A Lady Lake police officer has been honored for saving a man’s life.
Officer Matthew Duryea at 6:50 p.m. Feb. 11 responded to a home in the 600 block of Third Avenue where a man was having a severe medical episode, unresponsive and not breathing.
Duryea arrived on the scene, found the man in distress and saw that he was not breathing, had no pulse and his airway was obstructed with blood.
The officer cleared the man’s airway and began administrating CPR while awaiting the arrival of EMS.
“Officer Duryea’s quick action resulted in the man’s breathing and pulse to resume at which time he was transported to The Villages Regional Hospital and admitted to ICU,” said Chief of Police Chris McKinstry.
The chief added that Duryea’s actions “are a vivid illustration of how we want our police officers to respond to persons in distress.”
Duryea was presented with the Lady Lake Police Department Life Saving Award on Monday night in front of the Lady Lake Commission.
Duryea joined the Lady Lake Police Department in 2014. He spent 11 years as a chef before making a career change and becoming a law enforcement officer.
