Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin was in critical condition after falling following an on-field collision with an opponent during a nationally televised NFL game in Cincinnati on Monday night.
Hamlin, 24, a second-year player, severely tackled the Cincinnati Bengals during the game, and it was not immediately evident what had happened to him. Wide receiver Tee Higgins of the Bengals was tackled, and Hamlin immediately got to his feet, but later fainted.
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Hamlin later experienced a cardiac arrest and passed out on the floor. Players and coaching staff knelt to pray for Hamlin before an ambulance arrived to take him to the hospital. While they were on the field, trainers attended to him.
Before his cardiac arrest and the game, Hamlin’s last Instagram post was about thanking his fans for a toy drive success. The caption read: “Our 3rd annual @chasingMs foundation toy drive hosted by @d.ham3 was a success! Thank you to everyone who came out. We hope you all are enjoying your holidays. – TheChasingMillionsFamily”
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The player was given CPR on the field and was taken off in an ambulance. The game was temporarily suspended. Prayers for Hamlin were offered by other players and spectators alike in response to the scary incident.
It required a real medical professional to step in and provide the voice of reason in the social media choruses of false information concerning Hamlin’s injury.
“The video of Damar Hamlin from a cardiologist’s perspective resembled commotio cordis – a phenomenon that occurs when a sudden blunt impact to the chest causes cardiac arrest,” Dr. Bernard Ashby, a vascular cardiologist who is also a medical school professor, tweeted Monday night. “Timely defibrillation is life saving & prevents anoxic brain injury. I pray an AED was near,” he added.
