Another driver had to get in front of the SUV to stop it, after it was weaving in and out of traffic, crashing into a concrete barrier.
SAN ANTONIO — A nurse sprang into action Thursday after a driver suffered a heart attack and lost consciousness while traveling on a busy San Antonio highway, prompting a dramatic roadside rescue by several Good Samaritans.
The incident happened just after noon along Interstate 410 near Harry Wurzbach Road, where drivers noticed an SUV weaving through traffic and striking a concrete barrier.
One driver realized the person behind the wheel appeared to be unconscious and maneuvered in front of the SUV, gradually slowing down until the vehicle came to a stop.
At the same time, a licensed vocational nurse driving by recognized the emergency and pulled over to help.
“I just felt I needed to stop,” the nurse said. “I pulled over to the side, put my hazards on and ran over there.”
After reaching the vehicle, the nurse checked the driver for a pulse and found none. With the help of other bystanders, the man was pulled from the SUV and placed on the ground.
The nurse immediately began performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
“I just immediately started CPR,” she said. “I was going at it for a little bit and I was doing mouth-to-mouth. I was able to see color come back to him. He was in and out. He was gasping for some air.”
She said it was the first time she had ever performed CPR on a real person.
After several minutes, another woman approached and offered to help.
“She was like, ‘I know CPR,’ and I was like, ‘OK, do you want to tap me out?’” the nurse recalled. “In my head I was thinking, ‘Tap me out, girl,’ because I was about to go down too.”
The two women continued administering CPR until emergency responders arrived and took over care.
The man was stabilized by paramedics and transported to a hospital. He remained hospitalized Sunday but was recovering, according to the people who recorded the video, who spoke with the man’s family.
The nurse, who asked not to be identified publicly, is an LVN and currently pursuing her degree to become a registered nurse.
She said the experience left her shaken but reaffirmed her decision to work in health care.
While driving home to Uvalde later that day, she called her mother to describe what had happened.
“I told her, ‘Mom, I just did this,’” she said. “She said, ‘God puts you in places for specific reasons. He put you there for a reason.’ I was just there, shook.”