Penticton fast food employee saves customer in medical distress

A burrito maker in Penticton is being called a hero after performing CPR on a customer in distress, and he did so by following directions from a dispatcher.

It was around 6:30 p.m. on July 16 at Mucho Burrito when a man, who was sitting on a stool waiting for his food, suddenly fell face first onto the ground.

“He was just sitting there waiting for his burrito,” said Adrienne Young, who was standing in line beside the man when it happened.

“Then all of a sudden he was bleeding from nose and face, gasping for air.”

Young dialled 9-1-1 and an employee named Gautam Bev immediately came over to help.

After explaining the situation to the dispatcher, Young was told that somebody needed to begin CPR.

Bev was the one to step up and begin chest compressions. The dispatcher, on speaker phone, instructed him how to do it properly.

“The (dispatcher) had to coach him through everything,” Young said. “She was telling him get into the centre and to keep pushing. She kept repeating 1, 2, 3, 4.”

Young said the man in distress was in his early 50s and appeared physically fit, and that she doesn’t know what caused the medical issues.

READ MORE: 'Aliens are coming': Alberta RCMP 911 dispatchers fielding calls about UFO sightings

She said an ambulance arrived seven minutes after she dialled 9-1-1.

“I thought the guy was dead, he didn’t breath for a couple minutes. He’s only still alive because (Bev) did what he did,” Young said. 

"That guy was an absolute hero."

Store owner Gagan Kaur has been in contact with the man’s family and said he is recovering in the hospital.

The situation took a heavy mental toll on her team.

“They needed some time to think about exactly what had happened,” Kaur said.

Bev spent time at his Temple the following day to reflect, and he feels very thankful to have saved a man’s life, she said.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Dan Walton or call 250-488-3065 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.