The brother of a Sydney man who died of a suspected drowning stated that his sibling was at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Unforeseen ordeal in the water
According to Gerald MacDonald, Greg MacDonald, 59-years old and his wife, Sharon were standing together, holding hands in waist deep water at the lifeguarded beach in Port Hood. The couple was suddenly hit by a wave and MacDonald both sensed that they were going to be in trouble.
He added that his brother did not have any existing condition that caused any trouble or got himself into distress. His brother was able to push his wife to the side.
Helping hands
According to Paul D’Eon, director of the Nova Scotia Lifeguard Service, MacDonald was around 30 meters away the shore when the incident occurred. The wife of the man reached him and he was still talking and responsive. While moving back to the shore, he was kicking and his condition gradually deteriorated. Upon reaching the beach, he was not breathing and no longer responsive.
The paramedics and lifeguards delivered CPR and a defibrillator was even used, but the man was pronounced dead at the scene. Aside from the lifeguards, there were also several nurses and at least 2 doctors at that time that helped.
Prompt delivery of CPR followed by a defibrillator greatly increases the chances of survival. You can be prepared to help out others by enrolling in a first aid and CPR course.
According to MacDonald, the rescuers did everything to help and truly grateful for the life-saving efforts.
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LEARN MORE
Learn how to help by enrolling in a course on CPR and AED and for more information, check out these sources:
https://www.webmd.com/first-aid/default.htm