Will County Gazette

The Crest Hill City Council recognized two citizens for an act of heroism during its Dec. 29 meeting.

Crest Hill Mayor Ray Soliman said he had received a call from resident Nick Rodriguez, who asked him to honor his neighbor and friend who had saved his life on Oct. 19. Rodriguez was unable to attend the meeting due to his being ill.

Police Chief Ed Clark recounted the incident in question, explaining that Rodriguez was a COPD patient who had been struggling with his health. He passed out and fell to the ground, leading to Daniel Lindblad and Richard Onderisin coming to his aid. Lindblad administered CPR, which allowed Rodriguez to start breathing again, and Onderisin called 911 in the meantime to get medical support.

Both men were given plaques in honor of their heroism. Lindblad and Onderisin thanked the Council and said that they were just glad that they could help their neighbor in a time of need.

"Well, thank you, gentlemen," Soliman said. "I know that Nick is much better now, even though he's a little under the weather today, I know he's made a full recovery. And what I was told by him was that he was actually dead, and you brought him back to life. And I guess when the fire department came, they had to give the paddles to his chest. And I guess that happened one more time at the hospital from what he was telling me. So yeah, but I could tell you that he was told by the doctors that if you gentlemen had not jumped into action, he would not have made it. So thank you for everything that you did."