Firemen save ‘dead’ girl

Press, 14 August 1978, Page 6

Firemen save ‘dead’ girl

PA Auckland !< t i nree firemen worked, side-by-side yesterday mom-1* mg o coax a "moan and 1 gr an' from the lips of a j little girl who “died” after!? being knocked down by a ; car at Point Chevalier. Ann Summerfeldt. aged 10. it of Point Chevalier, wash walking home from church! 1 with her parents and threet other children when the ac- a cident happened, about 10.35 a.m. i Ann. her brother Francis, aged eight, and two friends, t Dorie Ned, aged six, and t Loretta Feterika. aged 10, I were struck by a car as they moved on to a pedestrian * crossing in Point. Chevalier:: Road outside the local fire*, station. i Three firemen—Station Officer J. D. Walker, Senior Fireman S. J. Theobold and Fireman C A. Johnston — were walking around the, side of the station when they’ heard a crash. One of rhe men ru.-hed inside to telephone for an ambulance, another collected I the station first-aid box and the third ran to help the i children. 1 Mr Walker said last even- ( ing that things were “pretty I

■chaotic” when he reached the injured. , “One of the kids was i dragged 20 feet down the road (by the car ) he said., “The older girl. Ann, looked in a bad way She had (Stopped breathing and her, ’pulse was very faint.” Mr Walker and .Mr Theo-: | bold worked to revive Ann [while Mr Johnston helped to! I look after the three other ! ■children., who were shocked! and badly grazed. Ann had stopped brea’hing; and was “clinically” dead. The firemen used heart! massage and mouth-to-mouth * resuscitation and slowly she I began to respond. .A “groan and moan”: squeezed from her lips! several minutes after the ac-j I cident to tell the firemen she was past danger. As the firemen were rac-' ing against time to save! Ann’s life the Rev G. M. • Marinovich — the parish] priest from St Francis’s! ’’Church—helped care forj the other injured. The children had attended [ Mass at the church just before the accident. The children were taken! by ambulance to Auckland! Hospital were they were treated for shock, cuts and] bruises and later discharged.