89-year-old man who went into cardiac arrest at council meeting thanks those who saved him
One second, 89-year-old David Sheats was standing at the microphone talking to Monroeville Council. The next second, he dropped to the ground. His heart had stopped. But there were people who knew what to do and saved him.
Sheats had suddenly collapsed in cardiac arrest at the July 7 meeting, while calmly speaking out for a new neighborhood traffic signal. He wasn't breathing and he had no heartbeat. He was clinically dead.
"Turning around, that's the last thing I remember. No pain. No jaw pain. No pain anywhere," Sheats told sister station WTAE.
Man rescued after collapsing at council meeting: Watch the report above.
Council member Eric Poach and Monroeville Police Chief Doug Cole saw it happen. Both are also paramedics and immediately took action.
WTAE was at Sheats' home Friday as he, Poach and Cole met for the first time since the chief and council member led off what they emphasize was a team saving Sheats' life.
Sheats' wife, Darlene Paulisick, told Poach, "He collapsed right in front of me. And I went down on the floor, he was on his side. The next thing I know, you're pulling me away. You put him on his back. you're straddling him and ripping his shirt. I thought you dropped down from Heaven, you were there so fast."
It happened during a video stream of the council meeting. After the collapse, Poach and Cole are visible on the video rendering aid.
"It's a team thing," Cole said.
After they restarted his heart, Sheats regained consciousness.
"I heard one of them say, 'Apply a shock,' and I said, 'I don't want shocked.' And they said, 'You're OK now, you're OK,'" Cole said.
Poach told Sheats, "I'm the one that broke your ribs doing CPR. Sorry about that."
Sheats asked, "I want to know who ripped my shirt?"
Poach said, "I did."
Cole added, "As he was ripping your shirt, I was literally putting the pads on your chest. That's how quick it went."
Sheats responded with, "wow."
Cole jolted Sheats with the AED on hand at council chambers, then Poach did CPR. Paramedics then rushed Sheats to Forbes Hospital for treatment and care. That's where he's since been implanted with a pacemaker and defibrillator.
"You were probably defibrillated in the first, less than a minute — right around a minute, a minute and a half. The ambulance crew was there in four and a half minutes," Cole said.
Poach recounted the many people and resources that played a role.
"People knowing CPR. Having an AED. Having EMS close to you. Having our communication center get the right resources to you right away," Poach said.
Cole brought the AED device to Sheats' home during his Friday visit.
"This is what saved your life," Cole said, showing the small red box containing the AED.
Poach and Cole worked together years ago as paramedics in Penn Hills. In addition to their roles as council members and police chiefs, both still work shifts as paramedics in Monroeville.
Sheats told the two men, "A big bold voice, some big guy was over me. And I suspect it was you. Somebody said, 'Lay still'. And I did."
The three sometimes laughed and joked as they recounted what happened.
"Oh, about these gentlemen, I can't say enough. I think about them quite frequently. Yes, I think about you, I don't know how many, umpteen times a day," Sheats said.
Paulisick joined her husband in expressing gratitude.
She said, "It just was a miracle that everything was in place when it was. That we were there. That they reacted and knew what to do instantly. It's just a miracle."