A member of the Kelowna Rockets is being hailed as a hero after having a life-changing encounter while on the road with his team this week.
Ty Hurley was with some teammates at the Strathmore Travel Lodge hotel, when they decided to check out the hot tub and pool. They made it as far as the lobby, when the 19-year-old saw a man behaving strangely.
Hurley said the man was fully clothed, splashing around the pool and plunging under the water for extended periods. A woman from the front desk had been speaking with him, but it didn’t seem to deter the strange behaviour.
“It was weird so I went into the pool area, and he was under the water, probably for 30 to 40 seconds, not coming up,” he said.
“I decided we had to get him out of the water, and I took off my shirt leaned over the edge, took him out of the water and flipped him on his back.”
Hurley realized that the man had stopped breathing when he was out of the water so he started doing chest compressions.
“I knew how to do compressions and CPR from a lifesaving class,” he said. “I didn’t know what else to do. … (I) did 15 to 20 compressions and he started breathing.”
A teammate, Ethan Neutons, joined Hurley at that point and checked the man’s pulse.
“It was weak and his hands had no colour at all,” Hurley said. “But he was breathing at this point.”
The players put the man on his side, called 911, then comforted him until the paramedics came.
From what Hurley understands, the man’s life was saved when he reached into the water, yanked him to the surface and performed CPR.
It’s something he will never forget.
“I have been running it through my mind every day. You don’t come across situations like that, ever. It’s definitely a traumatic experience to have,” he said.
“But I’m happy to have been able to help.”
It’s a reminder to him how important that course he took years earlier was. It’s one he thinks others should also take on.
“If I hadn’t taken that course, I am not sure if he would have been alive,” he said. “I acted subconsciously, just did it and he started breathing.”
Hurley’s being hailed as a bit of a hero at the moment and his mom, for one, couldn’t be prouder.
“Usually, it’s all about hockey, hockey, hockey, but sometimes you get into situations that are outside of the normal and I was able to act quick on my feet and help someone out, and I am happy,” he said.
Hurley, from Sherwood Park, Alta, said he’s learned to trust in what he’s doing and to be more confident to help people out, when needed.
He also said it’s worth it for more people to get the CPR training that helped him help another.
Canadian Red Cross First Aid and CPR courses are delivered throughout Canada through a network of Training Partners. Visit redcross.ca/findacourse or call 1-877-356-3226 to find training in your area.
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