'Angels' help save life of LIRR heart attack victim
NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - The search is on for two strangers who gave immediate life-saving medical attention to a Long Island man who suffered a massive heart attack on an LIRR train.
Bradley Wiebolt woke up on his 51th birthday, 6 days after being put into a medically induced coma at NYU Winthrop Hospital.
"It's not lost on me I should have died," Wiebolt said.
He had boarded the 7:47 LIRR train from Syosset on March 18th for his commute to New York Penn Station in Manhattan. About five minutes after sitting down, Wiebolt suffered a massive heart attack and collapsed in his seat.
Kelly O'Hara was sitting two rows in front of Wiebolt. She says she heard him snore a couple of times shortly after he sat down but it changed to a heavy breathing that didn't sound right to her.
As she heard the bang of his head hitting the headrest she jumped up and searched the train for anyone with medical training.
"You spring into action. You have just a few seconds to act," O'Hara said.
She found a second year medical student and a nurse. The nurse checked Wiebolt's pulse and found that he was in full cardiac arrest. The pair then began CPR.
When the train arrived in Westbury it was met by Carle Place medics who continued to work on Wiebolt before he was rushed to NYU Winthrop Hospital for more extensive medical care.
Wiebolt left the hospital in good health on Thursday. He wanted to thank everyone from the train to the hospital for their extraordinary life saving measures that saved his life.
"I'm thankful for what everyone did," Wiebolt said. "I wouldn't be alive today if every single person didn't play their part."
Wiebolt, who had a wife and two children, did have a message for people to be on the lookout for their fellow commuters.
"If you see somebody that needs aid, step in," Wiebolt says. "I wouldn't be alive if that wasn't the case."
Wiebolt is not sure when he'll get back on the train to head to his job as the marketing director for Fordham Law School but says it will be "soon."