In the frightening and chaotic moments after Lisabette Chang '93 suffered a cardiac arrest while swimming in the Connecticut River Friday evening, several students made a desperate effort to save a fellow student's life.
It was a life and death situation, characteristically marked by confusion and extreme urgency.
Shortly after 7 p.m., Chang was swimming not far from the dock with Jori Church '93 when four male students on the dock heard Church cry out for help.
Ryan Ley '95 and Alex Goldenberg '95 jumped into the river to help push Chang from the water while Ben Wheeler '95 and Doug Jaeger '95 pulled her onto the dock.
Goldenberg ran to the Ledyard Canoe Club to call for help while the other three layed Chang on her side. "She had a pulse and was breathing," Ley said. "She had water in her lungs and was spitting it out."
From 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., the College pays a lifeguard to be at the dock. A large posted sign says swimming is not allowed when the lifeguard is not on duty.
Ley, Jaeger and Wheeler remained with Chang, continuing to check her pulse and her breathing. "When she was out of the water, she was moaning and spitting up water," Jaeger said.
While waiting for help, several people were floating from the crew docks in inner tubes in the direction of the swimming dock. One woman hopped on to the dock to check the situation. "We asked her if she knew CPR and she said yes, but she said she was breathing and that we should just wait for the cops," Jaeger said.
Safety and Security has brought up the issue of people swimming after hours, but on-duty lifeguard hours will not be lengthened, according to Director of Outdoor Programs, Earl Jette. "We're only responsible during the hours of operation and those hours are clearly posted," he said.
After calling Safety and Security from Ledyard, Goldenberg returned to the docks, accompanied by two Ledyard staff members, Rich Hoffman '93 and Peter Cacioppi '93. Safety and Security radioed Hanover Police at 7:35 p.m.
Chang was lying on the left side of the dock in a blue one piece bathing suit with Church at her side. "Her friend was wrapped around her just telling her to breathe," Jaeger said.
At first the six were alone on the dock, but shortly after Chang was pulled out, more than two dozen people arrived to swim. Sigma Delta and Kappa Kappa Gamma sororities, Alpha Chi Alpha and Psi Upsilon fraternities had been playing capture the flag at Storrs Pond and many of the participants arrived to cool off in the river after the game.
Jesse James '95 arrived with more than two dozen people to swim after the game and after being told that the girl was breathing and was going to be all right by an onlooker, went into the water.
Kai Singer '95 also arrived after the game and went over to Chang. "She was completely unresponsive and had no life signs," Singer said.
James, who is presently taking a course in cardiopulmonary resucitation got out of the water when she heard that Chang was no longer breathing. With the help of Kirsten Prettyman '95, James turned Chang onto her back and opened her breathing passage by tilting her head back. She gave her a few breaths and them moved over so that Singer could do chest compressions while Mishuana Goeman '94 gave her breaths.
Goldenberg realizing the seriousness of Chang's condition ran back to the canoe club to call an ambulance, according to Will Sweetser '92, a Ledyard staff member.
Hanover Police Seargent Lawrence Ranslow arrived shortly after CPR began, allowing them to continue while he checked for a pulse.
The paramedics arrived within a few minutes, according to Singer, and began to set up a defibrillator while the women continued CPR.
The docks were cleared before the paramedics defibrillated Chang, and when they were able to get her heart beating again, Sgt. Ranslow called for four guys to bring down the stretcher.
Students who assisted Chang did not realize that she had suffered a heart attack while in the water
For Ley, Chang's initial state gave no indication of her serious condition. "I was hoping she was going to be okay," he said. "She was caughing. I had no idea that it wasn't just from being in the water."
The entire episode took no more than five or 10 minutes, but the rescue effort to save Chang stirred profound feelings in those who assisted.
"I was thinking of the girl's parents and the fact that she was a student," Singer said. "It was very unsettling." Although Singer worked on an ambulance corp, she has never confronted such a situation.
"None of us had dealt with a drowning before," Jaeger said. "We weren't concentrating on anything but staying with the girl. We thought she was okay."
