BNSF News

Employee's CPR Skills Save Friend's Life

2009-12-07

It was supposed to be a normal Friday night gathering for Carla Dingler, manager, Performance Analysis, and a group of friends.

But as they discussed which movie to watch and what they wanted to eat, one of her male friends, a man in his early 30s and in mostly good health, suddenly collapsed. The evening was far from routine after that.

Dingler had been certified in CPR in a BNSF-provided class. But no one else had any training, and panic began to fill the room as their friend began to have trouble breathing.

"We mobilized and gathered around him," Dingler said. "One person called 9-1-1 while another friend and I stayed with him to monitor his condition. As we waited for help to arrive, he continued to deteriorate, and we had to take measures to maintain his airway as he began to struggle to breathe."

Her CPR training helped keep her from panicking. But she was nervous as she realized the potential serious nature of her friend's collapse.

"Fortunately, the paramedics arrived just as we decided we needed to start CPR," Dingler said.

The friend was taken to the hospital and had emergency surgery for a blocked artery. He is expected to make a full recovery. Dingler said she was grateful as she realized her friend had arrived at the gathering only about 10 minutes before his collapse.

"If it had happened sooner, he would have been in his car on the freeway," she said. "Or he could have been at home alone."

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