CPR Saves C. Milton Basketball Player's Life After Collapse
A 17-year-old student collapsed at a basketball game Thursday night.
A C. Milton Wright girls basketball player collapsed on the sidelines during a game Thursday evening, but was successfully revived by fast-acting staff and law enforcement.
Around 7:17 p.m. Thursday, the 17-year-old girl stopped breathing and was without a pulse, according to Edward Hopkins, spokesman for the Harford County Sheriff's Office.
"It was initially reported that the victim may have fallen backwards off a chair and it was believed she may have suffered a head injury," Hopkins wrote in an email to Patch.
A sheriff's deputy on detail for the game noticed the team, coach and girl's mother huddled at one end of the gym and rushed over, noting it looked the girl was having a seizure, Hopkins said.
Someone began CPR and a Maryland State Police trooper sent someone else to retrieve the Automatic External Defibrillator, or AED, and shocked the girl three times before the Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company arrived. The trooper told EMS personnel he had briefly got a pulse before it again dissipated, according to a post on the Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company's Facebook page.
The girl was once again shocked with the AED, medics continued CPR and transported her to Upper Chesapeake Medical Center in Bel Air for treatment. On the way to the hospital, the 12th grade student showed signs of a strong pulse and started to breathe on her own. By the time they arrived at Upper Chesapeake, the 17-year-old was talking and answering simple questions, the post states.
"This is a textbook example of why knowing proper CPR and the use of an AED is so very vital to survival from a sudden cardiac arrest," the post states.
RW Willy
8:36 pm on Friday, January 4, 2013
Great response by all during a terrible. Thanks to the training a tragedy was averted. Prayers to the girl and her loved ones.
Hazzard Native
12:59 am on Saturday, January 5, 2013
Everyone in this country should be taught CPR and AED use.
MaR
8:26 am on Saturday, January 5, 2013
Where was Officer Mitchell when we needed him!? Great to know that our law enforcers are also sometimes truly our life protectors too. Harford County's finest to the rescue. Good Job!
Erinn
8:40 am on Saturday, January 5, 2013
The family is truly blessed and grateful for the quick thinking by the coach and all involved. There will be a long road to recovery for this young girl. She is in a great hospital in Baltimore now with the best care possible. Continue praying for her and her family as I am.
Robin Epstein
10:22 am on Saturday, January 5, 2013
I hope she makes a full recovery. Great job by all who helped. This should be a wake up call for all area schools and for all sports. I am not sure we would have had the same outcome from other schools who do not have the training in force. This could happen on the football or soccer field as well where there is no emergency equiptment. From my experience, there is never even an ice pack and you're lucky if they have a bandaid or a paper towel. Prayers go out to this young girl and family.
John Wayne
11:37 am on Saturday, January 5, 2013
There is an AED at every sporting event in Harford County whether inside or outside.
Dawn
11:33 am on Saturday, January 5, 2013
Finally a story with a happy ending :)
Otto Schmidlap
12:59 pm on Saturday, January 5, 2013
Thanks be to God.
terry haggerty
7:50 pm on Sunday, January 6, 2013
Special Thanks to CMW head coach Marvin Evans for his quick response and giving the young lady CPR! Our prayers are with the entire family!