When a Customer Collapses in Your Parking Lot

Most workplace emergency planning pictures a coworker collapsing at a desk or on the shop floor. At a car dealership in East Rochester, New York, it was a customer, and it happened outside.

According to a WROC report published November 5, 2026, Hoselton Auto Mall employee Mike Parkhurst was delivering parts in August when he found customer Chris Scovielle lying on the pavement. He assumed it was a fall until he got closer. Coworker Ricky Almendinger drove by, called 911 and started chest compressions once they saw Scovielle was not breathing. Another employee brought out an AED, and Parkhurst used it to shock him. Scovielle woke up in intensive care, and he and his wife have since come back to thank the two men.

The rescue went smoothly for a reason. Almendinger is a former CPR instructor, and Parkhurst was trained on AEDs during more than 30 years as an EMT. Parkhurst said it felt like a training scenario.

What this means for your business

Most businesses cannot count on a former instructor and a veteran EMT being on the lot at the right moment. A few things make the same outcome more likely:

• Plan for customers and visitors, not just staff. Dealerships, clinics, gyms, salons and any office with a lobby see people every day who are not on the payroll.

• Include the parking lot. Make sure your AED can be carried outside and that staff know they are allowed to take it.

• Train enough people to cover every shift. Breaks, days off and turnover mean the one trained person will not always be there.

Full Code CPR teaches American Heart Association Heartsaver First Aid CPR AED and BLS on-site for teams across the Portland metro area. Request a group quote and we will email your pricing.

Source: WROC, “‘We were supposed to be there’: Hoselton employees save customer’s life with CPR,” November 5, 2026.