Local law enforcing married couple saves life while off-duty
Cpl. Nicholas Gustovich works for the Greene County Sheriff无毛视频檚 Department. While off-duty on Jan. 2, he and his wife, Melissa, stepped in to help administer CPR and save a man无毛视频檚 life at the Gabriel Brothers store in Uniontown. (Courtesy of Nicholas Gustovich)
Officer Melissa Gustovich of Greensboro poses beside her Waynesburg Borough police car. Gustovich and her husband, Nicholas, were shopping while off-duty on Jan. 2 when they helped save a man无毛视频檚 life at the Gabriel Brothers store in Uniontown. (Courtesy of Melissa Gustovich)
Nicholas and Melissa Gustovich of Greensboro decided to go shopping on Jan. 2 after leaving church services in Carmichaels.
Moments after the couple 无毛视频� who were both off duty from their respective law enforcement jobs 无毛视频� walked through the doors of the Gabriel Brothers department store in Uniontown, they sensed an emergency was unfolding.
无毛视频淲e had literally just left church and went to Uniontown,无毛视频� said Nicholas Gustovich, a corporal in the Greene County Sheriff无毛视频檚 Department. 无毛视频淲e went from Carmichaels to Uniontown. Within a handful of minutes of being there, we could see that something wasn无毛视频檛 right. There was some kind of emergency.无毛视频�
Nicholas and Melissa, a police officer for Waynesburg Borough, followed the flurry of activity through the store.
The Gustoviches immediately shifted into work mode when they discovered an unconscious man lying on the floor.
无毛视频淲e still didn无毛视频檛 know what was going on. When we got closer, at that point all our attention went to him, hoping he was still breathing, and if he wasn无毛视频檛, to at least get that back,无毛视频� Nicholas recalled.
The couple learned one shopper had already dialed 911. Another shopper, whose name is not known to the Gustoviches, had begun administering CPR.
无毛视频淎 local nurse from Carmichaels, Shannon Morecraft, she actually stepped in and started CPR,无毛视频� said Nicholas. 无毛视频淢y wife and I joined her.无毛视频�
Melissa said she didn无毛视频檛 have time to think. Duty called, and both she and her husband answered. They took over for Morecraft, performing CPR for about three minutes before Fayette EMS arrived. The team immediately set to work calming the crowd and directing the off-duty officers.
无毛视频淭hey did an outstanding, awesome job,无毛视频� Nicholas said. 无毛视频淭he paramedic 无毛视频� he was awesome. The other two, they did awesome as well, directing me. I无毛视频檓 not a medical guy. I have training here at work; you never expect to use it outside of work.无毛视频�
Melissa said when she and Nicholas arrived at the scene, the man did not have a pulse.
无毛视频淗is ears were black, his face was turning blue. We honestly didn无毛视频檛 think he was going to make it,无毛视频� she said.
After more than 30 minutes assisting EMS on CPR and a chest compression device 无毛视频� 无毛视频淲hatever they needed, we helped,无毛视频� Melissa said 无毛视频� a very faint pulse was detected, and the Gustoviches helped load the man onto a stretcher.
无毛视频淭he key component that made this special, the outcome 无毛视频� you had customers starting CPR, you had two professionals 无毛视频� take over for them. Our crews arrived, worked 45 minutes on-scene, was able to get a pulse back, was able to deliver the patient alive to Uniontown,无毛视频� said Fayette EMS Chief Rick Adobato.
无毛视频淯nder normal circumstances there would have been a delay in CPR. This gentleman had the stars and the moon just lined up for him. He got every benefit there was to being able to stay alive.无毛视频�
The man was taken by ambulance to the hospital. The Gustoviches later learned he was breathing on his own and had moved his arms and legs.
无毛视频淚t was a relief,无毛视频� Nicholas said. 无毛视频淲e were beyond happy. Before 无毛视频� it was mixed feelings 无毛视频� hopefully we did everything we could have done to preserve this guy无毛视频檚 life. I hope that the guy makes a good recovery.无毛视频�
Adobato, too, was glad to hear the man was in stable condition, recovering at UPMC Presbyterian, Pittsburgh.
无毛视频淭he goal of everything here is keep people alive,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淚t is a great thing. That and delivering babies 无毛视频� it makes up for all the terrible things we have to see at this job. The husband and wife, our crews just doing their very professional, outstanding job 无毛视频� I am very proud of them.无毛视频�
Melissa and Nicholas agreed that jumping in to help was instinctual.
无毛视频淣o matter what you无毛视频檙e doing, you无毛视频檙e kind of on-duty,无毛视频� Nicholas said.
Nicholas said he believes everyone at Gabe无毛视频檚 that morning was in the right place at the right time. While the Gustoviches have received much-deserved praise for their heroism, the couple stressed it was a team effort.
无毛视频淭he public was tremendous,无毛视频� Melissa said. 无毛视频淭he bystanders, the EMS, even the people in the hospital. Early CPR is key. Everybody did a fantastic job. Everybody there made a difference in his recovery, in his life.无毛视频�
Nicholas agreed.
无毛视频淚t was just one of those things, that无毛视频檚 God putting everyone there,无毛视频� said Gustovich. 无毛视频淭here were other people there. The lady who called 911, she deserves credit. The store managers, they deserve credit. EMS. Everyone there had some sort of impact.无毛视频�
The couple said they would like to learn the name of the gentleman who first began administering CPR. They also hope to meet the man whom they helped that day.
无毛视频淚 hope to eventually meet him,无毛视频� Nicholas said. 无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 sure right now (the family无毛视频檚) attention is more so toward him and making a stable recovery. Hopefully we无毛视频檙e able to have a meeting with him. Hopefully he makes a great recovery.无毛视频�