Duo saves woman behind the wheel during seizure

Published 10:29 am Friday, December 30, 2016

EAGAN — A suburban Twin Cities woman has bystanders to thank for coming to her rescue when she had a seizure behind the wheel of her car.

Rich Gilson saw the woman’s car roll through a red light at a busy intersection in Eagan Tuesday afternoon and pulled up alongside her vehicle. Gilson says he saw the woman, later identified as Tamara Otool, appeared to be having a seizure. Gilson parked his vehicle and chased the runaway car on foot. Eagan police say a box truck driver, Daniel Heim, saw the incident unfolding and used his vehicle to nudge Otool’s car to a stop.

Heim smashed the car window with a piece of metal and Gilson unlocked the door. Another bystander put the car in park.

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Paramedics responded and took Otool to the hospital where she recovered.