Dartmouth cardiologist honored for I-89 rescue

LEBANON, N.H (WCAX) - A doctor at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center was honored Thursday for her actions outside the hospital that saved the life of a local man.

Sixty-nine-year-old Terry Dion was driving on Interstate 89 in Lebanon back in February when he went into cardiac arrest. The Enfield man lost control of his vehicle and went off the highway.

Luckily, Thara Ali, a cardiology fellow at DHMC was driving nearby and stopped to help first responders give life-saving CPR. Ali was honored for that action Thursday at the hospital.

“Really, the only things I had were my two hands and my knowledge of how to do chest compressions, and that is enough,” Ali said.

“My message to her is thank you so much and thank you for being there at that particular time. It’s just a miracle. She is an angel,” Dion said.

Lebanon Police Ofc. Eric Hunter was also honored during the ceremony for his role in the emergency response.

It’s estimated that about 350,000 Americans suffer cardiac arrest outside a hospital every year.

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