Vienna Honors Police Officers for Saving Driver After Accident

The Town of Vienna recently lauded two police officers after they saved a man’s life by administering CPR when he stopped breathing.

According to the Vienna Police Department, MPO Kenny Smith and Officer Dale “Chip” McElhattan encountered a male driver who had been in a vehicle accident and were talking to him when he went into cardiac arrest, collapsing on the pavement and ceasing to breathe.

The department says in a news release that the officers “immediately jumped into action, rendering CPR and re-establishing a pulse and breathing.”

“Shortly after, the driver stopped breathing again,” the VPD said. “[The] officers worked tirelessly administering CPR until EMS arrived on the scene and took over the life-saving care.”

The driver was subsequently transported to a hospital in the area, where he was stabilized.

The Town of Vienna recognized the officers’ efforts on Feb. 17, when Vienna Police Chief Jim Morris and Town Manager Mercury Payton presented them with “life-saving” awards. Members of Vienna’s human resources department, police colleagues, friends, and family also attended the ceremony.

The police department says McElhattan and Smith have also been nominated for the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce Valor award, which “recognizes public safety employees’ actions beyond the call of duty.”