Luton Town captain thanks medics who saved his life at Bournemouth

Luton Town captain Tom Lockyer praised the medical personnel who saved his life as he revisited Bournemouth to express his gratitude.

The 29-year-old collapsed on the pitch at Vitality Stadium after experiencing cardiac arrest during the encounter between the clubs on 16 December.

As a result of the incident, the match was halted, and Lockyer attended the rescheduled fixture on Wednesday, where he had the opportunity to meet and thank the medics before the game.

“I got a little bit emotional,” Lockyer told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“I am quite numb to the whole thing but being back here, I came into the tunnel area and saw the paramedics that saved my life.

“I recognised them straight away. What do you say in that situation other than ‘thank you’? They are heroes and they saved my life.”

Lockyer shook the hands of the medics when he came on to the pitch before Wednesday’s Premier League match and received a standing ovation from both sets of fans who chanted his name.

Supporters also applauded in the 59th minute, which was when the defender collapsed in the original fixture.

“I hope that is for the paramedics and not myself,” said Lockyer prior to the game.

“It is going to be emotional. When it happened it was important for people to see me doing well.

“A lot of that crowd that were there that day are here tonight so for them to see me walking around and doing well is important.”

Lockyer has been sidelined from playing since his cardiac arrest incident. He has previously mentioned that he was clinically deceased for nearly three minutes during the ordeal.

Following the incident, he spent five days in the hospital and later underwent the placement of an implantable cardioverter defibrillator.

Bournemouth supporters raised over £2,000 to provide transportation for Luton fans, organizing four coaches for the 240-mile round trip from Bedfordshire to the south coast for the rescheduled match.