OnStar Advisor Peggy Van Huss

My most unusual call ended up being not at all what it started out as.

A subscriber had called because she saw a man lying by the side of the road, not moving. It was a foggy day, and from a distance she thought it was an animal, but as she got closer she saw that it was a man. And she was certain he was deceased. The woman was so shaken and distraught by what she saw, she had to pull into the first drive she found.

After emergency responders were notified, my job was to ask the woman if she would check the man’s vital signs. But then the call took a totally different turn.

The police arrived almost immediately and discovered that the man was alive and well. Apparently he had been walking quite far and as a result got cramps in his legs, so he decided to lie down next to the road.

The woman was so stunned when the man suddenly sat up that it was like a double shock to her system. She became pretty emotional over the whole incident and started crying. I knew she was in no condition to drive, so I stayed on the line with her, calming her down and assuring her that she had done the right thing by being a Good Samaritan and pushing the OnStar button. And I told her and that she possibly had saved the man’s life because in the foggy conditions, a car could easily have hit him as he was lying by the roadside.

I asked if there was someone I could contact for her, but after about 15 minutes, she started to feel better. I knew she just needed some empathy and support and I was happy to be there for her.

We do get some unusual calls and I have to say this one was right up there. But we’re here to help people in all sorts of situations. No call is routine and no two calls are the same. I love knowing that I’m making a difference in someone’s life, and I can’t imagine doing anything else.

Good Samaritan calls make up a good portion of the calls OnStar takes. Have you ever taken action as a bystander? Tell us about it in the comments below.

In the early morning hours one day in late October, my husband and I had an accident in our 2011 Buick Enclave. We hit a pole and then flipped end over end, landing upside down.

OnStar was on the line immediately. They contacted emergency personnel, and called our son, patching him through to us so that we could talk to him and reassure him that we were OK. The OnStar Advisor was calm and very helpful and remained on the line until emergency personnel arrived even though there were people on the scene helping us out of the vehicle.

Neither of us was seriously injured, but our car was totaled. We purchased another Enclave because of how it had protected us. We will definitely be continuing our coverage with OnStar. Our son told us he was very relieved to actually talk with us after receiving the call from OnStar. We would not have been able to contact him as our cell phones were lost in the car at the time of the crash.

I have done nothing but praise OnStar since the accident. I believe they were on the line before we stopped moving, or should I say sliding on the roof of the Enclave.

— Janice Rector, OnStar subscriber

Have your own OnStar experience? Share your story.

I was the second Advisor on the EMD (Emergency Medical Dispatch) call. That means that while the Advisor who answers the call is contacting first responders and updating them about the condition of those in need, I’m asking the caller a series of questions to better assess the situation and provide interim help until the first responders arrive at the scene.

This one really affected me because it was a new mother frantically calling for help because her 3-month-old baby was having trouble breathing. Then to make the situation even more critical, the baby stopped breathing during the call. You always want to do the best you can on every call that comes in, but I couldn’t stop thinking of how helpless that mother felt. A 3-month-old baby is just so tiny. I’m a mom myself and my adrenaline really kicked in on that one.

I was giving CPR instructions over the phone and the mother was relaying them to someone else who was performing CPR on the infant outside the car. Early on, something the mother said made me realize the person doing CPR was using their entire hand. I quickly told her to tell the person that only the first two fingers should be used to perform compressions on an infant.

Soon after, first responders arrived and took the baby to the hospital. The young mom thanked me before she rushed off, and I wished her and her baby well. I was as calm as could be during the call, doing everything I could to help that mother and baby, but after I hung up, I had to stop and take a break. Most calls, I can let go. But this one was really hard. I have three kids of my own and I just kept thinking of that helpless baby and that desperate mother.

We don’t get any follow-up after a call so I don’t know what happened to the baby. But that’s part of the job. There’s always another call, another person who needs our help, and it gives me a good feeling to be able to provide that help. What I do is very fulfilling because when I go home, I know I’ve helped someone that day. I really love my job.

Not everyone knows how to do CPR, especially on an infant. How prepared are you for an emergency? Tell us in the comments below.

If you’re an OnStar devotee, here’s your chance to prove it.

Who are OnStar’s biggest fans? It might be someone who:

• maintains OnStar subscriptions in multiple vehicles

• purchased OnStar FMV mirrors for loved ones

• is a longtime OnStar subscriber

• touts OnStar to friends and family

• has needed OnStar emergency services

• often locks their keys in their car

• hasn’t pushed their OnStar button yet, but wouldn’t think about driving anywhere without it.

Tell us why you’re one of OnStar’s biggest fans in the comments below!