Salt Lake woman says co-workers saved her husband's life

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) – Nicole Bingaman said it’s a miracle her husband is alive after co-workers saved his life.

Bingaman is still reeling from almost losing her husband Nathaniel.

A co-worker found the Sears manager slumped over in his chair at work on Thursday at the downtown Salt Lake City store.

Bingaman said the employee put her hand on Nathaniel’s shoulder to wake him. His head rolled back and the employee ran for help.

Nathaniel’s heart had stopped beating.

Quick thinking co-workers grabbed a defibrillator from the Sears dentist office and shocked his heart three times before medics arrived.

Bingaman got a call to go to the hospital.

“At that time I kind of started having my meltdown not knowing if I was going to a husband who was alive or if I was there to identify a body,” she said. “That was my biggest worry.”

Nathaniel spent two days in a coma. Bingaman said she and Nathaniel had been sick since the end of December. She said he had recently lost the appetite to eat.

Doctors think Nathaniel’s cough turned into pneumonia and said his electrolytes were extremely low.

“All of that combined can stop the heart,” Bingaman said.

Nathaniel’s heart is beating strong again. Bingaman considers her husband’s co-workers heroes for knowing how to perform CPR and shock his heart.

“It’s not everyday that you walk into a store and people know those kinds of things or let alone have a defibrillator,” she said.

Bingaman can’t thank everyone enough who played a part in saving her husband’s life.

As of Sunday, Nathaniel remained in the hospital continuing his recovery.