Saving a life

PRINCETON — Teri O’Connor and the city of Princeton said thanks Monday night to four individuals who helped save O’Connor’s life.

O’Connor was in attendance at this week’s Princeton City Council meeting where Princeton Police Officers Joel Drozda and Peg Maciewjewski and citizens Marcia Hartwig and Seth Sprouse were presented Life Savings Awards for their efforts in saving O’Connor’s life following a traffic accident in December 2011.

In making the presentations, Princeton Police Chief Tom Root commended Drozda, Maciejewski, Hartwig and Sprouse “for their exceptional efforts” on Dec. 11, 2011, when O’Connor was found slumped over the steering wheel of her car by Princeton High School.

“I cannot say enough about the professionalism, experience and knowledge of these individuals,” Root said. “Had it not been for their quick response and training, the outcome may have been totally different for Teri.”

In explaining the events of that night, Root said the Princeton Police Department was dispatched at about 6:09 p.m. Dec. 11 to the front of Princeton High School for a one-vehicle accident with an unresponsive driver. While en route to the scene, Drozda called for an ambulance. Upon arrival, officers found the car had jumped the curb and struck a sign. The driver of the car, O’Connor, was inside the locked vehicle, slumped over the wheel and unresponsive.

Root said Drozda used a wedge and slim jim to open the vehicle and then removed O’Connor from the vehicle with the help of Maciejewski and passerby Seth Sprouse, a 17-year-old Princeton High School student. At that point, Maciejewski and another passerby, Marcia Hartwig, a nurse at Perry Memorial Hospital, began CPR on O’Connor. As Hartwig administered compressions, Maciejewski began cutting off O’Connor’s shirt to employ AED (automatic external defibrillator) pads. The Princeton EMS arrived at the scene and transported O’Connor to Perry Memorial Hospital, from where she was then Lifeflighted to a Peoria hospital.

Root also commended the Princeton Ambulance Service personnel for their skills and care in handling O’Connor during the transport to Perry Memorial.

“When seconds count, our response and actions are critical for police, fire and EMS,” Root said. “This showed the teamwork of not only our public safety personnel but also our citizens in dealing with an emergency in our community.”