Two To Be Honored For Saving Man’S Life

Doug Jacobs was just about to grab a piece of pizza in Liberty Lake when his Washington State Patrol car was rammed from behind on Sept. 3.

“What the …?” he said looking back to find a man slumped over the wheel of his pickup truck.

Trooper Jacobs jumped out of his patrol car to find out why this driver, when he had the whole parking lot, chose to hit the only car in it.

“I thought it was a guy who had been drinking,” he said.

Jacobs quickly found out that the man, eventually identified as 71-year-old Ronald Van Gelder, was having a heart attack.

Newman Lake resident Sue Cicchetti rushed to help Jacobs perform CPR and saved Van Gelder’s life.

On Wednesday, both Jacobs and Cicchetti will be honored for their outstanding citizenship by the Spokane Valley Fire District. WSP also will present a certificate of merit to Jacobs later this year.

“Because of their efforts, patient Ronald Van Gelder was still in ventricular fibrillation when (paramedics) arrived on scene,” wrote Valley Fire Lt. Dennis Doyle in his recommendation letter. “With two shocks from their automated external defibrillator the patient regained his pulse.”

Van Gelder is resting at home and doing well.

“While these citizens did not risk their lives to perform CPR, without their help Mr. Van Gelder’s chance of survival would have been much less,” Doyle said.

That day in September began as it normally does for Jacobs.

After his morning patrol in the Valley, a break at the Stuft Pizza in the Liberty Lake Center was the plan. A call forced him to head there an hour and a half later than scheduled.

It ended up to be a good thing.

After Van Gelder’s pickup hit his patrol car, Jacobs pulled Van Gelder from the vehicle as Cicchetti ran from a nearby store to help.

Van Gelder had no pulse.

Cicchetti did the chest compressions. Jacobs did the breathing.

Just as they got a pulse, the paramedics arrived.

“There’s nothing like hearing those guys pull up,” Jacobs said.

Jacobs and Cicchetti also discovered after Van Gelder was rushed to the hospital that they live in the same Newman Lake neighborhood.

Jacobs is trained, as all troopers are, in basic lifesaving techniques such as CPR. He had just never come across an instance in which he had to use those skills.

“We actually saved somebody,” Jacobs said. “The best part is knowing that we gave someone extra time with their family.”