First responders honored for saving Butler Township resident
BUTLER TWP — During a supervisors meeting Monday, Butler Township resident William Lohmuller presented nine first responders with American Heart Association Heart Saver Hero Awards for their efforts to save his life during a cardiac episode he suffered March 20.
The incident occurred while the 80-year-old Lohmuller was mowing the grass outside his home on Williams Road. According to his wife, Judy, he had just stepped inside the house to rest when he suddenly collapsed on his couch.
“He came in to sit down, and we were talking about going out for lunch, and he just fell over,” Judy said. “They called it a ‘cardiac event.’”
Fortunately, the Lohmuller household is a short walk from the township municipal building, which includes the police headquarters. Patrolman Jeffrey Lewis was first on the scene, arriving “within three minutes,” according to Judy. Lewis placed Lohmuller on the floor and administered CPR.
Other emergency personnel soon arrived, including Scott Frederick, chief of Butler Township Emergency Services, who placed an automated external defibrillator on Lohmuller.
Lohmuller was transferred by ambulance to the intensive care unit at Butler Memorial Hospital, where he stayed for about a month.
“He was unresponsive for six days,” Judy said. “He woke up, and he was moved to a rehab center, and he’s been doing fine — tap on wood. It’s been going great.”
After being discharged from the hospital, Lohmuller was moved to Benbrook Medical Center in Butler for rehabilitation, where he would regain his memory and physical functions. Four months after the collapse, Lohmuller still is going through rehabilitation, but his outlook on life is positive.
“I started remembering things and started the process of healing,” Lohmuller said. “The three nurses up there took care of me and got me to where I am today. I'm feeling well and I look forward to many happy days.”
In addition to Lewis and Frederick, Heart Saver Hero awards were presented to firefighter Seth Miller of the Butler Township Volunteer Fire District; paramedics Dave Barthel, Chase Brown and Jesse Haas and EMT Reinaldo Toro of the Butler Ambulance Service; and Assistant Chief Ryan Enscoe and Lieutenant William Boyle of Butler VA Fire and Emergency Services.
