Price Check on CPR—Dollar General Employees Save the Day

In Wofford Heights, you might walk into Dollar General expecting to find snacks, cleaning supplies, or a good deal on laundry soap—but lifesaving CPR? That came free of charge last week when two store employees leapt into action to save 72-year-old Michael Maggard.

On what began as a normal shift, Shaun Chambers and Keith Dooley-Jordan turned into hometown heroes. When Maggard collapsed outside the store, they immediately began CPR and kept at it for over 40 minutes until paramedics arrived.

“They didn’t give up,” said Tawnya Torgl, owner of On Point Gym, who helped share the story. “One of them was even having an asthma attack while giving compressions, and still they kept going. That’s real grit.”

Maggard, a longtime smoker, was transported to Bakersfield with a heartbeat thanks to the employees’ tireless efforts. While doctors later determined he was brain-dead, his family says the act of kindness from two strangers made all the difference.

“It just touches my heart,” said Maggard’s sister. “They didn’t care what he looked like or that he’d been out doing yard work. All they knew was that he was somebody’s brother, and they weren’t going to stop trying.”

The Kern River Valley, with its aging population, has been buzzing about the quick thinking and compassion that turned two clerks into life-savers. Locals are even calling on Dollar General to officially recognize their heroics.

“Most people couldn’t just drop everything and dedicate nearly an hour to saving a stranger,” Torgl said. “That’s what makes this story so special—it’s about heart, not just CPR.”

In a valley known for rugged mountains and resilient people, Shaun and Keith have added a new kind of local legend: heroes with price scanners and CPR skills.

As Maggard’s sister summed it up: “They just kept pumping on him to save his life. That’s the heart of this community.”