A teenager, who suffered a heart attack while swimming at a community pool in Arques France, is lucky to be alive thanks to the quick action of the lifeguard on duty.
A 14-year-old boy suffered a heart attack at the Arques community swimming pool and had to be pulled out of the water by a lifeguard, who thankfully brought him back to life.
The near tragic incident happened at around 3.30 pm on Wednesday, November 16 as a group of teenagers were taking a swimming lesson.
After finishing the session, the teens left the pool, however, the lifeguard noticed a body at the bottom.
He sprang into action and dived to the bottom of the water to collect the youngster.
Bringing him to the surface, the lifeguard noticed that the boy’s heart was no longer beating and began CPR while colleagues notified the emergency services.
A defibrillator was brought to the scene but was unable to restart the heart.
However, a few seconds after the arrival of the emergency services, the 25-year-old lifeguard’s heart massage was successful, as reported by lavoixdunord.fr.
The paramedics then took over and the 14-year-old was stabilised.
Mickaël Canler, deputy safety officer in Arques, dubbed the young lifeguard “a hero”.
“He was conscious, spoke without concern and recognised his mother who came to the scene,” said Canler.
The former medic added: “I can only congratulate the lifeguard. He did the job. Even if he is angry at himself for not having reacted more quickly.
“If the kid is still alive now, it’s thanks to him.”
The teen was taken to a hospital in France’s Helfaut before being airlifted to the Jeanne-de-Flandre hospital in Lille for further tests after what appeared to be a heart attack, the French news outlet noted.
Five Top Tweets:
These will follow…
Thanks for reading. Make sure to follow us on Twitter and Telegram.