Wes Lyon would like to know if the dark-haired woman in the blue Hyundai Tiburon survived her apparent drug overdose.
He noticed the car in the parking lot of Derby Reach Regional Park in 91原创 on Christmas morning, when he and girlfriend Jessica Federici arrived to go for a run.
It was parked at a 鈥渨eird angle,鈥� with the motor running and the windows rolled down, he recalled.
Someone was inside.
鈥樷�漈hey looked to be sleeping,鈥� Lyon told the 91原创 Advance Times.
He deliberately slammed his truck door, hoping the noise would be enough to wake up the occupant.
When it didn鈥檛, Lyon took a closer look, and saw a straw on the car dashboard that made him suspect drugs.
That was when he phoned 9-1-1.
It was just after 11 a.m.
READ ALSO: Local man finds daughter dead in 91原创 from drug overdose
At the suggestion of the 9-1-1 dispatcher, Lyon first banged on the car window.
The occupant, a dark-haired Caucasian woman in her late 20s or early 30s, didn鈥檛 react.
鈥淪he didn鈥檛 look out of the ordinary,鈥� Lyon said, and the car was in good shape.
Then, again at the suggestion of the dispatcher, Lyon opened the car door and took her wrist to check for a pulse.
He could see what appeared to be a drug pipe on the passenger seat.
When he couldn鈥檛 find a pulse, Lyon pulled the woman out and started performing CPR.
It has been at least 10 years since Lyon had taken first-aid training in school, but the dispatcher talked him through it.
鈥淚t was definitely an adrenalin-pumping moment.鈥�
Ambulance, fire, and police crews were on scene within two to four minutes, and they took over.
Lyon was told the paramedics had been able to get a 鈥渨eak鈥� pulse.
Since then, he鈥檚 been trying 鈥� without success 鈥� to find out if the woman survived.
He said police have told him it is a privacy issue, and they can鈥檛 say more.
鈥淚t would have been nice to know if we had saved a life.鈥�
He is also curious about the three other cars that were in the parking lot at the time, wondering if their drivers had seen the blue car and decided against getting involved.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very eye-opening,鈥� he said.
Federici said before that day, she was aware there was a problem 鈥� having read about the rising numbers of drug-related fatalities and even lost some high school friends to overdoses. But, the Christmas Day incident was the first time she had seen one happen.
鈥淚t hit home,鈥� she said.
She was disappointed at the apparent lack of concern from a small group of bystanders at the scene, one of whom wasn鈥檛 willing to move a vehicle before the fire and ambulance crews arrived.
鈥淚t was just really sad to us,鈥� Federici commented.
Since the ordeal, Federici said she and Lyon have discussed in the future upgrading their CPR skills to be better prepared and possibly carrying naloxone, which is used to treat overdoses.
READ ALSO: 153 people died of drug overdoses in November in B.C.; deaths climb in seniors
More than 150 British Columbians died in November due to the overdose crisis, according to a report from the BC Coroners Service released on Dec. 21.
The 153 deaths last month represented a seven-per-cent decrease from October and an 89-per-cent increase from November 2019. That equates to just over five people dying each day of the month.
If you use substances, use the site finder on the website to find OPS, naloxone and other harm reduction supplies
鈥� BCCDC (@CDCofBC)
The highest number of illicit drug toxicity deaths happened in Fraser Health and Vancouver Coastal Health regions, with 510 and 424 deaths, respectively.
The highest death rates were in Northern Health with 44 deaths per 100,000 people, with Vancouver Coastal Health second at 38 per 100,000.
Men continued to die at much higher rates than women, making up 81 per cent of 2020 drug deaths to date. The 293 women who have died so far in 2020 represent a 23 per cent increase from all of 2019, while the 1,255 men who have died so far this year represent a 68 per cent increase from last year.
dan.ferguson@langleyadvancetimes.com
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