Crime & Safety

Volunteer Firefighter Saves Heart Attack Victim at LA Fitness in Bellevue

Crystal Simpson, a volunteer firefighter who works at the gym, used a defibrillator to revive a man in his 50s who collapsed after a workout.

An off-duty volunteer firefighter is being credited with saving the life of a heart attack victim at the Main Street LA Fitness on Sunday.

As KIRO 7 reports, EMTs were called to the gym at around 2 p.m. when a man in his 50s collapsed after a workout.

LA Fitness employee Crystal Simpson, who also happens to be a volunteer firefigher with an agency outside of Bellevue, jumped into action, grabbing a defibrillator and using it to revive the man's heart before paramedics arrived.

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“It was remarkable, as a human being, to see another human being respond that way,” Don Kitch, who witnessed the incident, told the TV station.

This is not the first time in recent memory that a defibrillator has been used to revive someone at a Bellevue gym. Back in November, two separate heart attack victims were saved in the same week by a defibrillator at the 24 Hour Fitness off Bel-Red Road.

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And just a few weeks ago, first responders used a defibrillator to save a man who had a heart attack while eating lunch at The King and I. Bellevue Fire and Police Chaplain Mike Ryan, who was coincidentally eating at the same restaurant, performed CPR on the victim until medics arrived.

Click here to see a full report on Sunday's incident from KIRO 7.


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