By Pat Jenkins
The Dispatch
Dan Haupt is alive because Jeremy Osborn wanted to know CPR.
When Haupt went into cardiac arrest while working at a Seattle construction site in January, Osborn, an Eatonville resident who was working nearby, came to Haupt’s aid with the CPR skills he learned “because you never know when you might need them.”
The two men met for the first time two days before the incident, never suspecting that one would save the other’s life.
Osborn, 28, an Eatonville High School graduate, said that at his urging, he and some of his co-workers with the construction company Lease Crutcher Lewis took a CPR course and became certified about two years ago.
"I thought it would be a good thing for all us. Everyone should know CPR," Osborn said, a site foreman for his employer.
Haupt lost consciousness while operating a bulldozer 25 feet below street level on the morning of Jan. 16. Osborn and others rushed to his side, pulling him from the cab. Osborn spent five minutes administering CPR until paramedics from the Seattle Fire Department arrived and took over.
Later, the emergency medical professionals "told me I did all the right things. I'm just glad it turned out good for him," Osborn said.
Haupt’s wife, Rhonda, said he’s recovering at their home in Puyallup after spending 11 days in critical care at a Seattle hospital.
If not for Osborn’s CPR, “our daughter and I would be writing an obituary,” she said. “Hopefully, our story encourages everyone to get this lifesaving skill.”
Here’s their story in Rhonda Haupt’s words:
“Jan. 16 started off like any other weekday for Dan. He got up early and headed off to work.
“It was shortly after lunch when foreman Keith Walstad with J.R. Hayes Corporation saw Dan slumped over in the cab of his bulldozer. Keith immediately called 9-1-1. Jeremy instinctively moved into high gear, ran across the street from the construction field office, and with the help of co-workers pulled Dan from the cab onto the ground, and Jeremy started CPR. Dan and his dozer were 25 feet below street level, digging a hole for underground parking and an office building in the South Lake Union area. When the Seattle Fire Department and medics arrived, they climbed down to find Dan lying unconscious, breathless, and no pulse. They provided an additional 15 minutes or so of CPR and four electrical shocks to maintain a steady pulse. Then, they used Malcom Drillings’ mobile crane to lift Dan from the hole, and he was transported to nearby Harborview Medical Center.
“Dan had suffered cardiac arrest when his heart went into v-fib (ventricular fibrillation), a heart rhythm problem. This causes chambers of the heart to quiver uselessly, instead of pumping blood. Getting oxygen to the brain is critical. According to the Mayo Clinic, irreversible brain damage can begin in four to six minutes. If it wasn't for the teamwork of co-workers and Jeremy providing CPR during the first few critical minutes of Dan collapsing, our daughter and I would be writing an obituary.
“There are so many people to thank. Jeremy, what do we say? You saved a man's life, and not just any man – a husband, father, brother, relative and friend. We all thank you. Keith and the other co-workers, including Malcom Drilling who played a role in saving Dan's life - we will never forget you. The paramedics and Harborview staff did such a wonderful job taking care of Dan.
“The Haupt family is encouraging everyone to take a CPR course and keep it updated. CPR saves lives, and Dan is living proof.”
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