Rescue crews keep man alive
July 3, 2008 · Updated 4:23 PM
Oak Harbor Fire crews who worked to save the life of a 72-year-old bicyclist Thursday succeeded enough to get him transported to Whidbey General Hospital.
Weve still got something to work with, but its pretty iffy, said Dr. Paul Zaveruha, Whidbey Generals director of emergency medicine.
The man was part of a group of cyclists heading south on Highway 20 when he collapsed near the crest of the hill south of Swantown Road. Southbound Highway 20 was shut down for approximately 20 minutes while crews worked.
Medics performed CPR and used a defibrillator to keep the mans heart beating.
Oak Harbor Police Officer Mike Clements said the call was originally reported as a car versus bicyclist accident, but once crews arrived, it was determined that the man had an unknown medical condition.
Because of federal privacy laws, no update on the mans condition was available and the hospital could not release his name.
When you get someone who is older, even in good condition, this can be a tough hill, Clements said.
The mans bicycle was covered in bags, and took two officers to lift it.
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