By CHRISTOPHER WALKER The Patriot Ledger QUINCY - Fast-acting police officers saved the life of an 81-year-old World War II veteran who apparently suffered a heart attack while driving on Quincy Avenue.
Vernon Siegal of Quincy was listed in stable condition last night at Quincy Medical Center, where doctors said he’s alive thanks only to police officers at the crash scene who performed CPR and used a portable defibrillator to revive Siegal’s heartbeat, officials said.
‘‘I can’t praise these officers enough for their efforts,’’ said Police Chief Robert Crowley.
Siegal was driving with his wife early yesterday afternoon when his car suddenly swerved off the road and struck a tree and a fence, authorities said.
Police Lt. Charles Santoro, driving his own truck during a lunch break, saw the crash and rushed to help.
He found Siegal bleeding from the forehead, unconscious and not breathing. Santoro began administering CPR using a new technique that he had just learned during a training session the previous day.
Siegal’s pulse returned briefly, but quickly stopped again.
A Quincy firefighter and police officers Michael Sullivan and John Leuchte arrived with a portable defibrillator.
The officers ripped Siegal’s shirt off while Santoro continued CPR, and gave Siegal two separate jolts from the defibrillator.
‘‘And after that, he came back. It was unbelievable,’’ said Santoro, who visited Siegal in the hospital yesterday.
‘‘I’m just happy he’s going to be OK. It was almost like something from God that we were just there at the right time.’’
Santoro is the police department’s training officer, and spent yesterday working to get certified in a relatively new CPR technique called ‘‘rescue breathing’’ that requires more chest compressions than the traditional method.
Santoro said he used the technique during Siegal’s rescue.
‘‘It’s a good thing we went to school on Tuesday,’’ he said.
Siegal’s wife was not injured in the crash. She told police that her husband appeared to be having a heart attack before the crash.
It is nice to hear about some of the good things Quincy cops do. Great job!
Posted by: Sniper
Props once again to the QPD !!!!!!!
Posted by: Buford T
Charlie is good people and a stand up cop, congrats lieu!
Posted by: BrickCop
Hey Delta the Cheif publicly praised these officers...maybe he is a changed man!!!!
Ya think?
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