Learning CPR Helped a Police Officer Save a Woman’s Life
Learning CPR can save a life as it did when two police officers helped a woman injured in a Folsom car crash on January 20. Deputy Jaie Sacco was off duty from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department at around 10:45 a.m. when a Mazda passed him along East Natoma. He reported that the driver of the Mazda suddenly lost control, overcorrected and hydroplaned into oncoming traffic. At this point, the car was broadsided by an SUV.
Police Officers Save the Woman’s Life
The deputy ran over to the car and managed to open the driver’s door, but no one was inside. Looking around, he discovered a woman lying face down on the ground. He realized she was in bad shape and discovered she had no pulse. After learning CPR when he joined the force, he began to help the woman regain a pulse. Jennifer McCue, an officer with the Elk Grove Police Department also stopped to help. Sacco said Officer McCue stabilized the woman, while he continued performing CPR. In a few minutes, they detected a pulse. The woman was transported to a local hospital where she is recovering from her injuries. Sacco has served as a deputy for six years, while McCue is a 20-year veteran of the police department at Elk Grove.
California Requirements for Police Officers
Under California law, learning CPR is a requirement to be a police officer. There are many instances in which an officer has provided emergency care. They are required to take a minimum of 21 hours of first aid and CPR and an additional eight hours in refresher courses every two years. Over the years, police have rendered valuable service to the public by saving lives.
Spinout Accidents
Spinouts are common around Sacramento County when the pavement is wet, a situation referred to as hydroplaning. During hydroplaning, a vehicle’s wheels lose contact with the pavement and are riding on the water layer above the road. This results in a loss of control for the driver. A spinout can cause a vehicle to hit an immovable object such as a guardrail. It can also cause an accident with oncoming vehicles. In some vehicles, it can cause a rollover, resulting in serious injuries and the risk of traumatic brain injury. Rollovers can lead to crushed roof injuries caused by inadequate structural design. An experienced lawyer can investigate the crashworthiness of the vehicle to determine if the manufacturer is liable for any injuries. Tire defects can also be involved in a spinout accident. In such cases, the concept of crashworthiness can be invoked to build a case against the manufacturer.
Watch the American Heart Association’s video on how to do hands-only CPR:
How CPR Works
CPR restores blood circulation, so it is able to reach the brain and other organs. Although the blood may have sufficient oxygen, it must reach these vital organs until the injured person can be taken to a hospital. Without CPR, the person will become brain dead within three to four minutes. It gives the individual a fighting chance to survive.
The steps used in CPR are as follows:
- Check for responsiveness. If the person is conscious, CPR is not needed.
- Call 911. If there is only one person, then CPR should be performed first, depending on the circumstances. If there is a crowd standing around, yell for someone to call emergency responders.
- Place the person on their back.
- If you are unsure of doing CPR, do hands-only CPR. The American Heart Association has said that hands-only CPR works as well as conventional CPR. The important thing is to do some form of CPR.
- Begin compressions on the area between the person’s breasts. Put one hand on top of the other, and start pressing down firmly and quickly, aiming for 100 compressions per minute. The chest should depress about two inches with each compression. For children between the ages of two and eight, only one-handed chest compression may be needed.
- If you are confident of doing conventional CPR, place the person on their back, check for foreign objects in their mouth or throat, and do 30 compressions.
- Tilt the person’s head back with one hand, and lift the chin gently with the other. This opens the airway.
- Check for breathing. If normal breathing is not present, proceed to the next step.
- Pinch the nostrils shut, and cover their mouth with yours.
- Give one full breath for about a second.
- Watch the person’s chest to see if it rises. Give another breath if it does.
- If the chest does not rise, do the head tilt/chin lift procedure again.
- 30 compressions and two breaths are considered one CPR cycle.
- Use gentler breaths if the person is a child between two and eight.
- Repeat cycles as needed until rescue personnel arrive.
Folsom Car Accident Lawyer
I’m Ed Smith, a Folsom car accident lawyer. Learning CPR is a valuable tool for all police and fire rescue personnel. It helps them keep an injured person alive until they reach a hospital. If you have been injured or a family member died due to a car crash, you need the insight an injury lawyer can provide. Call me at (916) 921-6400 for free and friendly advice. I can also be reached at (800) 404-5400 or online.
I’ve been practicing personal injury law since 1982. In that time I’ve helped others receive the compensation they deserve in all kinds of car accidents, traumatic brain injuries, and wrongful death cases.
I belong to the Million Dollar Advocates, a forum that only allows trial attorneys who have won $1 million for a client. I am proud to say that I am a member of the National Association of Distinguished Counsel. This organization offers membership to those attorneys who are in the top one percent of lawyers who provide legal excellence in their practice.
If you would like more information about my practice, go to the following pages:
Photo Attribution: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_49wMpdews;
Ed Smith: Learning CPR Helped a Police Officer Save a Woman’s Life
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