Man saved by first responders during Baltimore Orioles game
BALTIMORE -- The heroic efforts made by Baltimore's first responders saved a man's life during an Orioles baseball game.
A man went into cardiac arrest during Wednesday night's game.
"It's very crowded in the stadium at that point and time," Paramedic Bridget Richards said. "Everybody is trying to get to their seats. There is a large crowd and people bumping into each other, and because he did have an aid there, it did benefit him."
Richards said the man was terrified.
"He was trying to reach his throat to show the universal sign that he was choking," she said.
Bystanders jumped into action before help arrived. They assisted him during the singing of the national anthem.
"The Heimlich maneuver is the fastest and easiest way for any bystander to assist with a patient who is choking," Richards said. "So, by doing that quick intervention, they were able to get the airwave open, which allowed the patient to start to breathe. But unfortunately, by that time he already started to go into cardiac arrest."
Paramedic Antoine Spencer says CPR was performed using a LUCAS Device, which was designed to apply compressions.
"Luckily, we were downtown when everything happened," Spencer said. "So, we were there in like a minute and a half."
An ambulance took the man to the University of Maryland Medical Center. He is expected to be OK.