Amber Riley, 17, of Centralia, stands at the scene of an accident that occurred December 7, where she used CPR to save a man's life.
A man is loaded into the back of an ambulance following a single vehicle crash that occurred at the intersection of West Main and Yew Street, Thursday, December 7, in Centralia.
This is the scene of a single vehicle crash that occurred at the intersection of West Main and Yew Street, Thursday, December 7, Centralia.
Amber Riley, 17, of Centralia, stands at the scene of an accident that occurred December 7, where she used CPR to save a man's life.
When Amber Riley got off the school bus on the afternoon of Dec. 7, the first thing she noticed was a car that had gone off the road across the street.
The vehicle had slammed into a fire hydrant at the intersection of Main and Yew streets in Centralia, and Riley, who was then 16 years old, heard from a bystander that people were administering CPR on the driver, who was still in the car.
“My first thought was, ‘Oh my God, no,’” said the Centralia High School junior. “Because that’s not how you’re supposed to do CPR.”
Riley learned cardiopulmonary resuscitation in her sports medicine class at at the high school, and she stays certified and receives regular training through her job as a lifeguard at Great Wolf Lodge. She knew it was important to get the victim out of the car and onto flat ground.
She ran across the street and pushed through the would-be helpers who had crowded around the vehicle, taking charge of the situation.
“I had to tell a grown man what to do,” she said. “It was kind of weird in the moment, but I wasn’t worried about it. … They did exactly what I told them what to do. It was pretty cool.”
With the help of another man, Riley got the driver out of the car and determined he had no pulse. She got to work.
“I just started doing compressions, and then I did two rescue breaths, and then I started compressions again,” she said.
For two or three minutes, she kept at it, working on the victim until first responders showed up. Her instincts and training took over, and she stayed calm despite the intensity of the situation.
“I just kind of clicked into what I was supposed to do,” she said.
When first responders got to the scene, one tapped Riley on the shoulder and took over. She looked up and saw her mom walking down the block toward her. That’s when it hit her.
“I wasn’t frightened until afterward,” she said. “It was mostly an adrenaline rush afterward. All this adrenaline, what do I do with it. I was shaking really bad.”
After that day in December, Riley went back to school and back to her job. She learned the driver, a 66-year-old man, survived and recovered.
In May, Riley received a call from Centralia Police Chief Carl Nielsen, asking her to be at the upcoming city council meeting to receive a commendation. She’d been calm while giving CPR, but was nervous to go in front of the crowd at City Hall.
“It was a little scary because I was in front of the council,” she said. “But it felt really good, especially because while he was reading it, they confirmed that [the victim] did make it out alive.”
The text of the commendation reads in part: “When officers arrived on scene they found Amber Riley administering life-saving CPR. Amber had witnessed the accident and recognized the victim needed immediate medical attention. … The male victim has since recovered from his medical condition and owes his ability to recover from this medical episode to Amber's quick decision-making and willingness to get involved by administering CPR. Because of Amber's quick thinking and willingness to help out a stranger, the Centralia Police Department is recognizing her with a Citizen's Commendation.”
Nielsen handed her the award to raucous applause.
“The sheer fact that a citizen got involved, a community member got involved, in saving someone’s life, that’s pretty cool,” Nielsen said in an interview. “It’s not an everyday occurrence that a 16-year-old is willing to jump in and do that.”
Both Riley and Nielsen urge their fellow citizens to get CPR training, which they say is simple to learn.
“Anyone can remember 30 [compressions] to two [rescue breaths],” Riley said. “It could literally take less than a week [to get certified].”
Nielsen added that most people won’t come across strangers in trouble like Riley did, but getting certified may enable people to give immediate help if family members have a medical emergency.
“It’s not that much of a time commitment to do it,” he said. “You just never know when something comes up. It’s one thing to call 911, but it’s still going to take us a couple minutes to get there. Every minute counts.”
Riley, now 17, is finishing up her junior year and still working as a lifeguard. After she graduates, she’s thinking about pursuing a career as an EMT or serving in the military. Wherever she ends up, she’ll bring the steady nerves and quick reaction that served her so well in December.
