Grayslake, IL – Durham School Services is proud to shine a light on our bus driver Beverly Raddatz’s recent heroism that led to saving the life of a high school athlete who went into sudden cardiac arrest.
The incident occurred when Beverly was waiting for a local high school soccer team to board her bus for a Saturday game. Just before boarding, one of the student athletes collapsed and went into cardiac arrest. Upon witnessing this situation, Beverly quickly alighted the bus to assess the student’s condition and found him non-responsive and not breathing. After instructing another student to call 911, Beverly and two other students performed CPR on the collapsed student and were able to resuscitate him while waiting for paramedics to arrive. Paramedics stabilized the student’s condition, and after confirming the student was safe, Beverly transported the rest of the team to their game and provided consolation and support to them after the intense situation.
“I knew that I had to take charge of the situation and that the key was to keep calm so that the students would also follow suit,” said Beverly Raddatz, Durham School Services Bus Driver. “It was undoubtedly a scary and stressful situation, and I am very relieved that we were able to help save that student’s life. After experiencing this situation, I would like to share this PSA: CPR saves lives. This situation is evidence of that, and I encourage everyone to take the initiative to learn just like I did so that we can protect those around us.”
“The team and I are all extremely proud of Beverly,” said General Manager Kevin Middleditch. “Thanks to Beverly’s CPR knowledge and driver safety training, she was able to quickly and accurately respond to the situation, thus preventing a potentially tragic situation. She is a lifesaver, and we are grateful to have someone like her as part of the team. Thank you, Beverly. You are a Durham Hero, and the Grayslake community is lucky to have you.”