Officers Commended for Roles in 'Life Saving Event' Last Week

Editor's note: The following is a letter that was sent from Clarendon Hills Police Chief Ted Jenkins to Hinsdale Police Chief Brad Bloom Friday evening. It is in regard to an incident Patch reported Friday afternoon, during which a woman was rescued by Hinsdale and Clarendon Hills responders after she went into cardiac arrest while driving on Route 83 Wednesday. Read Patch's original story here. To be clear, no alcohol was involved in the accident. 

Dear Chief Bloom,

On Oct. 24, 2012, at 1:48 p.m., Southwest Central Dispatch (SWCD) broadcast a report of a possibly intoxicated motorist southbound on Route 83. The driver had struck the center median, completely destroying the left front tire and wheel. As officers were responding, citizens on the scene reported to SWCD that the vehicle had come to a stop on southbound Route 83 just north of 55th Street and the female driver was vomiting in the vehicle.

The first officers on the scene were Clarendon Hills Sergeant Paul Dalen and Hinsdale officer Tim Lennox. When they arrived, the 72-year-old driver was unconscious, was not breathing, and did not have a heartbeat. The officers immediately removed the victim from the vehicle and deployed an automated external defibrillator (AED). The AED confirmed that the victim did not have a heartbeat and administered a shock to the victim.

All of these actions occurred before emergency medical responders arrived on the scene. Clarendon Hills medics arrived on the scene, took control of the victim and administered advanced life support care. When they transported her to Adventist Hinsdale Hospital, she had a heartbeat and was breathing on her own. Forty-seven minutes from the time the ambulance arrived on the scene, she was in an Adventist Hinsdale Hospital operating room where it was discovered she had a thrombotic occlusion in the LAD. The clot was aspirated and a stent was successfully placed. She is currently in the ICU recovering.

It is my belief that this woman is alive today as a direct result of officer Tim Lennox and Sergeant Paul Dalen's actions. Officer Lennox is to be commended for the professionalism and the dedication to duty he displayed during this life saving event. His actions are in the best traditions of the Hinsdale Police Department and are representative of the professionalism displayed by each member of the Hinsdale Police Department.

Sincerely,

Ted Jenkins

Chief of Police, Clarendon Hills Police Department

Sign up for Patch’s email newsletter and get all the top Hinsdale and Clarendon Hills headlines in your inbox each morning. And then like us on Facebook!