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Mich. trooper helps save life of contractor

Trooper Christopher Kustra deployed an automatic AED to resuscitate a man who suffered a near-fatal electric shock while working near a dam

Tony Lascari
Midland Daily News

BEAVERTON, Mich. — A contractor doing work at the Wixom Lake Dike on Wednesday is alive today because of quick thinking of employees, a Beaverton firefighter and a Michigan State Police trooper from the Tri-City Post.

“Preliminary investigation suggests that a crane working in the area of 14,400-volt electrical lines caused two of the contractors to receive an electrical shock,” the MSP stated. “The contractors, who work for Gerace Construction, are both listed in stable condition.”

Gerace President and CEO Tom Valent said in a statement that the two team members remain in stable condition Thursday thanks to quick thinking and medical training of those who responded.

“After the incident, three of our employees immediately began administering CPR on one of their colleagues, while others reached out for local and state first responders,” Valent said. “Trained professionals from the Beaverton Fire Department and Michigan State Police worked to stabilize our two team members so they could be transferred to MidMichigan Health, where they received additional life-saving care.”

MSP said Trooper Christopher Kustra was dispatched at 1:25 p.m. Wednesday, May 27 to a call at the Wixom Lake Dike in which a person suffered an electrical shock and was unresponsive. When Kustra arrived, he could see that CPR was being performed on the unresponsive man.

“After confirming the male was not breathing and did not have a pulse, Trooper Kustra deployed his automatic external defibrillator (AED) and ultimately administered an electric shock,” the MSP stated. “Following use of the AED, the unresponsive male’s heart started and he began breathing on his own.”

The contractors working with the victim knew Mathews lived nearby and sought him out for help, the MSP reported.

“The health and safety of our team is always a top priority,” Valent said of Gerace Construction. “We are grateful for the swift work and skilled responses from the law enforcement and healthcare professionals who responded. We have been and will remain in close contact with our two team members and their families, and will continue to support their recovery.”

The name of the victims were not released.

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