Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony.

By: Sharon Aron Baron

A motorist is alive today thanks to Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony’s quick lifesaving actions.

Sheriff Tony was heading home at approximately 7 p.m. Tuesday when traffic came to a stop at a red light at an intersection in Coral Springs. The light turned green, but the Cadillac CTS in front of him did not move. 

Thinking the driver was distracted or on his cellphone, Sheriff Tony honked his horn. When the brake lights stayed activated, and the driver was motionless, he felt something was wrong. 

Prepared to render aid, Sheriff Tony said he notified Coral Springs dispatch, activated his vehicle’s lights and sirens, and cautiously approached the car, according to protocol, to find out what was happening.

When Sheriff Tony made contact, he noticed through the driver’s open window that the adult male driver was unconscious.

“I immediately reached across the driver and shifted the transmission into the park position. I checked the driver’s pulse, which yielded a negative result. The driver wasn’t breathing and had no pulse,” Sheriff Tony said. 

From Sheriff Tony’s Facebook page where he wrote: Special thanks to Tyler Reik, Charles Mersch, and Christopher Clark.

The sheriff got the man out of the car and performed CPR. The sheriff said once the driver started to breathe and regained a faint pulse, he put the driver in a recovery position and waited for paramedics to arrive. 

“While waiting for EMS, I continued to monitor the driver’s condition. I noticed he once again stopped breathing, and I couldn’t find a pulse,” Sheriff Tony said.

“Per CPR training protocols, I initiated CPR again. Several more cycles were performed, and the driver started breathing again,” he said. 

A Coral Springs police officer arrived on the scene, and he and Sheriff Tony continued lifesaving efforts until Coral Springs Parkland Fire Rescue arrived and took over resuscitation efforts. 

Paramedics transported the driver to Broward Health Coral Springs, where he was treated and later released.

Sheriff Tony began his law enforcement career in 2005 with the Coral Springs Police Department, where he served on the SWAT team for five years and rose to the rank of sergeant.