Arlington golf coaches' quick actions save student-athlete who collapsed on course
ARLINGTON, Texas - Arlington ISD golf coaches were in the right place at the right time to save a young student-athlete in need.
Coaches Gary Webb and Ruston Laurence are used to competing against each other, but on Wednesday, November 8, they worked together in a medical emergency that threatened the life of a student.
Alex Price, a junior on the Gold Team at Arlington Seguin High School, is now recovering after something caused him to collapse during a tournament at the Lake Arlington Golf Course.
"He hit a shot and then started chugging some water and feeling lightheaded, so I just offered to go get my golf cart so he could sit down and he said, ‘No coach, don’t leave me,’" recalled Laurence.
Alex then collapsed.
"He grabbed onto me and immediately did a controlled fall. That’s when I hollered 911," Laurence said.
He was not breathing, nor could they find a pulse.
"No breath, no pulse that I could tell, so I just started CPR," said Coach Laurence.
Lamar High School coach Gary Webb heard the commotion.
"I ran in and got the AED from the golf shop and drove on out here. Fortunately, they were very close," said Webb.
The first AED shock administered to Alex did nothing.
"Coach Laurence did the CPR until he got really tired and exhausted, and then I did some of it, and I recommended doing a shock again," said Webb. "The second shock seemed like it kind of brought him, he started stirring."
By the time paramedics arrived, Alex, who was lifeless just seconds earlier, had begun moving.
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"He was answering, obviously he knew his name, where he was. He knew what was going on, and it was pretty amazing to see how quickly he was bouncing back," said Webb.
Both coaches say they only did what they were trained to do, however both acknowledge what they call "divine intervention."
"Any further out, anywhere else on the golf course and it would’ve been a different story," said Laurence. "I thank God, because we are just the people God used to help them out."
"It's really not a celebratory thing, you're just so thankful that everything worked out," said Webb.