Nurse who tended to dying Covid-19 pensioner after a crash receives offers to repair her car for free

Lucy DuncanLucy Duncan
Lucy Duncan
Businesses have come to the aid of a hero Wigan nurse who tended to a pensioner dying of coronavirus.

Lucy Duncan's first thoughts were for the delirious 73-year-old whose car had just collided with her's.

But the crash did inflict substantial damage to her Fiat 500X, with one person saying it might be a write-off.

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However, after the Atherton 24-year-old appeared on wigantoday and was later featured in national newspapers and on the television, an online appeal was made to get the vehicle fixed.

Events organiser and director of TM Group, Kevin Spencer, said he was so impressed with Lucy's act of kindness that he would pay for the parts and paint himself if a garage would offer to donate the labour.

The appeal was answered by Body Shop Golborne which has told Lucy that it will complete the work once the Covid-19 restrictions have been relaxed.

Lucy said she was once again "overwhelmed" by people's kindness.

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It was last Thursday night, just minutes before the 8pm round of applause for NHS workers, that the drama unfolded for the mental health nurse with the North West Boroughs NHS Trust.

She was driving home through Abram after a 12-hour shift at Wigan Infirmary when a car coming in the opposite direction bumped into the side of her as they rounded a bend.

Lucy turned her car round and followed the offending vehicle down a side street where she found the elderly motorist semi-conscious at the wheel.

He told her he hadn't eaten for up to 10 days while in self-isolation at home alone and that he feared he had coronavirus.

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Lucy rang for an ambulance and then followed him back to the infirmary and stayed with him as he underwent tests. Eventually after five hours she was told by nurses that there wasn't anything else she could do after he was taken to the resuscitation unit and she went home.

The gentleman had appeared to perk up, she had been told before she left, but discovered the next morning that he had, sadly, lost his battle for life.

Lucy is now self-isolating at home.

After learning of the business people's offer of help, she said: "So many people have said kind things about what happened and now Kevin Spencer and Body Shop Golborne have said they will get my car fixed between them. It's quite overwhelming.

"Mr Spencer has offered to get the gentleman's car repaired too."

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In the meanwhile Lucy is still trying to track down the pensioner's son. He told her that they had not spoken for years and that he was living in Milton Keynes.

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