Medical Emergencies Happen at Same Station, One Hour Apart
The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) Police Department saved the lives of two patrons at Kensington Station on Tuesday, April 17.
At 8:48 a.m., Officer K. Softley, Corporal M. Woodward, Officer in Training B. Dennis, and Sgt. L. Martin were alerted to a man who was in cardiac arrest. The officers acted quickly, using an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) until he regained consciousness. The man was alert and speaking with officers when transported to the hospital but suffered another medial event at the hospital and died.
Just over an hour later, the same officers were called to a medical emergency in the bus loop at Kensington. Officer Softley and Corporal Woodward once again used the AED and CPR to regain the heartbeat of a man who had gone into cardiac arrest. The man remains in stable condition.
“We have AEDs in each of our stations and our officers are trained in CPR,” said MARTA Police Chief Wanda Y. Dunham. “The fact that there were two separate cardiac arrests at the same station just an hour apart is rather remarkable. I’m proud of the way the officers responded.”
MARTA placed AEDs in all 38 rail stations in 2009. The MARTA Police Department credits the use of AEDs with successfully saving four lives in the last three years.
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