SNOHOMISH – It’s not like Couri Ruffcorn reads lips all the time, but he knew “help me” when he saw it.
On his way to school Sept. 13, the 17-year-old Edmonds-Woodway High School sophomore saw a man grabbing his chest and trying to wave down traffic. The incident was unfolding not far from Couri’s home on the west edge of Snohomish.
“I could definitely tell he was having a heart attack … or something,” Couri said.
That’s when he told his school van driver to pull over and call 911.
The young man’s attention may have saved a neighbor’s life.
The neighbor, who asked that his name not be published because of his health problems, needed help that day. His phones weren’t working and he couldn’t reach 911.
The man’s pacemaker defibrillator had gone off several times and he was experiencing severe chest pain, he said.
So he crawled out of his Snohomish home on his hands and knees to try to get the attention of a passing car. More than 20 cars went by before Couri stopped, the man said.
Couri got the man a blanket and his wallet, and then waited until an ambulance arrived.
Couri’s mom, Gina DuFrain, said she’s proud of her son.
“He been pretty humble about it,” she said.
Later in the day, she took Couri to visit the man in the hospital.
The man is back home after the ordeal, resting up and recuperating.
Couri said he doesn’t deserve the credit. Others helped too, he said. And he’d stop again if the situation presented itself.
“Karma always comes around,” he said. “You leave someone sitting there … It could always happen to you.”
Reporter Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437 or jholtz@heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
