Officer jumps into action to help pregnant woman suffering cardiac arrest behind the wheel

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A Philadelphia police officer didn't miss a beat when a frantic husband flagged him down to help his wife, who had suddenly gone into cardiac arrest behind the wheel.

On the side of a busy South Philadelphia intersection, Officer Dennis Smith went to work trying to save two lives: Mark Kauffman's wife, Sarah, and their unborn daughter.

"She was always healthy, and the last thing on my mind was anything like this," said Mark Kauffman.

Kauffman has been at the hospital bedside of his wife Sarah and newborn daughter, Ellie. He says she had a heart attack while stopped at a traffic light at 26th and Penrose Avenue.

"All of a sudden my wife grabbed my leg and said, 'Mark.' Frantically, I looked over, 'I'm like are you ok?'" Kauffman recalls.

"And she let go of the wheel and her eyes rolled back, and she started foaming at the mouth," said Kauffman.

Kauffman, an Army veteran, says he suddenly went into fight or flight mode.

"As I got in the driver seat, something just kept telling me, 'Look up.' And then I saw Officer Smith parked right there," Kauffman says.

"He was frantic. 'My wife, my wife collapsed. She's not breathing,'" recalled Officer Smith of the incident. "We pulled her out of the car."

Smith was working a traffic detail at the intersection and immediately jumped into action.

"I was able to get down and do the compressions," he says.

For Officer Smith this was personal.

"I lost my wife a year ago," he says.

His wife - also a Philadelphia police officer - was found unresponsive in her patrol car after suffering a medical emergency.

"She was a guardian angel that day," says Smith.

Minutes later, medics arrived and rushed Sarah to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

Kauffman says she suffered so much brain damage, that she's now been moved to comfort care, while their newborn, Ellie, continues to make strides each day.

"She still has a tube in, and it's on a setting that it only runs on if she stops breathing, which hasn't happened yet," said Kauffman. "It makes me feel hopeful because she's doing things that they said she wouldn't do. It's looking positive."

Action News was there as the pair met face-to-face for the first time since the life-saving ordeal.

"I appreciate you so much you have no idea," said Kauffman as the pair hugged.

"I was just happy to be at the right place at the right time," said Officer Smith.

"Even though the situation with my wife isn't looking too good, I got this extra time with her and that's thanks to you," said Kauffman.

A powerful reunion and a bond for life.

Kauffman also hopes this calls attention to the risks of heart attacks in pregnant women and the signs to look out for.

The CDC has more information to be aware of: https://www.cdc.gov/hearher/maternal-warning-signs/index.html

To help the Kauffmans click here.