Friday, April 6, 2001
Stabbing victim revived three times
By MIKE D'AMOUR, CALGARY SUN
A city man who was stabbed quite possibly owes his life to three Calgary paramedics who brought him back from the dark side of death three times in just a few minutes.
"We were about three minutes away when we got the call of a man down with stab wounds to his chest about 10:30 a.m. (yesterday)," recalled Calgary Emergency Services paramedic Claude Belobersycky.
When the 49-year-old and his paramedic partner, Dave Craig, 35, arrived at Moeller Electric. Inc., 730 42 Ave S.E., they found a 21-year-old man who'd been stabbed once in the chest.
"It looked like a little cut and wasn't even bleeding," Craig said.
In fact, the injured man even asked if he would be okay to make his 5:30 p.m. shift.
But what the paramedics didn't immediately know was the wound caused by a knife had nicked the man's heart.
"Sometimes (the wounds) look insignificant, but can turn out to be the opposite," Belobersycky said.
That's why the paramedics, along with EMS acting Field Insp. Doug Lewis, 45, "aggressively" treated the injured man.
Good thing they did -- the man stopped breathing and had no pulse three times during the trip to Foothills Hospital.
Paramedics were pleased to learn later yesterday the man was listed in serious but stable condition following the operation.
"It had a huge potential to be fatal," Lewis said.
While the ambulance crew was busy treating the victim, cops were making an arrest.
"From what we understand, there was an argument between these two men who were roommates and friends," said Calgary Police Service Det. Ardella Brennan.
"But (the suspect) is very remorseful and was sobbing over what had happened," Brennan said.
A 24-year-old man was charged with aggravated assault.