Doug Stansell: Good samaritan, 56, dies of heart attack after trying to save teen hit-and-run victim
ANDERSON TOWNSHIP, OHIO: A “big-hearted” man lost his life after trying to save a teenager who was left to die on the road. Doug Stansell breathed his last on Monday, November 14, at Mercy Health - Anderson Hospital hours after suffering a heart attack. It has been said that the 56-year-old went into cardiac arrest due to the “stress and trauma” he faced after finding Eli Jones, 15, lying unconscious in the 8000 block of Clough Pike.
As per reports, Doug was going to pick up his daughters from work with his two adult sons around 1 am when they saw something on the road. Initially, they thought it was a trash can but soon realized that it was a person. They informed cops right away and also cooperated with them when they arrived. Doug’s son Jonathan told Fox19 that when officers and first responders came, his father was okay.
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Even when the trio went to get the family’s daughters, Doug was normal. “I guess once he parked, he let everything sink in. I don’t know if it was too much for him to handle. He was talking to me and then he looked quiet and fainted back and rolled his head toward me. He couldn’t talk or breathe,” Jonathan said.
The man was given chest compressions before being taken to the hospital but he could not be saved. In a GoFundMe started by Jonathan, he says, “Dad was going to Taco Bell when he stumbled across something in the road. I realized that the object in the road was a body. Dad, Chris and I were at the scene for 45 minutes writing statements. Once we were sitting inside of Taco Bell's parking lot, Dad was sitting in the Jeep Wrangler where he then fainted and was unresponsive."
“Chris called 911 while I did CPR on Dad," he continued. "He came in and out but couldn't get an air way back. Chris and I then pulled Dad out of the Jeep and laid him on the ground where I continued CPR until the Squad showed up. Dad was omitted [sic] at 2 am with Respiratory shock that put Dad into cardiac Arrest.”
Doug died at 12.30 pm, with his family around. "Dad's wife Christina Stansell will be turning this page into a memorial service page," Jonathan's message added. "If you have any memories that you would like to share with everyone of Doug, Please feel free to post the memories to his page or in the comments below. Dad was beloved by so many people and he always tried to brighten up someone's day.”
Meanwhile, it was reported that the Stansell family’s efforts to save Eli went in vain as he was also declared dead on Monday. According to reports, the Anderson High School sophomore was fatally hit by a vehicle, believed to be a Honda Civic. People with any information related to the case can contact the sheriff’s Traffic Safety Unit at 513-825-1500.