Dunkin' employee saves man's life after he has a heart attack at rest stop

A Dunkin‘ employee in New Hampshire is being hailed a hero after saving a man who collapsed outside of the chain last Wednesday as a result of a heart attack.

Security footage obtained by Manchester, New Hampshire news station WMUR shows a man identified as David Wood falling to the ground at a rest stop on Wednesday, where he is reported to have been unconscious for eight minutes prior to anyone finding him. Luckily, another truck driver noticed Wood and called 911, while a drive-thru customer at the Candia, New Hampshire, Dunkin’ informed employees. That’s when 24-year-old April Merchant jumped into action and performed CPR.

“I don’t know what I would have done if I didn’t take a CPR class,” Merchant told the local New Hampshire outlet, referring to a mandatory course she took in college.

Once medical professionals arrived at the scene, they were able to get a pulse.

“I cried for like an hour,” Merchant said of her reaction to the good news. “I cried for a while after.”

Doctors told Wood’s family that Merchant kept the man alive, while the snow beneath him also helped to save him from a brain injury. By Friday, Wood was alert and walking again.

Now, Wood’s mom, Felicia Bertram, is thanking Merchant for being the reason her son is still alive.

“I’m forever in her debt. Even the doctors said if she had not done that, he would not be with us,” Bertram told WMUR. “I mean he has three beautiful children, a beautiful wife, and I don’t know what I would’ve done if I lost my son.”

Dunkin’ additionally offered its gratitude toward Merchant in a statement to Yahoo Lifestyle.

“We’re incredibly proud of April, an employee at the franchised Dunkin’ location in Candia, for her quick thinking and resolve to help someone in need during an unfortunate situation,” the statement reads. “We’re keeping the young man and his family in our thoughts as he recovers.”

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

• Teacher jumps into action after seeing student riding bike on highway, learns he’s trying to save his father’s life
• Bus driver is hailed a hero after saving 16 children from a burning school bus
• Entrepreneur helps homeless transgender teen panhandling on highway: ‘Keep pushing, better days ahead’

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