Walter D. Young, a sales consultant at F.X. Caprara, is being lauded as a hero a day after he performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on a man who suffered a heart attack while installing giant inflatable balloons at the Route 11 car dealership.
The victim, Jerald Stroud, 69, Toledo, Ohio, was recovering at Samaritan Medical Center on Thursday morning, Sheriff John P. Burns said. A small ceremony Thursday recognized Mr. Young's actions.
At the dealership, Mr. Young said he was "pleasantly surprised" to hear Mr. Stroud was alive from the Toledo man's wife, who stopped at the business about 7 p.m. Wednesday to deliver the good news.
"I wish the best for him and his family," Mr. Young said.
The sales consultant said he was sitting at his desk when another employee came into the shop demanding that someone call 911. Mr. Young went outside and performed CPR on the man for about nine minutes until an ambulance arrived.
"It didn't look good, even when they were taking him away," said Watertown Mayor Jeffrey E. Graham, who also works at the dealership.
The mayor and sheriff presented Mr. Young with certificates of appreciation. That also included a newly minted coin the city began presenting to people who have shown outstanding commitment to the community.
Other recipients of the coin include Rep. John M. McHugh, R-Pierrepont Manor, and 10th Mountain Division Commander Maj. Gen. Michael L. Oates.
This isn't the first time Mr. Young has saved someone's life. Times records indicate that he pulled a motorist from a vehicle in January 1996 after it struck a truck on Route 11 and caught fire.
Mr. Young said he learned CPR while he attended the University of California during the 1970s. He also took courses while employed by National Grid in the 1980s.
"I just remembered to stay cool," Mr. Young said. "It seemed to come naturally."
Mr. Young received hugs and handshakes from the roughly 20 employees standing at his side during the short press conference.
"We certainly would have lost a life yesterday if it wasn't for him," Mr. Burns said.
