Tree service crew provides CPR to man suffering medical emergency
Crew with Rook's Tree Service noticed a man lying in the road, stopped and administered CPR until paramedics arrived
TUPELO, MISS. (WCBI) – David Salinas has been on hundreds of job sites with Rook’s Tree and Stump Services, but several weeks ago, he saw something he will never forget.
“We saw him on the road, literally on the side of the road with his head on the curb,” Salinas said.
Salinas was part of a crew that had finished one job and was lost in East Tupelo, heading to the next call. They had also left their scheduled job early because of an equipment issue.
“We were going the wrong way, but going the wrong way at the right time,” Salinas said.
The team stopped, parked their truck, and checked on the man, in obvious medical distress.
“When I first got down there, I checked for pulse, no pulse, so we got right to work on him, doing that, and let me tell you, 20 minutes of CPR is crazy, it will wear you out,” said Ryan Thompson, with Rook’s Tree Service.
Another incredible aspect of this story, none of the crew had any formal CPR training, but that didn’t stop them from figuring it out.
“My fiancé works for Fresenius Health Care. I texted her and she said, give him CPR. We were definitely doing a lot of something, and a lot of something we were doing besides CPR was praying,” Salinas said.
Crew members took turns performing CPR until paramedics showed up, and took the man to the hospital.
Rook’s Tree Service owner, Michael Thompson, was on another job when he heard about the unexpected detour.
“They said we found a guy laying dead on the road, they said we called 911, I said whenever y’all get here, ok. So when they got there, they showed me a picture of the guy and it was a guy I knew, I used to cut his hair, my heart sank. Went to the hospital, got phone calls from others saying, your guys they were working on him, praying for him, got a great crew of guys,” Thompson said.
Thompson said he has talked with his friend, who is on the road to recovery and is thankful the tree service crew was right where they were supposed to be.
The man who suffered the medical emergency did not want to be identified, but is making progress with his recovery.
