Of all the potential deadly items in a typical household, a table would be far down the list, but one Turlock man’s drunken encounter with the piece of furniture nearly cost him his life.

The incident began Sunday evening when dispatch received an urgent call reporting an injured man. The caller said a family member was intoxicated and had punched a table.

The ill-advised action caused an injury to the man that quickly became serious when the bleeding would not stop.

Turlock Police officers responded urgently to the home. Officer Richard Fortado was the first to arrive at the scene and recognized the profusely bleeding injury to the arm needed immediate attention.

Fortado applied a tourniquet to the man’s arm and gave him medical aid until emergency medical technicians arrived and rushed him to Doctors Medical Center.

The medical staff at the hospital credited Fortado with saving the man’s life, stating he would have bled to death if not for the tourniquet.

“I am very proud of our officers everyday of every minute,” said Turlock Police Chief Nino Amirfar. “They respond to every call imaginable and we try and make sure we have provided all the training and equipment that helps them get the job done. Officer Fortado is a great example of how we put that training into practice with only minutes or seconds to make the right decision. He did exactly what was needed and saved a life.”