A fatal accident over the weekend has one local nurse urging people to learn CPR.
The accident happened Saturday morning on I-41 in the Town of Wayne. Authorities say a man driving on the southbound side crossed over the median and hit another car almost head-on, injuring the two women inside.
Lindsey Skebba stopped at the accident scene before paramedics arrived and noticed several people who got there before her, who had not started CPR on the male victim, who died on the scene.
"I noticed the man laying on the side of the road and people standing around him," said Skebba. "I asked if anyone had done compressions, they said he didn't have a pulse. That is the indication that CPR should be started."
Skebba says she was on her way to a baby shower with a friend when they stopped, but she works as a registered nurse.
Once she got to the victim, she says she began CPR right away.
"There [were] quite a few people out there," she said. "It's a little concerning that not many people knew to do CPR."
She says another man offered to take over when she became tired, and she walked him through what to do. Soon after, emergency crews arrived.
While she does not know the extent of the man's injuries or if CPR would have saved the man's life, she hopes this experience will at least encourage others to learn.
"CPR can double or triple somebody's chance at survival," she said. "It's really important to start it right away and the only time you would do it is if somebody was in cardiac arrest or did not have a pulse."
Authorities with the Washington County Sheriff's Office confirmed that when they arrived on scene, someone was doing CPR on the victim.
Officials also said a car fire was put out before they got there by a passerby with a fire extinguisher and that numerous motorists stopped to help.
The freeway was closed for two hours after the crash. The two female victims were both taken to the hospital, one with serious injuries.
If you're interested in taking CPR classes, you can learn more information about class availability from the American Red Cross or the American Heart Association.
