EMT student, BART police help save man overdosing at Civic Center Station
EMT trainee saves man dying from overdose at San Francisco BART station
When a man was apparently dying from a drug overdose on the steps of a San Francisco BART station in San Francisco earlier this week, a passenger stepped in and saved that man’s life. The hero, who says he doesn’t consider what he did was heroic, is studying to become a paramedic.
SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) - An emergency medical technician student and BART police helped save a man from overdosing at the Civic Center BART Station in San Francisco on Monday, police said.
Nicholas Stallcup was waiting for a friend to catch an 11:30 p.m. train from the Civic Center Station to the MacArthur Station when he descended the station stairwell to find a man on the floor, police said.
Stallcup said he doesn't consider what he did heroic.
"He was blue in the face, blue in the fingers. Eyes were rolled into the back of his head," Stallcup said.
The man was unresponsive and overdosing from opioids, so Stallcup started performing CPR to restore the man's breathing.
The man's breath was almost gone and his pulse weakening.
Stallcup said countless passengers walked around the passed out and nearly dead homeless man. He said he stopped to help because it felt like the right thing to do.
Stallcup, who just finished his third week of training at the City College of San Francisco to become an EMT, placed a face shield over the man's mouth like he learned. He was able to perform CPR until the man gasped for air and his pulse returned.
"I was ecstatic. Maybe not visbly, but in my head for sure. I certainly thought he was dead," Stallcup said. Astounded was another word Stallcup used to describe his reaction.
BART police then arrived at the scene and were able to administer two doses of the opioid antidote Narcan to the man, and he was ultimately transported to the hospital for treatment.
"I would say, I hope he takes that experience and uses it as motivation to make a change," Stallcup said. "The fact that someone's brother, boyfriend, maybe dad is still around. Maybe he makes the right choice."
San Francisco reported the number of fatal opioid overdoses more than doubled last year to a total of 290.
Stallcup has about 12 weeks left on his EMT classes. Once he's certified, he hopes some day to join the San Francisco Fire Department.
KTVU's Rob Roth contributed to this report.