Off-duty firefighter saves man's life after he crashes motorcycle on I-94

An off-duty firefighter was at the right place at the right time when she noticed a man crash his motorcycle in Chesterfield Township Tuesday and performed CPR until help arrived.

Fifty-six-year-old Jeffrey Collins was taking out his new motorcycle for the first time this season Tuesday afternoon. Around 3:30 p.m., he had made it just minutes from his home when he crashed on I-94 near New Haven Road.

Ryan Collins

The Chesterfield Township Public Safety Department says the cause is still under investigation and no other vehicles were involved.

"All my 22 years, my dad’s never been in a car accident ever, so this is very shocking for us," Collins' son Ryan said.

Ryan Collins

Jeffrey Collins laid lifeless after he crossed the median, but right behind him was an off-duty Rochester firefighter who just so happened to be in the area. Twenty-four-year-old Olivia Romano has only been with the Rochester Fire Department for eight months. Last Tuesday, her years of training kicked in.

“I was really taken back. I’ve never seen anything so severe before and I kind of was like I have to help," she said. "I just knew I had to do something.”

Romano didn't feel a pulse when she got to Jeffrey Collins but continued CPR and stayed with him until help arrived and she could feel a pulse.

Olivia Romano

"She's 100% a hero," Ryan Collins said.

Romano says she doesn't see herself as a hero. She said her training prepared her for this moment and she couldn't sit idle as she watched Jeffrey crash.

Jeffrey Collins is currently at McLaren Macomb Hospital with a concussion, a broken collarbone and broken ribs but is alive.

"It's kind of hard to thank somebody for saving your father's life... it’s just hard to put into words," Ryan Collins added.

WXYZ

Not only is Romano trained in CPR and a firefighter, but she has a second job as emergency room technician at Beaumont Outpatient Campus - Lenox. The Collins family says they are forever grateful for Romano's quick-thinking actions.

If you’d like to help the Jeffrey Collins as he recovers, the family has set up a GoFundMe page.