A Hero's Welcome for Taunton Man

Taunton resident Ed Johansen leaped into action on the afternoon of Feb. 28th, dodging live electrical wires and oncoming traffic on Taunton Avenue to save the life of a man who had driven off the road right ahead of him.

Thursday, Norton Fire Chief Richard Gomes brought that act of heroism to the attention of the town, awarding Johansen a Citizen Life Saver award in front of an audience of his family and friends, the man whose life he saved, and  members of the .

Gomes explained that the accident, where Taunton resident Thomas Costa had a heart attack, drove off the road, and hit a utility pole, involved only the single vehicle, but was a serious medical emergency.

Johansen came upon the accident shortly after it occurred. "He was not breathing, and had no pulse," Gomes said. "Johansen did CPR with electrical wires hanging overhead until emergency vehicles arrived."

Selectman Brad Bramwell read the official award statement, saying "Without protective equipment and with possible harm to yourself, you helped remove the sole occupant from the vehicle. The victim was not breathing, had no pulse and had a blue skin color."

The statement added that he was a stranger to the victim and had no duty to stop, and placed himself in grave danger while working on the victim in a traffic lane.

The victim, now recovered, was in the audience, and got up to give Johansen a huge hug. "He saved my life," Costa said. He also thanked the EMT emergency responders who continued CPR at the scene and transported him to the hospital. He added he is returning to work soon.

Johansen accepted the award of a plaque and a special pin from Gomes with little comment, but laughed when selectmen Chairman Robert Kimball told him he was always welcome in Norton. Johansen said he was only doing what anyone else would have done.

Gomes added Norton has achieved the "Heart Safe Community" status by calling attention to the prevalence of sudden cardiac arrest, providing defibrillators in critical places, and offering classes is CPR. A website for the Heart Safe program notes under 15 percent of people stricken with sudden cardiac arrest survive the experience -- most survivors have in common the fact that someone noticed the event, knew what it was, and administered CPR or cardiac defibrillation immediately.