New York subway worker saves electrocuted colleague by doing CPR to 'Stayin' Alive'

David Martinez read an article in The Washington Post a few months ago. It was about a type of CPR called hands-only. People are told to do chest compressions to the beat of the Bee Gees hit "Stayin' Alive."

Luckily, Martinez, who works for the New York City subway system, remembered what he read when one of his co-workers got electrocuted on Friday.

Martinez explained to As It Happens host Carol Off how he came to the aid of his fellow employee on the tracks. Here is an edited version of their conversation.

Carol Off: At what point did you realize that your colleague, Monique Brathwaite, had been hurt?

David Martinez: My [other] colleague was calling the control centre to turn the power off. He was desperate.

CO: And why was he doing that?

I saw smoke coming out of her body and that's when I said, 'Oh my. That's not a good sign.'- David Martinez, New York City transit worker

DM: He was the one who was walking with her at the moment when she tripped and fell into the third rail ... When I approached him, I only saw him standing up and I don't see Ms. Brathwaite. That's when my heart started pumping and I started sweating because I was expecting the worst.

CO: When you could see her lying on the ground by the third rail, can you describe what you saw?

DM: She wasn't moving at all. I saw smoke coming out of her body and that's when I said, 'Oh my. That's not a good sign.'

CO: Did you think that she had not survived?

I said, 'Keep your eyes open! Keep your eyes open! You're going to be OK! You're going to stay alive!'- David Martinez

DM: At that moment, I said, 'No, she's dead.' . . . Then I thought about her children and I said, 'Oh my God. It can't be. It can't be.' So I moved really close to her and I saw a little movement ... So [we] pulled her away from the third rail.

CO: What did you do?

DM: She wasn't moving at all, with her eyes closed, and at that moment, I just jumped in and started doing CPR.

CO: How did you know what to do?

DM: I'm a political junkie. I like to read political things. So around July [The Washington Post] posted an article describing the new guidelines to perform CPR and they had a video that said the easy way to do it was to use the rhythm of 'Stayin' Alive.'

CO: How did she respond to that?

DM: She started to converse and then she tried to open her eyes. And I said, 'Keep your eyes open! Keep your eyes open! You're going to be OK! You're going to stay alive!'

CO: How along until rescue workers arrived on the scene?

DM: It was around 15 minutes ... I was really happy when they came and took control.

CO: But you kept her alive until they got there. And that was simply because you are a news junkie and read this article about CPR and the Bee Gees.

DM: Yes, I really like that song because when it came out I used to listen to it in the Dominican Republic and sing the song, though I didn't know what the song meant because I didn't know English at that time.

CO: You've been to the hospital. How is Monique doing?

DM: She's doing really good. She's healing. She was really glad to see me.

For more on this story, listen to our full interview with David Martinez.