Texas university professor suffers heart attack while teaching before students, Navy SEAL veteran save his life

University of North Texas at Dallas law professor Michael Maslanka suffered a heart attack while teaching, then survived after students quickly came to his aid. The incident highlights how their coordinated response, including CPR from a student with military medical training, helped save his life.

Maslanka, 73, collapsed during a lecture on 6 October after saying he might not be able to continue. Third-year student Matthew Melton, a Navy SEAL veteran who had taught CPR, performed three rounds of chest compressions and rescue breaths; another student prayed as classmates gathered. Maslanka was treated for ventricular tachycardia, spent 11 days in hospital and has since returned to teaching ethics and employment law.