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Evan Gravano, Scott Johnson, and Amairani Hernandez, staff members at Southampton Youth Services worked together to help save the life of a man who collapsed while playing pickle ball at the recreational center on November 30.
Evan Gravano, Scott Johnson, and Amairani Hernandez, staff members at Southampton Youth Services worked together to help save the life of a man who collapsed while playing pickle ball at the recreational center on November 30.
When former Southampton High School football coach Vinny Mangano collapsed while playing pickle ball at Southampton Youth Services in North Sea on November 30, staff members sprang into action to help save his life.
SYS’s executive director, Scott Johnson, said when the emergency occurred, someone rushed into the office, asking staff to call 911. Staff member Evan Gravano made the call, while another staffer, Amairani Hernandez, began to administer CPR. Mr. Johnson responded with a portable automated external defibrillator, administering a shock that restored Mr. Mangano's heart rhythm.
“He was having a cardiac event, what I would call a short circuit,” Mr. Johnson said on Tuesday. Asked if he thought Mr. Mangano would have survived if help were not nearby, he replied, “No, he was definitely on his way.”
Mr. Johnson said Mr. Mangano,who had been unconscious, was revived and able to talk by the time a Southampton Volunteer Ambulance crew arrived at the recreational center shortly after the 911 call.
“We can’t emphasize enough the importance of having an AED device on hand at a facility like this. The presence of the AED and a staff trained in CPR can make the difference between life and death,” Southampton Town Code Compliance and Emergency Management Administrator Ryan Murphy said in a release.
The Town Board plans to honor the SYS staff and ambulance crew with a proclamation when it meets on December 22.
Stephen J. Kotz on Dec 15, 2020