Citizens honored for helping save man who collapsed while jogging

Chris Willoughby and Matt Baughman were jogging along Elmwood Drive in the Burgundy Village neighborhood in September when Willoughby went into cardiac arrest, lost consciousness and collapsed in the street.

Baughman, an Army veteran, immediately initiated CPR and a passerby, Claudia Randolph, called 911. First responders from the Penn Daw fire station arrived within minutes, and against all odds, Willoughby survived.

For their efforts, Baughman and Randolph were awarded the Fairfax Fire and Rescue Department’s Citizens Life Saving Award earlier this month at the Penn Daw firehouse. Willoughby was also in attendance, personally thanking the first reponders who helped save his life.

At the ceremony Lt. Jon Stern, who was with the first unit to arrive on the scene that evening, recounted seeing Willoughby unconscious and lying the street when his truck rolled up. Stern said such calls are common for the Penn Daw station, which is the busiest in the county.

Most of the time, however, there is a different outcome.

“We run cardiac arrests weekly,” Lt. Jon Stern said, praising the quick actions of Baughman and Randolph. “Most of the time, the outcome is not successful. This was a miracle, honestly.”