Local veterinarian Marvin Prentice crashed his car into the center divider of U.S. Highway 101 after suffering a cardiac arrest early Tuesday morning. Prentice was driving just north of Storke Road when the accident occurred.

Construction workers at a railroad adjacent to the freeway where the collision occurred assisted Prentice from his car and attempted to resuscitate him.

When CHP officer and trained emergency medical technician Steve Koenig arrived on the scene, he assessed Prentice’s condition and realized his breathing had stopped.

Koenig and Officer David King, another EMT, administered CPR until the arrival of the first medical and fire personnel.

A defibrillator was used to resuscitate Prentice in the ambulance en route to the Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital.

“When I called the hospital they told me that the civilian personnel were instrumental in saving Dr. Prentice’s life,” CHP Public Affairs Officer Mike De Silva said. “All of those involved played an intricate part in saving his life.”

Prentice is currently in the critical care unit at the hospital and is listed in stable condition.

-Nexus Staff Report