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Today seemed like a good day to start writing here again.
I saw someone drown today. It was awful.
We were walking on 89th street and a cop car almost runs us over getting to the beach entrance. We hear someone say "there's been a drowning," and we follow Mark (the EMT) onto the beach.
There's a huge crowd and someone is doing chest compressions. We get closer and I get one glimpse of him, foaming at the mouth and having someone pump violently on his chest. It's not a kid ('thank god' I think, but wondering what about him being a middle aged man makes it any better) Someone yells "Come on man! Come on!" His wife is sitting on the groud right next to this. People have their arms around her. She might be shaking. A life gaurd comes with a AED. They shock him and his body jumps. Still no pulse.
Once the paramedics got there, they told Mark he could go, so we all left. We didn't say anything walking to the car except to tell people they might not want to go down there with their little kids right then.
I think he died.
Earlier that day we were all swimming in the same exact spot as he was. We were getting pinched by 'sea fleas' so we left- in the nick of time apparently.
There happened to be an EMT and a doctor on the beach when they saw his body floating face down in the water. I'm going to get CPR certified at the first opportunity.
UPDATE: http://www.wvec.com/news/local/stories/090306cckrTopDrowning.63f0e7ed.html
I saw someone drown today. It was awful.
We were walking on 89th street and a cop car almost runs us over getting to the beach entrance. We hear someone say "there's been a drowning," and we follow Mark (the EMT) onto the beach.
There's a huge crowd and someone is doing chest compressions. We get closer and I get one glimpse of him, foaming at the mouth and having someone pump violently on his chest. It's not a kid ('thank god' I think, but wondering what about him being a middle aged man makes it any better) Someone yells "Come on man! Come on!" His wife is sitting on the groud right next to this. People have their arms around her. She might be shaking. A life gaurd comes with a AED. They shock him and his body jumps. Still no pulse.
Once the paramedics got there, they told Mark he could go, so we all left. We didn't say anything walking to the car except to tell people they might not want to go down there with their little kids right then.
I think he died.
Earlier that day we were all swimming in the same exact spot as he was. We were getting pinched by 'sea fleas' so we left- in the nick of time apparently.
There happened to be an EMT and a doctor on the beach when they saw his body floating face down in the water. I'm going to get CPR certified at the first opportunity.
UPDATE: http://www.wvec.com/news/local/stories/090306cckrTopDrowning.63f0e7ed.html