DoorDash driver saves unconscious customer’s life during delivery

FAIRHAVEN, Mass. (Gray News) - A DoorDash delivery driver rushed into action when she found her customer unconscious and bleeding on the ground outside her house. Police say she saved the woman’s life.

The Fairhaven Police Department honored Sophia Furtado with a Life Saving Award for “her courageous actions that directly resulted in a life saved” on April 20, according to a department Facebook post.

While working for DoorDash in February, Furtado found a woman, later identified as Caryn Sullivan, on the ground and alone outside a house she was delivering to around 10 p.m., CNN reports. Sullivan was unconscious and bleeding from her head, police say.

Sullivan told CNN that while waiting for her order, she fell and hit her head on the way down.

“I just remember laying on my driveway, thinking, ‘This is pretty much over,’” she said. “I was laying there and saw a lot of white clouds.”

But when Furtado arrived, she sprang into action. She had previously spent time training as an emergency medical technician, according to CNN.

After calling 911, police say Furtado wrapped a blanket around Sullivan’s head and applied direct pressure to the bleeding wound. She kept Sullivan stable and updated dispatchers on her condition.

When first responders arrived, Furtado continued helping until Sullivan was taken to the hospital.

Police say Sullivan went into emergency surgery at 2 a.m. for severe brain bleeds. Her doctor says if there had been any delay in her care, she would have died.

“Any first responder can tell you, what Sophia did that night was not something anyone would just do,” wrote police on Facebook. “She saved a life.”

Sullivan spent weeks in the hospital after the incident and months recovering. She credits Furtado with saving her life.

“I am so thankful for her. She’s my guardian angel,” Sullivan told CNN. “Thank God, she was there. If she wasn’t there, I’d be dead.”

DoorDash awarded Furtado a $1,000 educational grant. She hopes to use the money toward more EMT school, CNN reports.

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