Two Somerset County Sheriff’s Office deputies were able to revive the driver a car that went off the road Thursday afternoon before emergency medical services could arrive. Vaughn Staples, who was non responsive when deputies arrived, was transported to Redington Fairview General Hospital in Skowhegan before being moved to Maine Medical Center in Portland. courtesy of the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office
MADISON — Officers from the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office were able to successfully resuscitate the driver of a car that drove off the road after he experienced a medical emergency.
At roughly 4 p.m. Thursday, Deputies Chelsea Merry and Ian Shalit were sent to the scene of a single-vehicle crash in Madison, according to a release from the department. The car, a red 2010 Chevrolet Impala, appeared to have driven off the road about half a mile north of the Skowhegan/Madison line, on Route 201 near Bee Line Cable.
Upon arrival, the deputies found the driver, Vaughn Staples, unresponsive. Staples, 65, was not breathing and had no pulse, officials said. Shalit pulled Staples from the vehicle and began CPR, while Merry retrieved the automated external defibrillator from the police cruiser.
Merry used the defibrillator twice to administer an electrical shock to Staples, to help his heart reestablish an effective rhythm. The deputies were able to resuscitate Staples before emergency medical services arrived at the scene.
“Fortunately our deputies were there within a minute of being dispatched,” said Michael Mitchell, chief deputy for the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office, in a phone interview.
All vehicles and officers in the office are equipped with defibrillators, Mitchell said.
The investigation so far suggests that Staples experienced a medical event that contributed to the car driving off the road. Speed and alcohol do not appear to be contributing factors, according to officials, and Staples was reported to be wearing a seat belt.
Staples of North Anson was taken to Redington Fairview General Hospital in Skowhegan by AMS Ambulance Service and was later transferred to Maine Medical Center in Portland. He is currently listed as being in critical condition.
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