A group of friends is being credited with saving a man while biking on a trail last weekend in Murray County.
On Saturday, Douglas Kerns, a Dalton firefighter, was cycling in Fort Mountain State Park near Chatsworth with two friends, Brad DeLay of Dalton and James DeLong of Collegedale, Tenn. Also riding with the group were Tim Regal and Chip Witherow of Dalton.
The plan was to ride into the park and turn around where the road meets the hiking trail to the fire tower before heading back down the mountain, according to a news release from the Dalton Police Department.
As the group passed the trail head, Witherow, DeLay and DeLong saw a man about 25 yards from the road stumble and fall to the ground.
DeLong ran over to the victim, a man in his 50s, to check on him. The victim was having an apparent heart attack and was gasping for air, already turning blue in the face.
DeLay, a doctor, and DeLong, a registered nurse with years of experience in cardiac care, immediately started CPR on the victim while another member of the group called 911.
The group sent Kerns to get help, knowing that the victim needed a defibrillator. As Kerns rode back down the mountain, he passed a Forestry Service truck responding to the call.
Park Ranger Mike Gardner responded to the scene with an automatic external defibrillator. By then, the men had performed CPR on the victim for nearly 15 minutes.
After getting one shock from the AED, the victim's heart started to beat on its own again. He regained consciousness and started to talk to his rescuers. Shortly after, an ambulance arrived and transported the victim to Hamilton Medical Center in Dalton.