PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Pirates staff and a local doctor helped save the life of a baseball fan who suffered cardiac arrest during a game.
Charles Trimble, a Cincinnati Reds fan from Erie County, brought his wife and 4-year-old grandson to see the Reds play the Pirates at PNC Park on Aug. 23. He wanted better seats, so he bought some scalped club level tickets.
During the game, Trimble's heart stopped. The Pirates staff, trained for these types of emergencies, ran for a nearby portable defibrillator, which shocks and restarts the heart.
"My life was saved because of close proximity and people (who) knew what they're doing, and they had availability of a defibrillator really close," Trimble said. "It was just really, really, really critical timing."
That wasn't the only twist of fate. When Trimble traded for the club-level seats, he got seated near an experienced trauma surgeon, Dr. Christopher Post of Allegheny General Hospital.
"He was in behind me and saw me slump over and turn totally white," Trimble said of Post. "He knew exactly what happened. I turned white. He knew it was critical, and he saved my life."
Post, along with an emergency medical technician and a nurse who were in the stands, stabilized Trimble.
"What the doctors have told us is that the chances of survival for someone whose heart stops like this outside of a hospital is about 10 percent," said Trimble's son, Stephen.
Charles Trimble continued to recuperate Tuesday Allegheny General Hospital -- wearing a Pirates hat.
"Now, he's got a Pirates hat that I bought for him and told him he's going to be a Pirates fan from now on," Stephen Trimble said. "I think he's willing to do that."
The Trimbles said the Pirates staff was terrific, taking care of the 4-year-old grandson and Charles Trimble's wife's needs until they left the park.
Charles Trimble has all his motor skills. He has a biopsy scheduled for Wednesday and is expected to fully recover.
The Pirates lost the game to the Reds.
Copyright 2009 by ThePittsburghChannel. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Video: Watch Our Report And Interview With Patient
