Bills’ Damar Hamlin died twice after collapsing, uncle says: ‘They had to resuscitated him’
Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin died twice, his uncle Dorrian Glenn told CNN on Tuesday.
Hamlin, who collapsed during the Monday night game between the Bills and Cincinnati Bengals, has been in the ICU since being hospitalized and listed as critical.
“His heart went out, so they had to resuscitate him twice,” Glenn told CNN. “They resuscitated him on the field before they brought him to the hospital, and then they resuscitated him a second time after they got him to the hospital.
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Hamlin collapsed on the field during the first quarter of the nationally televised game against the Cincinnati Bengals and was given medical treatment for nearly 20 minutes before being taken to a hospital. He collapsed after tackling Bengals receiver Tee Higgins.
Medical personnel rushed onto the field and performed CPR for 10 minutes before Hamlin was transported to nearby UC Medical Center via ambulance.
“He’s still sedated right now,” Glenn told CNN. “They just want him to have a better chance of recovering better, so they feel that if he is sedated his body can heal a lot faster because if he was woke he could possibly cause other complications. So, they have him sedated right now, and it’s just heart breaking seeing him like that.”
Glenn was watching the game with family in Pittsburgh.
“We were all in tears,” Glenn said, adding he and others were trying to comfort Hamlin’s younger brother. “I’m not a crier, but I’ve never cried so hard in my life to know my nephew basically died on the field, and they brought him back to life.
“That’s just heartbreaking.”
Mark Heim is a sports reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim.