LEHI, Utah – A Utah man who found himself in an emergency situation is alive, partly thanks to the efforts of an off-duty police officer.
Officer James Skinner of the Lehi Police Department was at Del Taco last week with his family, and when he came outside he saw two cars parked oddly and people standing around.
According to a press release from Lehi City, when the officer approached he saw an unconscious man on the ground—who was not breathing and did not have a pulse. Skinner performed CPR until emergency personnel arrived on the scene, at which point he continued to assist emergency responders.
“It’s nothing out of the norm that we haven’t done on duty, but it was definitely a surprise being, you know, off-duty with my family and having to switch from being, you know, a dad and being with my family to all of a sudden we’re in cop mode and lifesaving mode at the drop of a hat,” Skinner said.
According to the press release, Fire Captain Jake Beck, who was one of those who responded, commended Skinner in a memo he wrote to his supervisor.
“In my opinion, the actions of Officer Skinner were extremely instrumental in bringing this patient back,” he stated in the memo. “Without his quick action, I doubt this patient’s recovery would have been nearly as successful.”
Other responders, like Lehi Fire Department Battalion Chief Rick Howard, agreed.
“Officer Skinner’s quick actions were instrumental in saving the man’s life,” Howard said, according to the press release.
