A traveler is alive today because Arthur and Roselyn Anderson chose to go into an Albert Lea restaurant instead of its drive-through.

Saturday, October 02, 1999

A traveler is alive today because Arthur and Roselyn Anderson chose to go into an Albert Lea restaurant instead of its drive-through.

The Andersons, of Albert Lea, were headed to the Minnesota Renaissance Festival Sept. 25 when they decided to stop Burger King for breakfast.

They were just leaving the restaurant at about 9:30 a.m. when a man came running in from the parking lot, yelling, &uot;Help me! Help me!&uot;

&uot;I couldn’t believe all the blood,&uot; Roselyn Anderson said. &uot;He was lucky he even made it inside.&uot;

The 29-year-old man had slit his wrist with a razor blade.

Arthur Anderson immediately grabbed the man’s arm and began applying pressure to the wound. He called for a towel and told someone to call 9-1-1.

The ambulance crew, along with Albert Lea Police Officers Don Richter, Rodney Davis and Lt. Glen Larson, arrived at the same time and found a heavy trail of blood as well as several pools of blood on the floor.

&uot;They had to cut off his sweatshirt and T-shirt,&uot; Arthur Anderson said of the man, adding all the while he kept applying pressure. &uot;Finally someone else took over.&uot;

Because of the health risks involved, Anderson was told to go wash his hands twice, then report to the ambulance where attendants put a disinfectant on his hands. He also had had to report to the hospital to be tested.

&uot;I’ve been told everything is good,&uot; he said.

The Andersons never did make it to the Renaissance Festival that day. They told their daughter about the incident and opted instead to watch their grandson play football.

Anderson received a special letter of commendation from the Albert Lea Police Department.

Larson wrote, &uot;Your quick action saved the victim’s life. There is no question from the severity of the wound that this subject would have bled to death before the police and ambulance arrived if you had not taken the action you did. You are to be commended for your quick thinking and for putting your own safety aside to save the life of another person.

&uot;As a police officer representing the city of Albert Lea, I take pride in the fact that there are citizens, such as yourself, willing to help in a time of crisis.&uot;

Said Anderson, &uot;It was purely instinct. I didn’t think of anything except trying to save his life.&uot;

The incident is something Anderson has thought a lot about in the past week, and he wonders how the man is doing.

&uot;There are so many questions,&uot; he said. &uot;My minister told me, ‘You were supposed to be there.’&uot;

There were only two other couples in the restaurant when the man came in, Anderson said. He said he was surprised that no one else made a move to help, and that others who came into the restaurant didn’t stop to help. In fact, one man walked right through the blood.

&uot;You don’t realize something like this can happen in Albert Lea,&uot; Roselyn Anderson said.