While the majority of North Allegheny students were relaxing during their spring break last month, NASH senior and member of the Peebles District Volunteer Fire Company Luke Gunnett helped save the life of a man minutes away from death after being electrocuted from a power line.  

“I didn’t really have to think in this situation,” Gunnett stated. “I’m very thankful that our department focuses a lot on our training.”

It was the late morning of Wednesday, April 13th, when employees from Duquesne Light Company were replacing a utility pole along Brandywine Drive in McCandless Township. In the same neighborhood was Gunnett at his home enjoying time off from school when NASH senior Grady Colson heard what sounded like an explosion sounded in the neighborhood. 

NASH School Resource Officer Todd Ray, who was on duty with the McCandless Police Department at the time, responded to the 911 call.

“I immediately noticed one of our students assisting with performing CPR,” Ray said.

Gunnett had been dispatched and quickly arrived at the scene, where WPXI and WTAE reported that a neighbor, who is a nurse, had already provided initial help.

“I was in my bedroom putting laundry away, and the power went out,” Gunnett described. “Usually that means someone hit a pole or there’s a storm, but it was totally sunny out that day.”

Other North Allegheny students and their families who reside in the same neighborhood had a similar story. Colson lives along Post Road, which intersects with Brandywine Drive. 

“The loud blast actually woke me up, and I had no idea what was going on outside my house,” Colson commented. 

At approximately 11:49 a.m., Gunnett was dispatched to a scene where there were reports of two men shocked at the utility pole replacement site. The young volunteer immediately sprang into action. 

“I put on my staffing attire, and as I was driving to the station, I heard on my pager that one of the guys was unconscious and they couldn’t get pulses,” Gunnett explained.

Because the site was less than a mile away from his home, Gunnett drove straight to the scene instead of to the station as usual. Upon arrival, he first saw one man conscious and walking but severely injured and another man on the ground near death. 

Without hesitation, Gunnett fled from his car and sprinted to the aid of the dying man, whose skin was turning blue. He then began performing CPR on the victim, exchanging rotations with medics present at the scene, while McCandless Officer Dave Martin used an Automated External Defibrillator (AED), which can potentially restore a heartbeat.

After an estimated 15 minutes of revival attempts, the victim regained a pulse and was then transported to Allegheny General Hospital in the Northside area of the city. 

“It was tiring,” Gunnett said. “I’ve done CPR in the past, but if you’re not used to it, you can quickly tire out your arms.” 

The conscious victim, who suffered third degree burns, was taken by ambulance to UPMC Mercy Hospital in downtown Pittsburgh. In the back of the ambulance with the stable victim was Gunnett on standby, as the possibility of a cardiac arrest was high due to the shockable rhythm maneuvering throughout his body. Fortunately, the victim remained awake. 

“I had to go into the hospital with the ambulance crew and give a report to the trauma staff,” Gunnett stated. “Later, we cleaned up the back of the ambulance.”

While restoring equipment in the rear of the ambulance, Gunnett said the crew found melted clothing from the victim and even melted skin. 

From UPMC Mercy, Gunnett returned to the active scene to retrieve his vehicle. Gunnett then returned home, but not without being commended by those who saw the initiative he took to prevent a tragic fatality. 

“I’ve gotten a lot of calls from doctors and people from the fire department thanking me. It’s humbling for me,” he said.

Duquesne Light Company Director of Communication Hollie Geitner was among those to express admiration not only for Gunnett’s involvement at the scene but for all of the first responders that day.

“We appreciate Luke’s actions in responding to the medical needs of our employees on April 13,” Geitner said in an email to The Uproar. “First responders serve a critical community need in some of the most emergent of circumstances. As such, we’d like to remind everyone that medical emergencies are often life-altering events for people we care deeply about. Victims are someone’s family member, friend, and colleague. Sharing personal health details from that moment unfortunately contributes to the trauma of those already impacted. Our thoughts and well-wishes are with our colleagues who are continuing to recover from their injuries.”

Gunnett said he is thankful for the training he has received in the past three years from the Peebles, emphasizing that the department’s training is the reason there is a second chance at life.  

“I view this as another chance for him,” Gunnett said. “I try not to think about the day too much, but when I do, I think of it as another chance given.”

Officer Ray said Gunnett’s actions were among the most admirable that he has witnessed in his career.

“There have been many occasions throughout the school year when I have walked the second floor and noticed the “Making the Difference” sign written across the wall [across from the TV studio],” Ray said. “Luke made a difference by performing life-saving measures.”

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Editors’ note: In the original article, we failed to note that a neighbor, who is a nurse, was the first to arrive on the scene and provide help. That correction has been made to the updated article, and we included a hyperlink to the WTAE story.  Additionally, the current version of the article features a quotation from the Director of Communications at Duquesne Light Company that did not appear in the original article.