Off-Duty Michigan State Trooper Helps Save Skier Who Collapsed
What to Know
- Sergeant Dennis Wagner was off-duty when he found a skier collapsed on a cross-country trail in Harbor Springs.
- He immediately began life-saving efforts, including chest compressions and airway management, until ski patrol arrived with an AED.
- The quick action and early CPR were vital in reviving the skier, Kevin Livingston, who later regained a pulse and was transported to the hospital.
HARBOR SPRINGS, Michigan — An off-duty state police sergeant was at the right place, at the right time as he jumped into action on a cross-country ski trail.
Sergeant Dennis Wagner of the Michigan State Police’s St. Ignace Post was visiting Nub’s Nob in Harbor Springs on Jan. 3.
While cross-country skiing he came across a collapsed skier and begun administering life saving care.
Wagner assisted by rolling the subject over, positioning his head uphill, opening the airway, and initiating chest compressions, according to a press release from MSP.
Life-saving efforts continued, and Nub’s Nob Ski Patrol arrived with an Automated External Defibrillator (AED), oxygen, a snowmobile, and a toboggan.
Wagner assisted ski patrol in safely transferring the subject into the toboggan for transport down the trail. Upon safe arrival at the ski patrol room, Emmet County EMS took over care.
The subject had regained a pulse and was breathing before being transported to McLaren Northern Michigan Hospital, where he received further emergency treatment.
Medical staff later confirmed that early CPR and the use of the AED were critical in saving his life.
State police received confirmation that the skier, Kevin Livingston, is now awake, doing well, and is expected to make a full recovery.
Livingston is an accomplished cyclist who rode in six Tours de France races. He rode on the US Postal team with Lance Armstrong and placed as high as 17th overall in the Tour de France, according to MSP. He is now a cycling coach based in Austin, Texas.
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