Police Officer Helps Save Injured Motorist's Life

July 11 was certainly no ordinary day on the job for Heath Pfiefer.

Responding to a car crash and administering CPR to a woman involved in the crash pretty much moved it out of the “just another day” category.

But it wasn’t until nearly a month later when Pfiefer realized just how extraordinary that day really was.

Pfiefer, a Greenfield police officer for 2 ½ years, responded to Stein’s Garden Center, 3725 S. 108th Street, after reports that a 2012 Hyundai Sonata had collided at a high speed with a retaining wall that separated Stein’s and its neighbor, .

Pfiefer arrived and raced to the car to find the female driver still strapped in the driver’s seat. He checked her wrists and neck for a pulse, but could not feel one, and he could not feel her breathing when he put his ear to her mouth.

He removed her seat belt, pulled her from the car with the assistance of a passerby and began chest compressions and CPR.

“From the time I got to her and the time I started doing chest compressions, it was maybe three minutes,” Pfiefer said. “It’s an immediate adrenaline rush. Your heart’s going, so many things are running through your mind.”

Pfiefer continued CPR until  paramedics arrived. They were able to restart the victim’s heart using medication and a defibrillator. Emergency medical providers credited Pfiefer with keeping the victim alive long enough to allow paramedics to revive her.

In other words, Pfiefer, who had never performed non-training CPR before, saved the 46-year-old Waterford woman’s life.

“It feels great to help someone in a situation like this,” Pfiefer said. “It’s hard to explain how you feel. All the great training we receive from the police department and the fire department and EMTs, I was able to use my training. It’s an amazing feeling.”

Pfiefer, however, did not find out he actually saved the woman’s life until just a few days ago when he was told by Interim Chief Brad Wentlandt that he was receiving the department’s Lifesaving Award. He will be formally recognized at the department’s year-end awards ceremony.

“It never really sank in until now,” Pfiefer said. “The way it went down, I responded, I did what I did, I did my report and I hadn’t heard anything. You don’t always hear follow-up. When I had heard I had saved her life, it hit me. It’s a pretty neat feeling.”

According to Wentlandt, the Waterford woman suffered a medical event and lost consciousness while driving north on Highway 100. Her vehicle crossed the median and drove the wrong way on 108th Street before entering Stein’s parking lot and striking the wall.

She is recovering and her prognosis is good, Wentlandt said.

“I’m glad,” Pfiefer said. “She’s a young lady, it was nice to know that she’ll still be able to spend a lot of year with her family. … I’m proud of I did it and that I knew what to do.”