Prince Harry's amputee marine pal saves the life of woman dying in the street

Former Royal Marine Ben – who lost an arm and a leg in an Afghanistan blast – raced to the stranger’s aid and used his good hand to perform CPR

Amputee war hero Ben McBean dramatically saved a dying woman in the street by pumping her heart back to life with his one remaining arm.

Former Royal Marine Ben – who lost an arm and a leg in an Afghanistan blast – raced to the stranger’s aid and used his good hand to perform CPR as she lay collapsed from a suspected heart attack.

Ben, 25, hailed “a true hero” by Prince Harry after they returned from Afghanistan on the same flight, was on his way to buy a lottery ticket when he saw the woman unconscious on the pavement near a bus stop.

Yesterday, he told the Sunday Mirror how he brought the woman back to life after stopping his car to administer first aid.

Ben, who has an artificial left arm and right leg, said: “It wasn’t the easiest thing to do one-handed but somehow it worked.

“I parked my car outside the shop and suddenly I saw her lying on her back on the ground near a bus stop.

“I went over to ask if she was OK but she was motionless and her eyes were closed.

Ben McBean outside his home in Plymouth — Courage and a calm head: Ben outside his home in Plymouth

JK Press

“I bent down, put my hand on her shoulder and gave her a little shake. She didn’t move at all.

“I knelt down and put my ear to her mouth to see if I could hear her breathing. I couldn’t hear or feel anything.

“Suddenly, something just kicked in with me. I instinctively knew she was either dead or dying. But I knew I had to try to do something to save her.

“I didn’t think about it. I’d done a first-aid course in the Marines but that was four years ago.

“I don’t actually remember paying the sort of attention that I should have, but somehow it all seemed to come back to me.

“I drew both my hands up to place on top of each other on her chest like they teach you. But I realised my artificial hand was going to be useless. It’s moulded into a fixed position which can’t be changed.

“I dropped it to my side, placed my good hand in the middle of her chest and started pumping.

“My artificial leg doesn’t make kneeling particularly easy but somehow I managed to get it in the right position so I could get above her to bear down with enough force.

“It only took a minute or two before I started struggling. My good arm started to hurt but I knew I couldn’t stop. I started talking to her. I was saying: ‘Come on, come on.’ But nothing changed.

“I thought: ‘She’s dead. This is a waste of time.’ But I knew from my training you always have to keep CPR going no matter what, until a doctor or a paramedic gets to you.
I stopped briefly to get my phone out of my pocket and I rang 999.

“I blurted out where I was and what I was doing. The operator started asking all sorts of questions but I hung up.

“I threw my phone down on the ground and got my hand pumping again as quickly as I could.

“After a couple of minutes, I was sweating. I shouted: ‘Come on, come on’ and pumped as hard I could.

“Suddenly, she gave a weird cough and started frothing at the mouth. The feeling was unbelievable.

“She opened her eyes but they were rolling into the back of her head. But I knew she was alive. She couldn’t speak but eventually she started breathing and rolled to her side.

“I put my artificial arm under her armpit and shifted my weight and got her into the recovery position. I told her to lie still and tried to reassure her that help was coming and she’d be alright.

“Then the ambulance arrived and two paramedics ran over. I told them what had happened and what I’d done.

“One of them took over with her and the other helped me to my feet.

“He saw I’d only got one hand and I told him I only had one leg too and that he’d have to help me up. He said: ‘Wow. You’ve just saved that woman’s life. Nice one.’

“I didn’t get a chance to speak to her because she wasn’t talking and they said she was still pretty unwell.

“When they drove off, I just stood there staring after them. I was in a bit of a daze. I looked down at my good hand and couldn’t quite believe what had just happened. I went in to the shop to buy my Euromillions ticket and the guy behind the counter asked what all the commotion was about. I couldn’t believe he hadn’t come out to help.”

That evening, Ben tweeted the simple words: ‘Job well done!’ Despite the drama in his home town of Plymouth, Devon, Ben played down his latest heroics, which he only spoke about after the Sunday Mirror approached him. “I just did what anyone would have done. I’ve only told a few people.

"My mates all joked: ‘Typical. Why can’t you stay away from drama!’?”

Ben’s life was shattered in February 2008 when he stepped on a Taliban landmine while on patrol in Helmand Province.

As well as losing his left arm below the elbow, his right leg had to be amputated at the knee. He also sustained four deep shrapnel wounds, burns to his torso and lost the hearing in one ear.

In hospital, he fought life-threatening MRSA and still suffers from insomnia and distressing flashbacks. Two years ago, he was awarded £200,000 compensation by the MoD but was forced to leave the Marines. He has since become a motivational speaker and is building a property business. A year after losing his limbs, he ran the London Marathon.

He is currently training to run the gruelling Three Peaks Challenge, up Scafell Pike, Snowdon and Ben Nevis. Last July came another landmark in his battle to overcome his injuries when he got down on bended knee to propose to school sweetheart Sophie Williams, 2