RAYNHAM, Mass. -- A local man was truly dealt a lucky hand when he suffered a heart attack in Raynham Park's poker room.
What are the odds the card dealer would be an EMT in training, ready to jump in and do CPR?
It was Steve Parigian's first day on the job.
When he saw the man collapse, he joined two other patrons, performing CPR.
“He was losing color wasn't
Raynham fire and rescue arrived moments later. They said the initial help made all the difference.
“Well, he was what we call clinically dead so he was dead,” Raynham firefighter Tad Shumway said. “Now he's not.”
“By them intitating CPR before we got them, it kept his blood circulating pretty much kept him alive,” Raynham firefighter Matt Ryan said.
Steve Parigian was staying humble and looking ahead to becoming an EMT, firefighter or police officer.
“It was kinda in the moment, you had to do it,” he said.
Crews at the Raynham fire department said he's definitely off to the right start, crediting him and the two others with saving the man’s life.
“Those gentlemen who were there - they did an amazing thing by jumping in,” Matt Ryan said.
Firefighters said they hope that the patrons who helped come forward. They said they deserve to be recognized.
The victim was taken to Morton Hospital where firefighters say he was alert and conscious. He's since been moved to one in Boston.
(Copyright (c) 2011 Sunbeam Television Corp. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
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