Fan suffered cardiac event Wednesday night
(AURORA, Ind.) -- The boys basketball game at South Dearborn came to a sudden pause when a woman suffered a medical emergency in the stands on Wednesday night.
While the players went to the locker room, South Dearborn athletic trainer Jake Steinmetz sprung into action.
"I heard someone yell medic and I looked back and saw seven or eight people surrounding a person," Steinmetz said.
He immediately ran into the stands and says his instincts and adrenaline kicked in as he assessed the patient.
"Someone called 9-1-1 and off we went, we started basic life support with what we had right there," he said.
Jake, along with Tara Cutter who is a nurse, started CPR within 30 seconds.
An AED that is in the gym was brought to the patient within a minute-and-a-half of her collapsing, Steinmetz recalled.
Aurora EMS arrived minutes later and rushed the victim to the hospital, where she was reportedly conscious and speaking later that night. .
"I think one of the biggest keys is that we were quick and efficient, I think studies show the quicker you can get an AED on someone the better the chance they have of surviving," he said.
"It just goes to show we all collectively did our part to provide the best possible outcome," he said.
Here is the moment the game was paused due to the emergency:
While Steinmetz is being praised for his response, he is also giving credit to Cutter, assistant principal Curt Bontrager and others who assisted during those tense moments.
Steinmetz is in his first year as athletic trainer at South Dearborn after serving in a similar role at East Central Middle School. He is a 2016 East Central graduate.
His advice to anyone else that may find themselves in a similar situation, is to remain calm and trust your instincts.
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The South Dearborn athletic department is recognizing Jake for how he handled the situation, naming him last night's "Impact Player of the Game."
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