Moraga Cycling Incident Galvanizes Bystanders

When fitness instructors Cat Brewer and Heidi Dauberman began their bike ride through Canyon to Moraga on Oct. 16 they never expected to be involved in a life-and-death effort to save a stricken fellow cyclist.

“I've been CPR certified for the past 17 years due to my job as a fitness instructor,” Cat Brewer told Lamorinda Patch. “I think it's a valuable skill to have because you never know when you might be called upon to use it.”

For Brewer and Dauberman, the moment came at 2:33 p.m. on Pinehurst Road in Canyon.

"There were a number of people riding that day," said Lisa Little, an Oakland resident who was also on the road. "We came upon this little cluster of people and there was a man on the ground next to his bike -- and it was pretty obvious he was in distress."

The 70-year-old Piedmont man was indeed in distress and it quickly became apparent that someone was going to have to do something if he was going to survive. Thoughts of an afternoon ride through Canyon melted as Brewer, Dauberman, and others mobilized to do what they could for the victim.

"People were at his side and a woman started chest compressions," Little said. "I tried to call for help but my cell didn't have signal. Others were on their phones..."

The calls reached Moraga-Orinda Fire dispatch at 2:33 p.m. and first responders were on the way to the semi-remote location within minutes.

This kind of collapse is not an uncommon occurrence in the Lamorinda area, explained Moraga-Orinda Fire Division Chief Darrell Lee. “We've actually had several bicyclists that have had cardiac arrest and in each of those we had bystanders performing CPR," Lee said.

Brewer and others rendered aid until first responders arrived to take over. Additional lifesaving efforts were made as the unidentified victim was transported to Highland Hospital in Oakland, where he was declared dead later in the afternoon.

The experience, while it may not have had the outcome Brewer and Dauberman hoped for, did drive home some lessons.

“Every minute that passes is 10 percent of your life,” said Lee.

Each year, approximately 165,000 Americans suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), he said. Immediate CPR by bystanders and prompt response by emergency medical services (EMS) is key to survival.

When bystander CPR was administered to cardiac arrest victims, 22.9 percent of the victims survived until they were admitted to the hospital and 11.9 percent were discharged alive. In comparison, the statistics for cardiac arrest victims who did not receive bystander CPR were 14.6 percent and 4.7 percent, respectively.

Studies have found that a "group paralysis" often takes place in emergency situations, with bystanders looking for someone else to make a lifesaving effort, and often it is decisive action by one individual that galvanizes the group.

In an attempt to improve outcomes for Sudden OHCA, the Moraga-Orinda Fire District has been hosting monthly CPR training classes to teach lay-person CPR, which includes an updated compression-only technique.

“Compression-only has eliminated a lot of the fears,” said Lee. “All you have to do is compressions only because there is still oxygen in the body being circulated. Our outcomes have improved dramatically.”

Although the cyclist on Pinehurst Road could not be saved, countless others have been rescued because of lay-person CPR. Classes are available through the MOFD and cost $50 for a CPR certification or $80 for CPR and first aid together. For more information, call the MOFD at (925) 258-4525 or visit their website.