Local News
Man saved by off-duty paramedic and nurse at the gym
Elizabeth Spencer | Lehi Free Press
A day at the gym turned into an emergency when Kevan Elkins went into cardiac arrest while lifting weights. Lucky for Elkins, a nearby registered nurse noticed him going down. Cameron Connelly rushed to his aide and started CPR. Curtis Hutchinson is a paramedic with the Pleasant Grove Fire Department. He also happened to be at the gym at the same time.
“I didn’t have to think about it; it was just jumping into it and going,” said Hutchinson when he saw Connelly working on Elkins.
Connelly and Hutchinson know one another because Connelly works in the emergency room at the American Fork Hospital. The two were at the right place at the right time when Elkins needed emergent care.
Connelly first thought Elkins had just passed out but quickly realized that was not the case. She started CPR, and Hutchinson called 911. Hutchinson found an automated external defibrillator (AED) and shocked Elkins heart back into rhythm.
“We’re lucky that Vasa has an AED,” said Connelly. She lost a pulse on Elkins, “We kept losing him and getting him back.”
American Fork Fire Station #51 responded within minutes of the dispatch for transport.
“I’ve never been so happy to see you guys in my life. Doing firstresponse out in the field is a lot different than doing it in the hospital. I’ve never wanted a monitor so bad in my life,” shared Connelly. Crews took Elkins to the American Fork Hospital where he received an internal defibrillator.
American Fork Hospital trauma teams recently reunited Elkins with the two heroes.
“I’m glad you’re alive,” Connelly told Elkins.
Elkins said it was overwhelming to meet the people who saved his life.
“I had the right people, and I wouldn’t be here if they weren’t. I’m still here because I have people I couldn’t leave behind yet,” said Elkins.
“It just goes to show the importance of just getting that little bit of CPR education to be able to help when something happens and when something is needed,” said Hutchinson to Elkins. “I’m really happy that it worked and we were able to get you back.”
Connelly said seeing Elkins again was “overwhelming” and “emotional.” Many times as a worker in the emergency room, she doesn’t have the opportunity to see the outcome after she cares for a patient, so this was a unique opportunity for her to reunite with Elkins. Hutchinson also noted how unusual this situation is in his line of work.
“It’s a very common call that we go on, not a common outcome. The vast majority of the time, we do not get them back,” he said.
During the reunion, the trauma team also awarded the off-duty medical workers and other first responders who helped save Elkin’s life with Challenge Coins for their extraordinary service. The main message of the reunion and presentation was the importance of CPR.
“It’s two hours of training to do CPR,” shared Connelly. “It very well could have been my husband that went down, and if I hadn’t been there, I would hope that somebody had gone through that two hours of training that some people might see as a waste of time.”
Hutchinson, who has been with the PGFD for five years, said, “This really is something that anyone could have done and should have been able to do. It goes back to the importance of CPR.”
“I was just doing my job even though I wasn’t on duty, and really, isn’t it what anyone would do? It could have been anyone that saved him. There were no advanced life support interventions given, it was very basic CPR. Keeping compressions going, getting an AED, early defibrillation. Something that literally any person in the community can learn for free most of the time from your local fire department or the hospital or a myriad of other ways. You can get your CPR certification, and you can be the someone that’s helping someone.There’s no reason not to,” Hutchinson shared.
“I’ve been saying for years that it should be a required course for everyone their senior year of high school,” he continued. “Don’t let people get into society, into the community, without knowing this ridiculously basic skill that can literally, as we see today, save lives.”
To join a CPR training course, contact your nearest fire station or hospital or visit redcross.org/take-a-class.
