Chris Lynch and John Sweitzer saved Doug Cairns with CPR when he collapsed in his driveway. The 2 sanitation workers were recognized for saving the life of a man.
Saving a life
Chris Lynch and John Sweitzer were working in a residential neighborhood when Sweitzer noticed that a man he always greeted was sprawled in his driveway.
According to Sweitzer, he was on the back throwing garbage while Chris was driving. He ran over to the man and noticed that his head was bleeding. There was no response from the man. At that point, the 2 men sprung into action.
Lynch is a volunteer firefighter with the Middlesex Centre Fire Service who did not hesitate to utilize his skills. They assumed that the man had a heart attack. The paramedics arrived within minutes and the man was placed on a stretcher and rushed to a healthcare facility.
CPR training is important
As the 2 city workers went on with the rest of their day, Doug Cairns, the man that they saved awoke inside the ambulance.
According to Cairns, he got 4 broken ribs which he understands is expected from CPR but he is truly happy to be alive.
Cairns was shoveling in his driveway when it happened. He had just been handed the lid to his garbage can by John Sweitzer when he was hit with an abrupt wave of nausea. He was amazed that the garbage men had CPR training.
Upon release from the healthcare facility, he started to track down the 2 men who saved his life.
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LEARN MORE
Learn how to help by enrolling in a first aid course and for more information, check out these sources:
Mayo Clinic – Heart Attack: Symptoms, Causes, and Risk Factors
WebMD – Bleeding, Cuts, Wounds: Effective First Aid Management
Mayo Clinic – First Aid CPR: Basics of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation