A DOCTOR has spoken of her relief that she was able to help save a mother-of-two’s life after her heart stopped as she was driving through York.

Accident and emergency doctor Charlotte Capstick, 33, was shopping with her father, before Christmas, when she saw a commotion in George Hudson Street around a car where driver Joanne Durkin had collapsed at the wheel.

Staff from nearby Turkish restaurant Kapadokya smashed the window of the locked car to free Joanne.

Charlotte carried out Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on Joanne, doing chest compressions, when Joanne’s pulse stopped.

After Joanne was moved to an ambulance, paramedics used a defibrillator to restart her heart.

Charlotte said she did not know what had happened until her grandmother spotted the story of Joanne’s recovery in The Press.

Charlotte said: “I thought about it so much in the week. Then I heard she was home and wrapping presents, it was amazing. It was incredible to hear that.

“People don’t tend to survive arresting outside hospital. It’s crazy she survived. She was at the back of my mind all week.

“In A and E you have all you need, but outside you feel a bit helpless there’s not more you can do.

“She is lucky to have been near the hospital.”

Joanne, 43, is now recovering at home in Stamford Bridge with husband Patrick, and sons Matthew and Daniel, after doctors discovered she suffers from Long QT Syndrome, which is an electrical disturbance to the heart and can cause death.

She has since had an implant with a built-in defibrillator which will restart her heart should this ever happen again, and she is on medication to help control her heart rate.

Following slight complications with the implant, marathon runner Joanne is recovering well.

Her husband Patrick, said: “We will be forever thankful to Charlotte.

“Without her doing what she did, Joanne wouldn’t be alive.

“Joanne was very lucky – when you add up all the possible situations, the luck was unbelievable. Emergency services helped amazingly and York Hospital and Castle Hill have been fantastic.”

He said they plan to send flowers to Charlotte, a doctor at Arrowe Park Hospital in the Wirral.