Alyssa Milano confirms uncle suffered heart attack at the wheel on L.A. freeway: ‘A terrifying and traumatic event’
Alyssa Milano came to the aid of her 63-year-old uncle, Mitchell J. Carp, when he fell ill while driving, leading them to be involved in a car accident on Tuesday morning. The actress and political activist spoke out about the "terrifying and traumatic" incident on Wednesday.
"Yesterday, my family suffered a terrifying and traumatic event. I was a passenger in a car my Uncle Mitch was driving when he suffered a serious heart attack, resulting in a car crash," Milano, 48, wrote on Twitter. "I am grateful to the people who stopped to help us."
She also thanked the first responders and front-line workers at UCLA Medical Center for the care "paid to him and to me."
Milano, who shares a son and daughter with husband David Bugliari, said her "Uncle Mitch is such an important part of our family. He’s with us every day, spending time with my children and present in every meaningful part of our lives. He’s still in the hospital, and we are unsure if he will recover."
She asked that her uncle and their family be afforded "the kindness of privacy as we move through this incredibly painful time."
Milano ended by asking people to "take this as your inspiration to get CPR certified. You don’t know when you’ll be called upon to save a life. The American Red Cross and many hospitals and other organizations offer regular classes. It’s such a small effort and can have a huge impact."
Her statement:
Yesterday, my family suffered a terrifying and traumatic event. I was a passenger in a car my Uncle Mitch was driving when he suffered a serious heart attack, resulting in a car crash. I am grateful to the people who stopped to help us. (1/5)
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) August 18, 2021
I’ll never be able to thank them enough for the care and attention they, along with the first responders, doctors, nurses, and staff at UCLA Medical Center paid to him and to me. (2/5)
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) August 18, 2021
I’ll never be able to thank them enough for the care and attention they, along with the first responders, doctors, nurses, and staff at UCLA Medical Center paid to him and to me. (2/5)
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) August 18, 2021
Uncle Mitch is such an important part of our family. He’s with us every day, spending time with my children and present in every meaningful part of our lives. He’s still in the hospital, and we are unsure if he will recover. (3/5)
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) August 18, 2021
I hope that you—and especially you in the media—will afford him and my family the kindness of privacy as we move through this incredibly painful time. (4/5)
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) August 18, 2021
Please, take this as your inspiration to get CPR certified. You don’t know when you’ll be called upon to save a life. The American Red Cross and many hospitals and other organizations offer regular classes. It’s such a small effort and can have a huge impact. (5/5)
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) August 18, 2021
Milano was traveling in the passenger seat of a 2020 Ford Edge SUV driven by Carp on the 405 freeway in Los Angeles when he started to have a heart attack and became unconscious.
A California Highway Patrol (CHP) press release stated the Ford drifted into a neighboring lane and hit a passing black SUV. Milano, who was uninjured, told authorities that "with the assistance of a good Samaritan," they were "able to bring the Ford to a stop" between lanes. The black SUV involved fled the scene.
CHP and West Los Angeles Area officers were notified of the accident at 9:49 a.m. PT.
TMZ had additional details, including that Milano reportedly stopped the moving car by reaching over her unconscious uncle and using her hand to push down on the brakes.
She also gave her uncle CPR until first responders arrived and took over.
