September 27, 2011 by onstarconnects
His Heart Stopped While He Was Driving
It had been a sad, difficult day. Jack Markovitz and his wife, Leslie, were returning to their home from the funeral for Leslie’s brother in San Diego. Suddenly, Jack slumped over, just minutes after exiting the 405 freeway.
“My heart stopped while I was driving, and my foot was on the gas pedal,” he says. “My wife had to take control and steer the car from the passenger seat to avoid hitting oncoming traffic.”
“I knew I had to do something to stop the car and do it fast”
“We were heading into three lanes of oncoming traffic on a very busy street, Jack was unresponsive and we were going 40 to 50 miles per hour,” she says. Leslie was able to avoid hitting oncoming cars and crashed the corner of the Escalade into a telephone pole to stop the SUV.
An OnStar Advisor was immediately connected into the Markovitzes’ vehicle. “He asked about the extent of Jack’s injuries, and he told me help was on the way,” Leslie says. “He had such a calming presence, and he stayed with me and talked to me.”
A police officer and paramedics arrived within minutes, according to the Markovitzes. “I was revived by the paramedics and transported to the hospital where I remained in a coma for two days on life support,” says Jack. At the hospital, the couple was told that the rapid initial response by OnStar and the emergency personnel saved Jack’s life.
“I’ve now made a full recovery and have resumed all my previous activities,” says Jack. “The rapid response of the paramedics, made possible by OnStar and Advisor Travis Melson, saved my life, and we’ll always be grateful.”
“We have since replaced our car, as it was considered a total loss by our insurance company,” adds Leslie. “We chose another Escalade — equipped with OnStar, of course!”
Have you had a medical emergency while driving? How did you handle it? Let us know in the comments below.
My son (Matthew) and I were traveling to a grain elevator where I buy fertilizer for my house. I told my son wait in the truck while I pay for the fertilizer and you can help me load the material in the Chervrolet Equinox. I went into the store and came out to the back of vehicle and told my son to give me a hand. Since I got no response I went to driver side of vehicle and found him bent over and unconscious. I than pressed the red cross On star button and asked for an ambulance. Within 4 minutes the Washington Township fire department arrived and found he was having a seizure. They transported him to Beamont hospital in Troy Michigan.
Once at the hospital they had a complete staff of medical personal waiting for his arrival. My son is ok now but can’t thank the On Star team enough for the help on that September day. Great job to the team at On star.
Hi Keith – Thanks for sharing your story here with us. We are so glad we were able to help, but more importantly we are glad that your son is okay. Please don’t ever hesitate to let us know if you have any questions regarding your OnStar service – we’re here to help!
– Lisa