Woman brought back to life after bizarre drive-thru accident

A Vancouver Island woman who was brought back to life after a bizarre accident at a McDonald's drive-thru last month is thankful to those who saved her life.

The accident occurred when Lee-Ann Sami pulled up to the window to pay for her meal at a McDonalds in Courtenay, B.C., on Nov. 11.

The 34-year-old mother of four dropped some of her money on the ground and as she opened her van door to pick it up, her foot slipped off the brake pedal and the vehicle lurched forward, pinning Sami's body and head against the restaurant's outside wall.

Sami was knocked unconscious — she was not breathing and had no pulse. It was 12 minutes before firefighters arrived and were able to free her.

'To see her walk in here is amazing. It's a huge relief.' —Courtenay Fire Department Lt. Ed Harrison

From the beginning her chances of surviving seemed slim, but the firefighters who were first on the scene didn't give up on her, performing CPR in the ambulance enroute to the hospital.

"Right away when they got to me I was without vitals ... for 20 minutes," Sami told CHEK News. 

"I don't know what the recommendation is for how long to do CPR, but I know 20 minutes is a long time and I'm just very grateful that they didn't give up."

She was revived at the hospital and she was eventually airlifted to a hospital in Victoria where she underwent a miraculous recovery.

Six weeks later Sami can't remember the accident, but said she knows she wouldn't be alive today without the first responders.

So on Friday she dropped by the Courtenay Fire Hall to thank the men who she credits for saving her life.

"It feels incredible and emotional, I'm just really grateful," she told the firefighters.

Lt. Ed Harrison said everyone at the station was amazed by her recovery. 

"To see her walk in here is amazing. It's a huge relief. My heart goes out to her family. It's good. It's what we do," said Harrison.