Fullerton athlete collapses, is rushed to hospital

Fullerton College baseball player is in critical condition at St. Jude Medical Center after he collapsed in a student parking lot Monday.

The student, who's name has not been released, was treated by trainers for cardiac arrest before firefighters and paramedics made it to campus moments later.

Head athletic trainer Lisa Nelson was the first trained staff member to arrive at the scene after noticing a commotion as she was heading out of the parking lot.

"I saw some people running over there, looked back and saw someone laying on his back," Nelson said. "No one knew what was going on."

Nelson said the player was not breathing normally, so she checked his pulse.

When no pulse was found, Nelson said she went straight into cardiopulmonary resuscitation while continuing to check on him.

While performing CPR, Nelson spotted Joel Bonomolo, lineman for the football team, and told him to try and find Juan Cuevas, the other head athletic trainer, for the automated external defibrillator. Cuevas said he received a call from Nelson at 1:18 p.m.

When Cuevas arrived, he too checked for a pulse and when he found none, strapped on the defibrillator.

"The A.E.D. worked by itself," Cuevas said. "After the first shock, the machine said he didn't need any more. The A.E.D. only shocks when there is no pulse."

Cuevas then performed additional CPR, giving the unconcious player 30 compressions before giving him a second breath, to which he responded with an exhale.

According to Cuevas, the paramedics got there shortly thereafter, at about 1:20 p.m.

"The Fire Department pulled the pads off, and put him on their machine,"  Nelson said. "After that he started breathing more normally."

The player was transported to St. Jude where he was put in a drug-induced coma, according to Nelson.

Nelson noticed the player lying on the ground when students rushed over to see what had happened.

According to reports, he was heading toward his car in the parking lot to retrieve a shirt before starting baseball practice.

"He had scuffs on the backs of his hands as well as his upper lip and chin, suggesting he passed out," Nelson said.

Nelson added that the scuffs also suggested that he may have fallen over forward.

According to both Cuevas and Nelson, FC has three A.E.D.s on campus in case such a situation arrises.

The St. Jude Medical Facility could not be reached for comment.