9 year old boy suffers cardiac arrest in Australia

 

A 9-year-old child is currently in a critical but stable state after being hit by lightning while swimming at a beach south of Sydney.

According to New South Wales Ambulance, the child went into cardiac arrest shortly before 5:30 PM on Thursday at Barrack Point in Warilla, near Shellharbur.

Surf life savers performed CPR until paramedics arrived and took over, resuscitating the child before transporting him to the Children’s Hospital at Westmead with chest burns. The hospital has reported that the child remains in a critical but stable condition.

A local doctor was on the beach at the time of the incident and quickly jumped in to assist the paramedics with CPR.

The ambulance officers continued resuscitation on the young boy and were able to revive his heartbeat and breathing.

A helicopter was dispatched to rush the child to the hospital, but due to severe weather conditions, including lightning strikes and heavy rain, an airlift was not possible.

The child was instead transported by an intensive care ambulance to Westmead.