WOODLAND HILLS—Ron Costello, a resident of Woodland Hills, who was driving on the 101 freeway was saved when Good Samaritans performed CPR after he sustained a heart attack, ABC 7 Los Angeles first reported.
Costello lost consciousness during the incident and slowly drifted through several lanes of traffic before crashing into the divider. The Good Samaritans broke the window and began performing CPR on Costello for several minutes until paramedics arrived on the scene. Both gentlemen are attorneys from Encino.
“So amazed that two people actually took the time to stop what they are doing and in Los Angeles to get anyone to stop to say hi to you is a task,” said Costello to Canyon News.
Harvard Health Publishing: Harvard Medical School article called “The Importance of Bystander CPR,” states “every year, more than 350,000 Americans experience sudden cardiac arrest, when the heart stops beating without any warning.”
“Learning Hands-Only CPR helps local emergency responders by focusing on the first few critical minutes following a cardiac arrest,” said Providence Tarzana Medical Center Nurse Mili Levy to Canyon News. “CPR can mean the difference between life and death when someone is rushed in to our hospital.”
Costello was taken to Providence Tarzana Medical Center, where a procedure was performed to fix the blockage in his heart.
The Providence Tarzana Medical Center provided a “Sidewalk CPR,” to help teach the public about the importance of CPR and Costello was asked to join the event to speak about his own experience.
