Emma Dilley was able to implement the life-saving techniques she learned while taking CPR classes during her freshman year of high school
NEED TO KNOW
- Emma Dilley, a pre-med freshman at Dallas Baptist University, saved a man’s life after he suffered an asthma attack in the middle of a crosswalk on Feb. 10
- Dilley was driving with her friends in Highland Park, Texas, when she noticed a man lying in the middle of a crosswalk
- She promptly left her car, administered two rounds of chest compressions to keep his pulse active before the first responders arrived minutes later
A Dallas Baptist University freshman saved a man's life after he collapsed in the middle of a Dallas County crosswalk on Feb. 10.
Emma Dilley and her friend were driving in Highland Park, Texas, when they approached a red light. But once they stopped, they noticed a man "laying in the crosswalk," Dilley told CBS 19. She explained there were "a couple people standing around him, looking at him."
Dilley, a biology pre-med major, was at first unsure what was happening. “The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I needed to get out and at least make sure that like someone called 911,” Dilley told the outlet.
Later, a bystander told her he was flagged down by the man, who said he was having an asthma attack before he collapsed. "He had his inhaler next to him, so I figured that was the most logical explanation," she told Fox 4.
Once Dilley exited the car, she checked the man's pulse. "It was very faint. I actually thought he was dead when I got there," Dilley said, Fox 4 reports.
She confessed that she took a moment to compose herself, "regained [her] surroundings and calmed down a little bit," and retook his pulse, per CBS 19. "I redid it, and he had a pulse, but it was just very faint, but he wasn't breathing at all."
Upon Dilley's arrival, one of the man’s friends began CPR but wasn't comfortable continuing, ultimately leading Dilley to take over, telling the friend, “I said I'm certified and licensed. I took all these classes in high school."
The student says that she was able to revive the man after administering two rounds of chest compressions for around four minutes. During the second round, while the man was not breathing, he was able to gasp, open his mouth and open his eyes. "I just kept doing CPR until the EMTs arrived," Dilley said, per CBS 19.
Minutes later, the first responders arrived and continued his medical care.
" [I] tried my best" in saving his life," Dilley told Fox 4. "But I’m just glad I was there to help and be there for him."
Dilley shared that she'd never performed CPR on a person before the incident. "I want to go into healthcare, so I figured I’d use it at some point, but definitely didn’t think I’d use it in college," Dilley said. She told the outlet that she hopes to become a neonatologist and work with high-risk and premature babies.
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PEOPLE reached out to Dilley for comment.
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