A neighbour is being heralded as a hero after performing CPR on a 10-year-old girl who was believed to be swimming with her sister when she nearly drowned at a complex in Craighall in the early afternoon of 3 September.
Spokesperson for Netcare 911 Shawn Herbst said paramedics responded to reports of a drowning. They had found that a neighbour, who was also trained in first-aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation, began bystander CPR when she noticed the child had no pulse and was not breathing.
“[When] medics arrived on the scene, the child had already gained a pulse and was conscious,” he said.
The child is in a stable condition. Herbst explained that the family decided to transport the child privately to the hospital.
He concluded that this incident is a stark reminder of the importance of learning CPR as soon as possible.
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