Deputy & medical staff revive unresponsive inmate

An inmate at the Erie County Correctional Facility is alive thanks to some quick action by an Erie County Sheriff's Deputy and a team of medical experts.

Erie County Sheriff Timothy Howard said a deputy found an inmate lying unresponsive on the floor in the common area of a housing unit around 9:15 Monday morning.

The deputy called a medical emergency. Officers and medical staff could not detect vital signs. A registered nurse began administering CPR and used an automated external defibrillator (AED) to assess whether shocks were necessary. That assessment indicated shocks were necessary, so a series of five shocks were delivered. The staff was able to detect a pulse after the fifth shock.

The medical staff continued to administer CPR until the inmate was able to breathe on his own.

Members of the Lancaster Volunteer Ambulance Corps arrived and assumed care of the inmate and later transported him to Buffalo General Medical Center.  The inmate remains under hospital care.

Have a news tip, question or comment?