Hero saves car wash attendant from being strangled by Golden Nozzle
Golden Nozzle car wash customer John A. O'Leary was riding through the car wash when he noticed something was terribly wrong. Yards away, fighting for her life inside the car wash was 19-year-old employee Stephanie Carpluk. The lone attendant had taken a short-cut through the car rails and her scarf had become ensnared in one of the wash's rotating mechanical brushes. The machinery had pulled the scarf tightly around her neck and was quickly strangling her. Unable to free herself, Carpluk passed out. Within seconds, O'Leary sprung from his car and pulled out a pocket knife that he was carrying and cut her free. Noticing she wasn't breathing, he began mouth-to-mouth resuscitation until Carpluk could once again breath on her own... undeniably saving the young woman's life.
The courageous car wash customer is quite modest about his heroic act. He's been carrying the pocket knife since high school and he last took CPR training in the 1970s. "If she required anything more, she would have been in trouble because I didn't know anything more," said O'Leary after the incident. Carpluk, with a deep red welt around her neck and two black eyes, will spend a few days in the hospital but she is expected to recover fully. While she's apparently been wearing that scarf to work every day, we think she'll wisely leave it out of her wardrobe in the future. Thanks for the tip Edsel!
[Source: Masslive.com, Photo by Jeffrey Roberts / Daily Hampshire Gazette]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
jrhmobile 8:37AM (2/13/2009)
Frickin' troll. Are you just determined to prove you're a dull-witted jerk? Congratulations, you have succeeded.
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2007RC46SP2 8:39AM (2/13/2009)
+1
a$$ hole
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Sea Urchin 8:40AM (2/13/2009)
I apologies.
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Sea Urchin 8:41AM (2/13/2009)
Here's a video of the victim
http://cbs2.com/watercooler/Car.wash.rescue.2.932586.html
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ack154 8:41AM (2/13/2009)
No doubt what this guy did with his quick thinking was just awesome. He saved a life... and hopefully she'll have a speedy recovery and be washing cars again in no time.
But part of me can't help thinking he was interfering with natural selection. I mean, if this girl didn't realize wearing a scarf EVERY DAY around a bunch of big whirly, spinning machinery wasn't such a good idea... I mean... come on.
Hopefully she at least learned her lesson. Rate me down if you want... I'm just being honest.
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Ricky 8:45AM (2/13/2009)
She's what I call an Aston Martin driver, form over function.
Kiiks 8:51AM (2/14/2009)
Horrible thing to say.
I can't lie though, I was thinking the same thing. Hopefully she's learned her lesson and will make an effort to be more attentitive and safety-conscious before she decides to have children.
At least she wasn't directly bringing danger to others through her behavior. Unlike the people in my town that drive around at night with their headlights off yapping on their mobiles. The kind of thing that makes you look back and realize what should have been the true application for land mines.
Geez, I'm tired and cranky (can you tell?) One more death stick and off to bed.
Coolio 8:47AM (2/13/2009)
+1
Wow..."nice" spin on this...you're in need of some mental help we all would agree.
This man saved a person's life. I know you said sorry, but geezzzeeee...
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Jeff 8:49AM (2/13/2009)
Are you a hero if you save a drowning child? Umm... yes.
Well done John O'Leary. Have a couple on me.
Oh yeah: Golden Nozzle. Freakin' hilarious.
Thanks for the good story, guys.
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BigMcLargeHuge 9:03AM (2/13/2009)
Amenz,
There are 2 types of rescuers;
Heros, and almost-heros.
Just because most people INTEND to save someone does not make them a hero. This guy SUCCEEDED.
Quick reactions and threw himself into harm's way. The other alternative is that he could have allowed one or both of them to be killed, by being a fool himself.
Side note: anyone find the victim's name "Car Pluck" a little ironic in this case?
gab 8:54AM (2/13/2009)
yes !
he is a modern hero, even if he doesn't drive a batmobile.
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JuniorMint 8:59AM (2/13/2009)
I think getting your scarf caught in moving machinery at a car wash should automatically get you a cameo in the next "Final Destination" movie.
Though admittedly, having it happen in front of a person who's paying attention, AND carrying the exact tool necessary to save your life, is probably unlikely to the point of "your plane goes down in a river but your pilot is an expert on water landings." Lucky young lady!
Scarves are sooooooo 2004, anyway.
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Ayle 12:01PM (2/13/2009)
Tell that to all the teenagers wearing one when I made a trip to dc during the winter break....
Shipey 9:09AM (2/13/2009)
While this is an extreme example, it shows why I never leave home without my pocket knife... best tool you can have on you.
Kershaw FTW!
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MikeW 9:20AM (2/13/2009)
Only one knife?
Shipey 9:22AM (2/13/2009)
If it's the right knife you only need one.
Rob 10:09AM (2/13/2009)
Hell yes! I was going to comment on the same thing. I carry a gerber 3" blade on my at all times, it comes in handy almost daily, and people always look at me like a pyscho when I whip it out in a few seconds becuase they need a knife. They are incredibly useful. People who don't carry blades just don't understand.
MikeW 10:21AM (2/13/2009)
True, but I was applying the rules for gunfighting, if you need one gun, you need two guns.
Shotgunner 10:24AM (2/13/2009)
I think too many people don't carry knives (including me) because they can cause too much trouble if you forget to leave them in the car before you go to a concert or something. But how awful would that guy have felt if he didn't have his knife on him and hadn't been able to save her? I'm starting to think its worth the trouble to carry one again.
Gungosa 1:55PM (2/13/2009)
Amen. This guy illustrates why I carry a knife every day. The word is a random and dangerous place and even a small knife can put the odds much more in your favor. Two other reasons: A friend of mine tells a story that years ago, she witnessed a car crash. I'm not sure if the driver of the car was unconscious or not, but they couldn't get him out of his car because of his seat belt and his car was on fire. They stopped every car frantically trying to find a blade. They never did and the guy burned. I only heard the story once and she cried to tell it.
I'm pretty sure my Dad saved my life with a pocket knife in Golden Gate Park when I was little. This golden retrieveresque dog came charging down the trail snarling and barking in full on attack mode running at me. My dad shoved me behind him and pulled his pocket knife. When the blade snapped open the dog went from full run to completely stopped. My dad, being awesome, yelled to its frantic owner "Call your dog off or I swear I'll kill it!" That's all I remember. might have been nothing, but it could have been really bad. I encourage everyone to carry some sort of knife. It could make all the difference, and at least will help you open boxes :)