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(gainesvilletimes) – Larry Morton was on second base when the sharp, metallic sound of a bat hitting a ball rang out. The 59-year-old man took off for third.
But before he could get reach the base, the 5-foot-10 Morton stopped and collapsed.
Morton had just suffered a cardiac arrest in the middle of a game with his Rabun County senior softball team.
Morton doesn’t remember any of that day in August 2015. He can’t recall the day before or much of the days following, either. But his teammates can.
Morton, who plays shortstop for his team in a league of regular Wednesday morning doubleheaders, was acting and playing normally through the first game and the break between.
“What happened apparently is I was on second base,” he said, recounting the tale his teammates have shared with him. “So I had gotten a hit and was already on second and ran to third. Apparently, just before I got to third base, I stopped and went straight back like a pole.”
Fewer than 8 percent of people survive cardiac arrest outside a hospital. Luckily for Morton, his teammates and emergency responders reacted quickly to his medical emergency.
Morton’s team manager and a retired Atlanta firefighter Frank Pellegrino shouted for someone to call 911. He then raced to Morton’s side to find out what was wrong
“He was right there on top of me,” Morton said. “Initially some people, and I think he included, thought it was a stroke. But when I started turning the wrong color for a stroke, he started CPR.”
Meanwhile, one person dialed 911. Another called to the park’s main building for the onsite defibrillator.
“They apparently shocked me twice with the AED,” Morton said. “By the time Rabun County EMS arrived, I had a heartbeat and I was, I guess, breathing on my own.”
Morton credits those quick responses for his survival and recovery.
