Teen waitress performs CPR on customer during medical emergency

Teen waitress does CPR on customer during health emergency

Sophia Vitale works at the National Coney Island on Hall Road in Macomb Township and when she saw a customer in distress - she jumped into action.

MACOMB TOWNSHIP, Mich. (FOX 2) - Normally, servers like Sophia Vitale dish out coney dogs but on Thursday, July 7th, she may have saved a life.

Vitale works at the National Coney Island on Hall Road in Macomb Township and when she saw a customer in distress - she jumped into action.

"The customer was on the passenger side, there was drool hanging from the mouth, he was blue and very pale," she said.

It was an obvious medical emergency for an 80-year-old customer in the drive-through.

"We had a customer get him out, unbuckle him, and get them out," she said.

Vitale says she then started chest compressions.

"You take this part of your hand, and you put it on the chest and you just pump," she said.

FOX 2: "Did you teach Sophia all the stuff?"

"I did," said her mother, Kim, who is a registered nurse. She says they did practice at home.

"Wow. Proud. Scared for her. I mean that's a big thing," Kim said. "She kind of blew it off like it's not a big thing - but it is a big thing."

"I really just didn't think, I knew the time was limited," Sophia said. "And the more time I was wasting not doing it, it was more time that he wouldn't survive."

The ambulance came right away, thanked Sophia for doing CPR, and took the customer to the hospital.

"At 15 years old to have that on your resume is kind of special," said Jeff Vitale, her father.

The customer was not a regular, and despite efforts to find him, they couldn't. We don't know his condition.

"When she came inside right afterwards, she ran to the back and gave me a hug and said 'I could've saved him,' and I couldn't stop myself from crying," said co-worker Jovan Dedvukaj.