Teammates Rescued Quake Soccer Player From Lake Tahoe
RENO (AP) -- A San Jose Earthquakes midfielder has emerged from a coma after being pulled from the waters of Lake Tahoe over the holiday weekend, authorities said.
The team said 20-year-old Matheus Silva had awoken and will undergo additional testing. He was playing this season on loan from the Quakes to Reno 1868 FC, which is part of the United Soccer League.
Silva -- a native of Brazil -- struggled while swimming at a Fourth of July gathering. He was pulled from the water by teammates and bystanders but was unresponsive and did not have a pulse.
He was taken to Barton Memorial Hospital in South Lake Tahoe before he was airlifted to Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno, where he was joined by members of his family and Earthquakes general manager Jesse Fioranelli.
"The entire Earthquakes organization is grateful for the invaluable effort by the doctors, players and staff at Reno 1868 FC and bystanders on the beach that contributed to Matheus being alive and well today," Fioranelli said.
Authorities said Matheus likely suffered from cold-water shock when he dove into the lake.
Fire Marshal Eric Guevin from the Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District said Silva was swimming with teammates about 6:30 a.m. Tuesday when he cried for help and then went underwater.
By the time emergency crews reached him off the public beach near the Zephyr Cove Resort, his teammates and another bystander on a paddle board had rescued him and started CPR efforts.
The fire marshal said swimmers regularly drown each year in the famed lake from cold water shock syndrome, which cramps up muscles.
The surface water temperature hovers around the mid-50s this time of year.
