Basketball players save life of teammate who collapsed during game

A weekly basketball game between old friends in Battle Ground, Wash., could have turned tragic after one teammate collapsed in cardiac arrest after playing a game a couple of weeks ago.

But his friends jumped into action to save his life, using a combination of CPR and an automatic external defibrillator, or AED, mounted just outside the gym.

Teammate Jeremy Browning said there was no warning before friend George Tierney collapsed. “Next thing I know, I hear this boom, and George is laying on the floor,” he told station KOIN in an interview.

Some players started performing CPR while Roland Dizon grabbed the AED and went to work.

“I never used it before,” Dizon said. “I followed what the AED told me, and I sure hoped the good Samaritan law would apply in this situation.”

Firefighters arrived within minutes and took over the life-saving efforts. Tierney is recovering from a quadruple bypass surgery, and hopes to get back onto the court with his friends later this year.

He told KOIN he had never heard of an AED, but was grateful that some of his teammates knew how it worked and took quick action.

“I just thank God they did what they did,” he said. “I wouldn’t be here otherwise.”