By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
A motorist whose car bounced back and forth between a semi truck and the inside barrier of Interstate 5 before wrecking near Winlock was found in cardiac arrest by a pair of emergency room nurses from the Portland area who stopped to help him this afternoon.
The passersby, EMTs from Lewis County Fire District 5 as well as medics from Lewis County Medic One conducted CPR following the approximately 3:30 p.m. crash, according to paramedic Clayton Skinner.
“District 5 and medics worked on the guy, shocked him, gave him drugs and got him back,” Skinner said.
The man was taken to Providence Centralia Hospital and then on to Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia, Skinner said.
Troopers called to southbound Interstate 5 at milepost 64 reported the 2012 Subaru Legacy was southbound in the inside lane when it drifted into the left front tire area of a white Freightliner.
The car drifted left and then back to the right where it hit the rear tire area before striking the jersey barrier and then crossing all the way to the ditch on the shoulder side of the road, according to the Washington State Patrol.
The driver, Jeffrey L. Calcagno, 55, is from Battleground, according to the state patrol.
The state patrol described the Subaru as totaled but Skinner said it didn’t look that bad. A collision memo from the state patrol stated Calcagno’s injuries were unknown and the cause of the wreck is under investigation.
The semi truck continued south without stopping, according to the investigating trooper.
Skinner said the nurses told him they found the driver unconscious and unresponsive so they started CPR.
He couldn’t say if that caused the crash or was because of it, he said.
“We did get his heart rhythm back, and everything was looking good,” he said.
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Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
I would really love to give a huge hug to the two nurses that saved my life long friend “Geno” Jeff Calcagno he is the best kind of friend a person can hope to ever have we lived togeather in Alaska after know each other all through high school and jr high he was one of my little brothers best friends through his life and I am so greatful not to have lost another one of a kind friend thank you thank you thank you
How can I express my gratitude to everyone that saved the life of my husband. From the hero nurses that performed the CPR that saved his life to the fabulous EMT’s, you truly are guardian angels. Your skills and expertise are so greatly appreciated. I want to give an update that he is recovering and there would be nothing that we would like more to be able to personally thank the wonderful people that worked so diligently on him! From his family thank you from the botton of our hearts. The well wishes and prayers have been great support!
Debbie and MStoker, it is my most sincere wish that your loved one makes a full and complete recovery from this, and I also hope that some day he will be able to look into the eyes of those angels of his, the ones who stopped to give him the aid he so urgently needed.
And yes, I AM glad that I’ve had training in CPR.
Thank you..Thank you ..Thank you to the angel nurses who administered life saving CPR on my Uncle Jeff Calcagno on I-5. Paramedics and police saved a life today and his family is greatfull. Please, everyone get comfortable with CPR !! You never know when you will need to be someones angel.
I would like to thank each and everyone who saved my brothers life yesterday.God bless to the wonderful nurses who started CPR onmy brother and to all the paramedic’s and state police for all your help. Jeff is still in a coma state but will be waking up tonight.. thank u all for your thought and prayers and comments
@ Wow, whether or not his heart attack was the cause of the accident or caused by it, he had to have been having a medical emergency to begin with….
The part that was wrong was I wanted to know who the people were that helped. W also need to see this news. I’m so tire of reading about all th bad in the world. I’m goad there is still some good happening in this world.
Not sure the WSP had it wrong….
The responding paramedic (who I would bet has a heck of lot more training in medical emergencies than any of the officers) stated he was not sure if the heart attack was the cause of the collision or because of it.
Jason, the only thing I can see that would be wrong is those brainiacs at SWP saying that the cause of the accident is under investigation… I think it is pretty clear what the cause was… the guy was having a medical emergency!
But I wholeheartedly agree with you on the CPR thing… it can saves lives, and today, it did. Thank goodness for the kindness of strangers, and for putting those ER nurses where they needed to be.
Read this very closely. There is a part that is wrong. I’m so glad the driver is doing good. I think everybody should take a CPR class you could save a life. I did CPR on a lady that lived and that is the best feeling in the world.
wow….. blessings from strangers… again a happy ending… why cant we have more news stories like these in our headline…. NO ONE DIED TODAY…. i know. be realistic.. 🙁 sorry Ill go back to my room..