Emphasizing safety following Bills’ player injury

JONESBORO, Ark. (KAIT) - On Tuesday, Jan. 3, a crowd of over 60,000 people in Cincinnati was left in silence after Buffalo Bills’ defensive back Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest on the field.

With the moment happening suddenly, it shows you have to be ready for anything.

If something like this could happen to a professional athlete, it means it could happen to anyone. Dylan Seaton, owner of NEA Health Education, wants to make sure people are ready.

“These things don’t just happen on TV. It could happen at your local grocery store. It can happen while you are on a trip. It can happen to a loved one,” he said. “It can happen at a moment’s notice, and I always advocate for people to be prepared.”

The Associated Press reported medical personnel attended to Hamlin for 19 minutes on the field, which many people thought was too long.

Seaton said it’s a tough situation when a player has a serious injury like that because there are steps they have to take.

“If we treat every injury like in the medical field, if we get called for 911, then we would be out there back and forth back and forth,” he said.

Seaton said he has performed CPR more times than he can count, and whether it is at work or on the football field, it is important to be prepared.

“When the real world hits, you need to rely on your muscle skills and your memory and your repetition that you learn at the CPR classes if you do take them,” he said.

Copyright 2023 KAIT. All rights reserved.