UPDATED: Teen good Samaritan rushes to aid man in cardiac arrest after West Covina crash

WEST COVINA — A man was clinging to life at a hospital following a car crash Sunday after a teenage good Samaritan sprung into action and performed CPR on the man until paramedics arrived to take over, officials said.
The crash took place just before 11 a.m. at the southwest corner of Valinda and Cameron avenues, West Covina police Lt. Dennis Patton said.
An SUV with a 42-year-old man at the wheel struck a light pole, “with the driver reportedly in full cardiac arrest,” the lieutenant said.
But a quick-thinking 18-year-old man saw what had happened and rushed to help.
“A good Samaritan rendered aid to the driver, who was the solo occupant,” Patton said.
The young man began CPR. “He continued that until the paramedics arrived on scene.”
According to West Covina Fire Department Capt. Esteban Rodriguez, “The first arriving West Covina units noticed a bystander giving CPR to a driver who was involved in a single-vehicle accident,” Rodriguez said.
“Our firefighter-paramedics took over the medical assessment of the patient,” the captain said
Paramedics rushed the man to Citrus Valley Medical Center – Queen of the Valley Campus in West Covina, Patton said.
He was alive Sunday afternoon, however his condition was unclear, the lieutenant said.
The situation may have been worse without the intervention of the young good Samaritan.
“The bystander performed CPR to an extent where it did benefit the patient up until fire department arrival,” Rodriguez said.
The cause and circumstances of the crash remained under investigation, Patton said.
But the relatively minor damage at the crash scene didn’t seem consistent with a major injury crash, he said, leading investigators to suspect the driver may have suffered a medical problem.
The cities of residence of both the driver and the good Samaritan were unavailable.

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