Hamlin's collapse spurs discussion on football safety guidelines in Valley schools
A Valley athletic coordinator reacted to watching Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin collapse during Monday night's NFL game against the Cincinnati Bengals, he explains the emergency procedures school districts statewide must follow.
"You never wanna see anything like that happen," PSJA Athletic Coordinator Jeff Darr said. "You have a very short window of time to get an AED on them to save a life."
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PSJA ISD officials say they are required by state law to be trained every two years in CPR and on how to use a defibrillator. Both of these techniques can help get blood flowing again and possibly save someone's life.
One Valley trauma hospital administrator says cardiac arrest by an impact is rare.
"The simplest way to explain that is that it was literally a hard hit in the perfect spot," DHR-Health EMS Director Daniel Tuttle said.
Which could cause the heart to beat off rhythm or not at all.
"Every minute that goes by without having an AED reduces the chances of survival blood by about 10%," Darr said.