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Hornell, N.Y. (WETM) – Life is unpredictable.

The power of CPR can sometimes be the determining factor of whether someone lives or dies.

After Randy Young was in a four wheeler accident, he was nearly saved by his neighbor, who performed CPR until EMTs arrived on the scene.

18 news spoke with a training center coordinator from Guthrie Robert Packer Hospital in Sayre, about how to perform CPR when it is necessary.

One former EMT says learning something simple like CPR can help save someone’s life.

“It’s empowering, if you know that you can help somebody and even when you do it you question yourself like am I doing this right as long as you do something you feel like yes I did something an didn’t just stand there doing nothing,” said Bethany Altieri,

According to the gofundme posted by Young’s family, if it weren’t for the quick actions of Young’s neighbors, by performing CPR things could have been a lot worse.

“If you don’t start CPR within 5 minutes of that heart stopping, the brain becomes over 50 percent. In 6 minutes you may not be able to save them at all, so it’s very important that people start this immediately as soon as they recognize the issue–really if you are compressing on that chest you get the air movement that you need and you’re circulating the blood that’s all you need to do,” said Altieri.

In just a few, simple steps you can learn CPR:

  1. Make sure that you’re safe and the scene is safe. Make sure that no one is injured. If the scene is not safe you need to leave and call 911. If the scene is safe, make sure the person is not just sleeping.
  2. Tap and shout, if they don’t respond you need to call 911. If you don’t see any breathing and no proof of life, start your chest compressions.
  3. Continue with those compressions at a beat of 100 to 120 per minute for as long as you need to do them.