Chuck Carroll

Brinnon, WA

Long-haul trucker Chuck Carroll was preparing his rig for a trip to Wisconsin when suddenly “the lights went out,” and Chuck collapsed near his truck trailer. That might have been the end of the road for Chuck if not for the two Bonneville Power workers, Lloyd Long and Lonnie Bickler, who spotted him lying on the ground as they drove by on Highway 101. They stopped to help, called 911, and grabbed an Automated External Defibrillator device from their truck. They administered a shock, started CPR and continued it until rescue personnel arrived. Chuck was airlifted directly from the scene to Harborview Medical Center, and later that week, he was transferred to University of Washington Medical Center for triple bypass surgery. “We are so lucky,” says Barb, his wife of 37 years. “There really was an angel sitting on his shoulders that day.” Following his surgery, Chuck recuperated at home through the summer and began adjusting to his new life as a retiree. He will be on the road again soon, but this time he’ll travel for pleasure, with Barb by his side.

Medic 24 – Jefferson County (Brinnon, WA) to Harborview Medical Center

(More patient and partner stories here)