Dallas police officers were called to an apartment complex near Spring Valley and Preston roads in Far North Dallas on Tuesday, where they found an unconscious man in a creek behind the property. Officers pulled him from the water, began CPR, and used a defibrillator on him at the scene. The man regained a pulse before emergency responders transported him to the hospital.
Dallas police officers performed CPR and used a defibrillator, according to FOX 4. As of the rescue scene, authorities had not released the man's identity or said how he ended up in the water, and police provided the available details directly at the scene, per the same outlet.
Preston Valley Apartments on Spring Valley Road
Preston Valley Apartments is at 5631 Spring Valley Road, according to CBS Texas.
The broader Spring Valley and Preston corridor has also seen complicated multi-agency rescues in the past. In September 2015, Dallas Fire-Rescue spent 45 minutes extricating two men, who were in serious condition and expected to survive, from a vehicle wrapped around a utility pole near the same intersection, according to CBS News.
Dallas EMS Response Times
Dallas Fire-Rescue handles more than 250,000 emergency medical calls citywide each year, and EMS1 reported that 50.7% of EMS calls met its five-minute measure in the fiscal year covered by the report. EMS1 also discussed high call volume and ambulance response times.
Legal Protections for Emergency Care
Officers and bystanders who step in during emergencies like this one are also shielded legally. Under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 74.151, individuals and first responders who administer emergency care in good faith — including using a defibrillator — are protected from civil liability for their actions during a medical emergency, according to the Patrick Toscano Law Firm.
The man's condition following his hospital transport, his identity, and the circumstances that led him into the creek behind the apartment complex remain unknown.
