DoorDash driver saves customer's life during pizza delivery


In an instant, Sophia Furtado went from delivering a pizza to saving a life.
On Feb. 11, Caryn Hebert Sullivan decided to order a late-night pizza, and waited for the delivery outside of her home in West Island of Fairhaven, Massachusetts. Sullivan previously injured her knee, and as she stood outside, felt it give out on her; she dropped to the ground, hitting her head. "I just remember laying on my driveway thinking, 'This is pretty much over,'" Sullivan told CNN. "I was laying there and saw a lot of white clouds."
Furtado, a DoorDash driver, pulled up to Sullivan's house at 10 p.m., and when she saw an unresponsive Sullivan bleeding from her head, Furtado's previous emergency medical technician training kicked in. She yelled for help, and Sullivan's husband, Robert, who was asleep inside, heard her and called 911. Furtado stabilized Sullivan's neck to protect her spine, and didn't move until medics arrived.
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Sullivan was hospitalized for three weeks, and had two severe brain bleeds. She is still recovering, but was on hand to see her new friend Furtado receive a lifesaving award from the Fairhaven Police Department and a $1,000 educational grant from DoorDash. "I was not expecting it at all," Furtado said of the accolades. "I would've done that for anyone." Sullivan told CNN she is "so thankful" for Furtado, her lifesaving skills, and her friendship, adding, "She's my guardian angel."
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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