A Nurse Jumped Into Action for a Roadside Rescue

Jim Ruff was driving through Millcreek Township, Pennsylvania, on his way to meet his grandson for a Saturday morning breakfast when his heart unexpectedly stopped behind the wheel. As his truck began drifting through front yards in a neighborhood, it looked like a tragedy in the making — until Colleen Schnaekel drove by.

Luckily for Jim, Colleen wasn’t just a witness to the commotion. She’s an ICU Assistant Nurse Manager who immediately knew this wasn’t a nap, it was a life-or-death emergency.

Dressed for a bridal shower and standing in the pouring rain, Colleen jumped into action. After her father helped break the truck’s window to get Jim out, Colleen performed life-saving CPR on the front lawn until paramedics arrived.

Jim woke up in the ER a few days later, calling it a miracle that a trained professional was the one to pull over. Colleen was in the right place at the right time to save Jim’s life.

After a brief stay at the hospital, Jim was discharged, feeling great and back on his feet

While the whole adventure was scary for everyone involved, Colleen took it all in stride. She said, “I think it’s just a nursing instinct. You see someone that needs help, you jump in. I really didn’t think twice about it.”