'Like Damar Hamlin': Youth soccer coach's life saved by spectators' rapid response

In a community response that echoed the NFL's Damar Hamlin incident, spectators at a youth soccer match in Wilson, New York, saved a visiting coach's life through immediate CPR and rapid access to an automated external defibrillator (AED) earlier this month.

"I keep telling people the same exact thing that happened to Damar happened to me and the amazing thing is this was random, everyday people who happen to be sitting in the stands and knew how to act and know what to do," Andrew Pihlbald told ABC News.

Pihlblad, 45, who coaches a U17 boys' soccer team from Jamestown, collapsed after going into cardiac arrest during the second half of a June 4 match at Wilson High School. What started as a routine game nearly 120 miles from home turned into a life-or-death situation that showcased the vital importance of CPR training and accessible emergency equipment.

"I went from standing up, coaching and doing whatever, to just my heart stopped and I fell down," Pihlblad said in an interview with ABC News. "Nothing felt weird, nothing felt strange the whole time, until it just kind of happened."

Wilson coach Paul Herrmann witnessed the collapse and immediately sprang into action.

"I see the other coach face down in the turf... The closer I got, I started running towards him, because it just really didn't look good at all," Herrmann told ABC News.

He quickly called for CPR-certified individuals in the crowd, leading to what he described as meeting "three of the greatest people I'll ever meet."

Among the responders was Corey Harmon, a retired state trooper who was watching from the stands.

"The community we live in is known for being a tight-knit community that will offer help no matter what," Harmon told ABC News. "It wasn't just spectators. It was parents from our team and their team, players running for help, people familiar with the school running to get an AED."

The response was swift and coordinated. While some performed chest compressions, others sprinted into the school to retrieve the AED.

The device delivered three shocks to Pihlblad before he regained consciousness. By 8:03 p.m., roughly 10 minutes after his collapse, he was in an ambulance and headed to a nearby hospital.

Wilson coach Herrmann recalled Pihlblad being conscious enough to crack a joke upon revival.

"He was like, 'I want to get up,'" he said. "One of the EMTs looked at him going, 'You ain't getting up, sweetie.'"

Pihlblad was in the hospital from June 4 to June 10. He is now back home, and got to enjoy Father's Day with his family.

Doctors told Pihlblad he had only about a 10% chance of survival for such an incident outside a hospital setting, he said. Despite extensive testing, the cause of his cardiac arrest remains unknown.

"They check my heart out and everything... there's no blockages, there's nothing like that," Pihlblad said. As a precaution, doctors implanted an internal defibrillator in his chest.

Damar Hamlin, a defensive back for the Buffalo Bills, suffered a cardiac arrest and collapsed during a Monday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Jan. 2, 2023. He was resuscitated on the field and taken to the hospital in critical condition, where he was diagnosed with commotio cordis, a rare condition caused by a blunt force to the chest that disrupts the heart's rhythm.

Pihlblad said the incident highlights the crucial role of having AEDs readily available at sporting venues.

"If we wouldn't have been at a high school, I wouldn't have made it," Pihlblad said, acknowledging that many other playing fields don't have such equipment on hand.

The game was ultimately canceled as a non-contest, with Wilson coach Herrmann indicating he would forfeit if a replay became necessary for season standings. He suggested that the real victory that day wasn't about soccer -- it was about a community coming together to save a life.

"It's just like all fell into place," Harmon -- the retired state trooper -- said. "And the fact that the fire departments were able to get there very quickly was another key player in keeping him alive."