Following a near drowning at a middle school pool in Edgewood, Maryland last Friday the actions of a coach, parent, and fellow teammate saved the life of a 16 year old swimmer.
According to a news release, a 911 call came in to the Harford County Emergency Operations Center reporting a non-breathing, 16-year old female swimmer. Once the firefighters arrived, they found the swimmer out of the pool awake and talking.
The crew was informed that the swimmer did not surface whilst participating in a swim-a-thon competition. A teammate assisted her to the surface of the water, where a parent removed her and the coach performed CPR.
It is believed that the swimmer suffered a shallow water blackout, which is a form of near-drowning. Shallow water blackouts occur when a person faints due to lack of oxygen brought on by holding your breath for a long period of time. Without intervention of the bystanders, the swimmer could have suffered extreme consequences including death.
“The actions of the bystanders to initiate CPR prior to the arrival of the JMVFC undoubtedly helped save the swimmer’s life,” stated the news release.
The American Heart Association says that survival following cardiac arrest depends on immediately receiving CPR– CPR can double or triple a person’s chance of survival if performed in the first few minutes of cardiac arrest.