Heroic actions: Butte teen credited with saving accident victim’s life

By Justin Post of The Montana Standard - 09/09/2007

Marcus Schonsberg, 16, stands next to his Honda 230 motorcycle at his family’s home in Butte last week. Schonsberg was the first one on the scene of his friend’s motorcycle accident last month near the Blaine Community Center. Lisa Kunkel / The Montana Standard

To listen to the police calls, click the links below (Requires Microsoft Media Player. To download player, visit the following link: http://www.mtstandard.com/policecalls/mercomdvrcodec.zip)

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http://www.mtstandard.com/policecalls/august30645pm.wav

Dylan Dallaserra awoke last week and opened his eyes.

As family members stood around his hospital bed at St. James Healthcare, the Butte High School sophomore mumbled “where am I?”

They are small steps in a long recovery that family members said wouldn’t be possible without the help of a young man who they believe saved Dylan’s life.

Marcus Schonsberg, 16, was the first on scene minutes after his close friends Dylan and J.T. Sharkey

collided while riding dirt bikes

Aug. 30 on a dirt road

directly behind the Blaine Community Center in Walkerville.

“Marcus absolutely saved Dylan’s life,” said Dylan’s grandmother, Pat Erickson, who flew to Montana

following the accident.

While he’s being called a hero by Dylan’s family for his quick action at the accident scene, Marcus said he knows Dylan would have done the same for him.

“I just hope no one else has to go through it,” he said. “It was pretty scary. It’s a bad ordeal. I’m just really happy I was there. I’m really thankful.”

If Marcus hadn’t been in the area to call 911 and administer CPR, Erickson said her grandson could have died.

Marcus said he drove his pickup truck to meet friends at the Blaine, when he happened upon Dylan and J.T. Sharkey, who were riding dirt bikes together that afternoon.

At one point Dylan drove his 150cc dirt bike to Marcus’ truck and asked which direction J.T. had gone. Marcus told him and went back to a conversation with his friends as Dylan drove away.

Minutes later, several children on bicycles stopped at Marcus’ pickup and told him there had been an accident behind the school.

“They didn’t really think

anything of the wreck,” Marcus said. “They were laughing about

it actually.”

Marcus, the son of Lisa and Pete Schonsberg, drove behind the school and found his two friends unconscious on the ground with J.T.’s 230cc dirt bike still running.

After a quick survey of the scene, he focused his attention on Dylan, who was choking on blood and appeared to be seriously injured.

Marcus called 911 and moved Dylan’s head to allow the blood to drain from his mouth. Two friends with him at the scene had to walk away because they couldn’t

stomach the sight, he said.

Marcus’ frantic voice is heard on a recording of the second

911 call he made pleading for Dylan to “breathe, breathe, breathe!”

He then tells the dispatcher to “hurry, I think he stopped

breathing.”

Marcus never had CPR training, but administered chest

compressions at least three times while waiting for the ambulance. Dylan began breathing each time and coughed up blood, he said.

“It was just my instinct,” Marcus said.

At one point, he said a confused J.T. sat up and looked over at Marcus working to save his friend’s life.

“He had that ‘I’m going to lose my friend’ look on his face,” Marcus said.

J.T. has since returned to school and has his arm in a sling. Dylan remains hospitalized at St. James Healthcare where his condition recently was upgraded from

serious to stable condition.

He was taken off a ventilator Wednesday and is breathing on his own. A third surgery was planned Friday to repair a broken jawbone and the upper bridge of his nose, Erickson said.

Dylan underwent two previous surgeries for punctured and collapsed lungs and to remove a section of his skull because of brain swelling, she said.

Dylan’s family has thanked Marcus, hugged him and showered him with praise. But Erickson doubts he’ll ever know how he’s touched the family.

“There are no words to tell him what he did,” Erickson said.

Reporter Justin Post may be reached via e-mail at justin.post@lee.net or by telephone, 496-5572.