DEATH VALLEY, CA - Visitors, park rangers, and Mercy Air combined efforts to successfully save a man’s life after an apparent cardiac emergency in Death Valley National Park.
A 77-year-old man from Singapore collapsed at Zabriskie Point on September 19. Fortunately, a bystander at the popular viewpoint was a vacationing medical provider, who with the assistance of other bystanders quickly started cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) after determining the man had no pulse and was not breathing. National Park Service rangers received notification from a 911 call and were on location within 10 minutes.
Upon arrival park rangers deployed an automatic external defibrillator (AED) to apply electric simulation to the man’s heart. After defibrillation and more than 10 minutes of CPR the man’s pulse returned and he was able to speak.
He was transported by park ambulance to a landing zone and taken to a Las Vegas area hospital by Mercy Air helicopter.
Death Valley National Park’s Chief Ranger, Rob Wissinger, said, “This incident is a great reminder of how the links in the chain of survival starts with bystander CPR and continues all the way to definitive care. This is something that we train for with our partners and it is great to see these links come together to provide the best possible service to someone in need."
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
