El Paso Coach Called A Hero For Saving A Middle School Football Player’s Life After A Head Injury During Practice

Hernando Middle School football coach Eric Palomares says he used his training as an EMT to help save a student's life on the football field. Palomares said that after tending to a student who had been in a facemask-to-facemask hit who wasn't able to answer questions, he knew something was terribly wrong.

The unidentified student was injured while playing on the field behind Sun Ridge Middle in east El Paso, just off North Zaragoza and Sun Country. Palomares said that as he was assessing him, his body "was just shutting down. He stopped responding to my questions. I assessed him and didn't feel a pulse at that moment." Palomares began performing CPR and got a pulse back immediately. He was able to keep breathing for him until the paramedics arrived so he could be taken to the hospital.

Palomares said that he was blessed to be there when he needed to be and to have the necessary training to help the student. He said he wants more people like that to be able to work in emergency situations like that.

The good news is the Hernando player was released from the hospital late Sunday with a concussion. He doesn't remember what happened, but is expected to make a full recovery, but won't play again this season as a precaution. Palomares said every coach is required to be CPR certified.

Thank goodness that Coach Palomares was there for this student!