Osbourne Resuscitation Caught On Film

Posted by Dana Suzanne on 02.22.2004

Singer's Heroic Bodyguard Discusses The ATV Accident On TV

Dramatic images of rock legend Ozzy Osbourne being given the kiss of life moments after his near-fatal quad bike crash have been broadcast for the first time, reports Mark Sage of the PA News.

The footage, shown on US television, was filmed by an MTV cameraman who is heard saying "oh my god" as bodyguard Sam Ruston resuscitated the Black Sabbath singer.

Osbourne, 55, came close to death in the accident at his Buckinghamshire estate He suffered eight broken ribs, a punctured lung, a smashed collarbone and a crushed vertebra in his neck.

The film shows Osbourne being resuscitated, while the ATV bike lies nearby. The ground is scarred by skid marks. The pictures were shown on ABC's Primetime last night.

Ozzy told Diane Sawyer: "Absolutely no drugs, absolutely no alcohol. It was just a terrible, a terrible accident. What I do remember is I got on the bike and, and something in my mind went 'bad move ... something really bad is gonna happen'."

Mr. Ruston was riding alongside Ozzy and described the moment of the crash.

"I see the bike hit some berms, and it starts to bounce, and Ozzy’s holding on," he said. "But what happens is the back end of the bike comes up off the ground, throwing him forward and over the handlebars."

Osbourne admitted he was going "pretty fast" at the time.

Mr. Ruston described the accident: "The bike's tumbling and he's tumbling, he actually somehow gets entangled in the bike, and he's rolling with the bike."

He ran to help Ozzy. "I turned him over and I put my head on his chest, and I hear-no breath, no heartbeat, nothing," Ruston said.

"I remember tilting his head back and pinching his nose, and I cleared his mouth-he had a lot of blood and saliva-his tongue had fallen down deep inside of his throat, so I cleared it with my finger, and I remember-breathing in his mouth-four short breaths, but it was kind of like-it reminded me of blowing up a balloon," he said.

Osbourne eventually came round as the MTV crew called for an ambulance.

Mr Ruston said Ozzy looked up at him and said: "Just get me the F – – up."

Osbourne’s daughter, Kelly told ABC the incident marked the end of the worst year of her life.

"It's like it couldn’t get any worse, there’s no way. Hands down, the worst year of my life," she said.

Ozzy’s wife Sharon battled cancer last year and recently had her talk show axed. Also, their son Jack recently battled drug problems.

Sharon, who rushed to be by Ozzy’s side in hospital, said it would have shattered her life if Ozzy had died.

"I wouldn't know where to pick the pieces up and start," she said.

Source: Sage, Mark "Ozzy 'Kiss-of-Life' Film Shown for First Time" scotsman.com
20 February 2004