Oregon Governor Performs CPR On Unconscious Woman, Saves Her Life
Oregon Governor, John Kitzhaber performed CPR on an unconscious woman in a downtown Portland street on Monday evening and saved her life, according to fire department officials.
Kitzhaber stayed with the woman until paramedics arrived after receiving a 911 call about the emergency.
According to a statement from Portland Fire and Rescue Lieutenant Rich Chatman, the Oregon governor was at the right place at the right time. Kitzhaber helped the woman with CPR after he saw her on the ground while driving alone in his vehicle at about 5 pm local time.
The Oregon governor — a former emergency room physician — determined the woman had no pulse and started CPR, ordering his security detail to dial 911.
Lieutenant Alan Ferschweiler — one of the paramedics at the scene — said that when they arrived the woman was not breathing on her own, however, she had a pulse. The Oregon governor was providing her with CPR procedures.
Ferschweiler told The Oregonian newspaper:
“It was pretty neat to see the governor back on and going back to work. He was surprisingly calm, and you could see he went right back to the days where he was an emergency room doctor. To go and assist the governor and take over this patient from him is pretty surprising. It definitely took us off-guard.”
Ferschweiler estimated the unidentified woman to be in her 30s. By the time an ambulance made it the scene, she was breathing on her own. She was transported to the hospital, however, her condition is not known.
Nkenge Harmon Johnson, the Oregon Governor’s spokesperson, said that Kitzhaber was on his way to dinner when he saw someone trying to help the unconscious woman on the street. He asked his driver to stop his car, and started to perform CPR.
It is not clear what caused the woman to fall unconscious, but KGW reports she may have overdosed on drugs and is expected to recover.
This is not the first time the Oregon Governor has used the skills he learned to become an emergency room doctor and on a couple of instances has come the aid of those in need performing CPR in the middle of a debate, when a person started to have a seizure.
And just as calmly as he did with the unconscious woman, when the Oregon Governor was done helping, the debate resumed.
“The Governor wishes her well and hopes that she seeks treatment in order to avoid the bad situation she was faced with today.” the Oregon Governor’s communications director said following the CPR incident.
[Image via Jonathan Mause/Flickr]
