Sheriff Honors 16-Year-Old Girl Who Saved Man's Life

The McHenry County Sheriff's Office honored a 16-year-old girl for saving a man's life by administering CPR and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. 

Megan R. Ringel, of Wauconda, received the Citizen's Lifesaving Award during a presentation Wednesday afternoon. 

The award is the highest honor a citizen can receive from the Sheriff’s Office, and Ringel is the youngest recipient, according to a McHenry County Sheriff's Office news release. 

The award stems from action Ringel took on Aug. 16 around 9:20 p.m when visiting a friend in the 5000 block of Wildwood Drive in McHenry. 

When Ringel arrived, she heard people yelling for help. She ran over to find a 34-year-old man, who has a history of seizures, not breathing. Ringel sprang into action and began performing CPR, the release states.

Ringel gave the victim chest compressions, repositioned the victim’s head to open the airway, and gave three rescue breaths. The victim began what appeared to be choking. Rescue personnel arrived and transported the victim for medical treatment.

Because of Megan’s quick thinking and life saving actions, the man survived. 

Ringel had been trained in CPR in Girl Scouts and in the township’s babysitting class. Most recently, Megan also participated in CPR training in her health class at Wauconda High School.