A Navy nurse was presented with a Life Ring Award on Thursday for helping save the life of a fellow ferry passenger.
Navy Lieutenant Commander Erika Schilling was traveling with her two kids on the Spokane ferry on the Edmonds/Kingston run on December 2 when she heard there was a medical emergency.
A man’s heart had apparently stopped, according to Washington State Ferries.
Schilling performed CPR for 14 minutes and helped administer a defibrillator to resuscitate a passenger.
Schilling, who is a nurse at Bremerton Navy Hospital, also accompanied the passenger’s spouse to the hospital.
The Life Ring Award is typically awarded to ferry crew who assist in life and death situations and is not usually given to passengers, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation.
