Roadside surgery: Heroic response by three young doctors saves accident victim in Kerala; earn praise

Last Sunday (December 21, 2025) will forever remain like no other for Manoop. B, a young cardiothoracic surgeon at Kottayam Government Medical College Hospital (MCH). For it would be the day – night, actually – that he pulled a young accident victim from the brink of death, literally with his bare hands.

That adrenaline rush is something he can still re-live, says Manoop, as he narrates how he came to be the saviour of the Kollam native, Linu.

Dr. Manoop was on his way from Kochi to Kottayam, when at Udayamperoor, he saw two mangled two-wheelers on the road. It was around 8.30 p.m. He stopped the car and got out to check what had happened.

“I saw three people lying on the ground, critically injured. Two of them, though they had serious injuries, were conscious. But the third person (Linu) who had his helmet on, was lying in a dark corner and he was absolutely still,” says Dr. Manoop

“It is very important in such accident emergencies that we stabilise the neck of the injured. I tried to remove his helmet but I needed an expert hand, when like god-send, the doctor couple – Thomas Peter and his wife, Dideeya Thomas, who had also stopped on the way noticing the accident site – came in. With one of them stabilising the neck of the victim, I was able to remove his helmet,” he says.

Airway obstructed

Linu had sustained had severe maxillofacial injury, and he was gasping for breath because the mangled facial bones and teeth and the blood aspirated to the lungs had obstructed the airway. They tried the head tilt, a primary airway rescue manoeuvre, but in vain.

“His breathing became shallow and he was on the brink of respiratory arrest. I did not have much time, so I quickly explained to the people gathered around and the police that I needed to immediately do a surgical procedure and that they had to help. I asked for a razor blade and paper straws,” the doctor says.

A three-inch incision was made on the neck through which a straw was inserted to create an airway. But the paper straws turned useless as it was soaking up the blood. They then used a small plastic straw, which immediately improved his breathing. All this was done in the flashlight of mobile phones,” says Dr. Manoop.

When the ambulances arrived, Dr. Manoop chose to accompany the victim since despite the opening created by the straw, rescue breaths had to be given continuously through the tube. The victim was rushed to Wellcare Hospital at Vyttila, where the emergency physician on duty took over.

“A cricothyroidotomy is not a procedure that is normally done like this in the open, except perhaps in a war zone. To be frank, I was petrified. Because the patient’s life was hanging by a thread and if he went into respiratory arrest while I was doing the procedure, the people gathered around could turn on me. It was just the thought that a young life was in my hands and I could not give up on him that urged me on,” says Dr. Manoop.

Dr. Manoop says it was teamwork and the excellent support given by the police, local people and the ambulance personnel, Althaf and Aneez, that made the dramatic rescue possible.

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) went on record to congratulate the young doctors. “Their presence of mind and the commitment to save lives would remain an inspiration for all young doctors in the making,” it said.