What the...?! Angler Nearly Dies in England After Fish Jumps Down His Throat

A man was nearly killed by a fish he caught.

We see some strange stories here at Wide Open Spaces, but this one is in a whole other hemisphere of weird. That's because a man in England nearly died after choking on the fish he had just caught.

Paramedics responded to a call of someone who stopped breathing at Boscombe Pier, Bournemouth last week.

There they found the man, later identified as 28-year-old Sam Quilliam, on the pier with his friends, Steve Perry and Matt Jones. The two friends were performing CPR on Quilliam trying to keep him alive.

It was then the men revealed to the medics their friend had a 6-inch Dover Sole fish stuck in his throat.

It was later revealed Quilliam went to kiss the fish jokingly when things went very wrong. "I squeezed it and like a bar of soap it jumped out of my hand and into my mouth," Quilliam said later. "It got out of my hands and into my mouth and basically swam straight down my throat."

Things quickly took a turn for the worse as the angler passed out and then went into cardiac arrest. Thankfully, his friends had stayed calm through the whole ordeal. "The boys were giving really good CPR on our arrival as instructed by the control room staff," Specialist Paramedic Matt Harrison said in a press release.

Friday Fish Day? Don't let this story put you off your fish and chips! Well done to all involved: https://t.co/PjDZzCA3h0 pic.twitter.com/oKeOBetstF

— swasFT (@swasFT) October 13, 2017

The medics continued CPR as Quilliam was loaded into an ambulance. But they quickly realized immediate action was necessary. "It was clear that we needed to get the fish out or this patient was not going to survive the short journey to Royal Bournemouth Hospital," Harrison said.

Using a pair of forceps, Harrison began trying to get the fish out, but its gills and barbs were complicating things. It took six tries, but eventually Harrison pulled the fish out in one piece.

"I have never attended a more bizarre incident and don't think I ever will - but we're all so glad the patient has no lasting effects from his cardiac arrest, which could so easily have had such a tragic and devastating outcome," Harrison said.

Amazingly, Quilliam had recovered enough to answer questions by the time the ambulance reached the hospital.

Quilliam later said he got the inspiration to kiss the fish from fishing celebrities who often do the same thing on TV before a release. He later reunited with Harrison and personally thanked him for saving his life.

"Steve and Matt and the paramedics did a great job to save my life," Quilliam told reporters. "I could have easily died and I feel very lucky to be here. I feel much better now, it's like beyond winning the lottery. Me and my family are really grateful."

So there you have it, probably the most bizarre fishing accident that has ever occurred. If you like to kiss a fish after the catch, you might want to think twice after a story like this! Perhaps it would be safer to just sniff them like Lake Fork Guy does?

NEXT: NEW YORK MAN ATTACKED BY RABID 10-POINT BUCK WHILE TAKING OUT THE TRASH