‘We determined he didn’t have a pulse,’ Irving officer says before quick actions save man
Ramana Cherukuru collapsed from a heart attack in November as he was running near Ranchview High School in north Irving.
Cherukuru fell in the parking lot, injuring his head in the incident.
Within seconds, Irving Police Officer Daniel Wilson arrived.
“The report said there was an unconscious person,” Wilson said Friday. “I saw lots of blood so I grabbed the medical bag and started to treat the severe trauma to his head, but there was something else wrong.”
At that time, Irving Officer Kenny Edwards also arrived on the scene.
“I heard gurgling and we determined that he didn’t have pulse and was not breathing,” Edwards said. “He (Wilson) was in a better position, so I instructed him to start compressions.”
Edwards held Cherukuru’s head as Wilson started the compressions that went on for 1 minute and 40 seconds, saving the Irving man’s life.
For their quick actions, Wilson and Edwards received the Irving Police Department’s Lifesaving Award on Friday morning with Cherukuru on hand for the presentation.
“I have no doubt in my mind that the IPD officers on the scene saved this man’s life,” said Irving Fire Department medic Brandon Turner in a news release. “Good job and thank you for you service.”
The incident occurred at about 10 a.m on Nov. 21 in a parking lot at Ranchview High School, 8401 E. Valley Ranch Parkway in Irving.
Witnesses told the Irving officers that Cherukuru had been running in the area when he began having chest pains, then collapsed.
“There are signs you recognize and that’s what happened,” said Edwards, who has been in law enforcement eight years, the last two in Irving. This is his second Lifesaving Award as an Irving officer. “It all happened so fast. I thought it was 30 seconds, but when we reviewed it, it was more than a minute.”
Wilson has been a police officer three years, all in Irving, and his training paid off again in November.
“This is probably my 6th or 7th time that I’ve had to do chest compressions on someone,” Wilson said. “All officers are trained for this.”
Irving police noted that just hours after the incident Edwards and Wilson checked on Cherukuru at the local hospital.
“We were so grateful that it ended this way,” Edwards said referring to Cherukuru surviving the heart attack. “It was just amazing to see how quickly he recovered.”
This story was originally published January 22, 2021 at 3:55 PM.
