.

However, control told him that a paramedic crew was not immediately available as backup.

“Around 6:30pm, the oxygen ran out – Mr Tucker was struggling to breathe and talk,” he said.

“He put his hand out, as if to say ‘please could you help me’, but I felt helpless. He went into cardiac arrest.”

An ambulance arrived half an hour after the oxygen supply ran out, but paramedics were unable to save Mr Tucker.

Even if ambulance backup had arrived soon, consultant pathologist Mark Atkinson told the inquest, there was no guarantee Mr Tucker would have survived.

“He had COPD and profound pneumonia, and with other things going on, it’s likely he would have passed, even with additional oxygen supply,” he said.