Good Samaritans, First Responders Team Up To Save Life Of Bicyclist Who Collapsed

Good samaritans and first responders are being credited with saving the life of a man who collapsed while riding his bicycle Thursday morning along the Milestone bike path due to an apparent cardiac event.

An island real estate broker who asked to remain anonymous told the Current she was driving out to Sconset for an open house when she saw a man lying on the side of the road next to a bike, and pulled over to see what was happening.

“His eyes were open, his ears were turning blue, I swore he was dead,” the broker said. “He wasn’t breathing at all.”

Other people arrived at the scene and called for an ambulance, while an unidentified woman began administering CPR.

Massachusetts State Police Trooper Rob Clouse arrived at the scene and sprinted to the fallen man, the witness said. Trooper Clouse took over CPR until the Nantucket Fire Department ambulance crew arrived. Nantucket Police Officer Joseph Tirone also assisted at the scene.

Nantucket Fire Department Deputy Chief Sean Mitchell and Massachusetts State Police Trooper Kevin Bates confirmed the witness's account of the events.

The combined efforts of the good samaritans and first responders got the man breathing again, the broker said, and he was transported to Nantucket Cottage Hospital. Due to privacy laws, the man’s identity and current condition is not known.

The witness said the episode left her grateful for the prompt response by all involved.

“Everyone was such a well-oiled machine,” she said. “They knew what each person had to do.”