Sometimes you do the best you can, but it's not enough.
Three linemen at Kenergy Corp., based in Henderson, Ky., are wrestling with that sentiment, after trying vainly to revive an elderly man, an apparent victim of cardiac arrest. While the man’s wife looked on, local EMTs arrived on the scene, but those resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful, as well.
“The event is still on our minds, but not quite as painful as at first,” crew leader Allen Singer said of the March 14 incident. “Although he didn’t make it, I do believe God had us in that particular area for that specific time, if not to save a life, but to be there for his wife. Imagine if she were there alone and this happened.”
Singer and two co-workers—Jacob Courtney and Bradley Sugg—were doing line maintenance in Henderson County, when they saw an elderly man sitting in a gravel driveway, “and his wife kneeling behind him as if she were propping him up.”
Singer, Courtney and Sugg helped the man stand up, learning from the wife that her husband had felt ill, and they were headed to the doctor. The three workers waited, and when they saw the man was having trouble, they sprung into action.
“I could tell he was getting shaky,” Singer recalled. At that point, the co-op workers helped the man victim inside the truck, where he fell, unconscious. They checked for a pulse, found none, called 911 and then performed CPR. The linemen also used an external defibrillator to try to resuscitate the man.
“Once we had him laid on the ground, his wife was leaning over him and patting his cheek and calling his name. Not hysterically. But with concern,” said Singer.
The crew credited the co-op’s emphasis on preparedness for their handling of the situation with clear heads. The co-op holds regular CPR training and first aid workshops. Last year, it bought 21 AEDs, trained employees on their use, and supplied each crew with one.
Emergency preparedness “is pretty much instilled in us,” said Singer.
After the EMTs arrived, Singer, Courtney and Sugg left. County and ambulance officials called the co-op, which then held a press briefing for several media outlets.
Because the crew was “emotionally raw” after the event, “we invited the press in because we didn’t want them to have to endure several media interviews,” said Renee Jones, a co-op spokeswoman.
Since then, the accolades have rolled in. “It’s a high-stress situation. But you knew what to do, and you did it. You didn’t stand by, wringing your hands. You did everything you could,” said Larry Koerber, director of the Henderson County Emergency Management Agency. His remarks appeared in The Gleaner, a local newspaper.
For now, the men are finding solace in friends, family and church support groups. The man’s family also visited the co-op to thank the three workers in person.
Said Singer: “They also gave each of us a card with an attached thank-you letter inside. That provided closure for all three of us.”
SOURCE: Electric Coop Today