The American Red Cross will honor Iowa DOT officer Sergeant Jeffrey Jones later this month for his quick response in saving a man’s life. Jones is one of several people in Iowa who will be honored at the “Heroes of the Heartland” breakfast.
Man Almost Meets His Waterloo
According to KWWL News, on July 27, 2017 Jerald Kloppenborg and his wife were in their truck headed home to Nebraska. Kloppenborg knew he had a wheel seal leaking, but he was sure he could make it the 250 miles back home to fix it. “We were on I-380 between Waterloo and Cedar Rapids,” Kloppenborg said, “The weigh station was open, so we pulled in.”
Motor Vehicle Enforcement Sergeant Jeffrey Jones was at a Department of Transportation weigh station off of I-380 near Brandon.
Standard Inspection
In his report of the Kloppenborg vehicle inspection, Jones noted eight violations, including the seal leak, and issued two citations.
“It was a fairly standard inspection,” said Jones. “I explained how to satisfy the citations and printed off a list of area mechanics for him. I also told him that I would probably look at one or two more trucks before leaving and that he could find me if he needed anything.”
Heading Home
The Cedar Falls man had finished inspecting a truck driver’s vehicle, and he was getting ready to head home for the day.
That’s when the truck driver’s wife came up to Sergeant Jones and said her husband had passed out. Jones says he went out to the truck, and saw the man slouched over. His face was turning blue. He was having a heart attack.
AED and CPR Save Day
Jones quickly grabbed the automated external defibrillator, or AED. He used that to shock the man’s heart and then started CPR. He credits the AED for saving the truck driver’s life.
“It’s a fabulous machine. Given our distance from Cedar Falls and Waterloo and from Cedar Rapids, without that machine, I don’t think it would have been possible for our patient to make it through that very very serious situation,” Jones said.
Incident Report
In his incident report, Jones wrote, “At the truck, Kloppenborg was sitting in the driver seat, head forward and his face was blue. I first was going to attempt to get him into the parking lot and quickly decided I couldn’t do it safely.
I asked his wife to assist me in getting him onto the floor in the sleeper. I opened his shirt, applied the AED pads, and activated the machine. The AED advised shock, I checked for all clear.
The AED administered a shock and advised to continue CPR. I began chest compressions for several minutes. A few times, the AED said shock not advised, continue CPR, which I did. One other time it advised shock, I hit the button and it administered a shock.”
Happy Ending
The truck driver was eventually rushed to Covenant Medical Center, and after surgery for a quadruple bypass and 13 days in the hospital, the driver returned to his home in Nebraska.
The truck driver eventually reached out to Sergeant Jones, thanking him for what he did.