EDMONDS, Wash. — KING 5 spoke with one Washington State Ferry worker who helped save a passenger's life at the Edmonds Ferry terminal. The worker was one of a handful of others who stepped up and administered CPR until paramedics arrived.
"They wheeled him out of here with his eyes open,” said Grayem Leigh. “That was quite a day on the job."
It’s a job that feels like a new voyage every day, Leigh said. “It's a lot of fun, it's never boring. There's always something going on. The probability of something happening when you're ushering thousands of people across the water every day is high."
Leigh has been working at the Edmonds Ferry Terminal for the last year and a half. His primary job is directing traffic. But on Aug. 26, it became something much more after one passenger getting on the Spokane Ferry suddenly, "... Just stopped. Fell backwards and hit his head," said Leigh.
Leigh overheard this medical emergency over his radio, that the passenger became unconscious, with no vitals in sight. So, Leigh bolted from his post, to provide help.
"Almost no time to think really,” said Leigh. “It happened so fast. It feels like a long time but it's quick."
When he arrived there was another ferry worker and a couple passengers administering CPR, eventually bringing out the AED.
"He (a fellow ferry worker) administered the AED shock, the medical professionals one of them was doing oxygen over his face, and the other was checking for his pulse, and there were two other people that did chest compressions, and I was just part of the rotation," said Leigh.
Leigh said it was a team effort and they were doing this process for about five minutes but it felt like much longer before the passenger regained consciousness and the paramedics arrived.
"Happy to tap in,” said Leigh. “I'm just really glad the guy was able to pull through."
He doesn't know the passenger's name and said he may never see him again. But Leigh's okay with that and said it's just part of the job. "We're part of transportation, but the main part of the job is keeping people safe," said Leigh.