VICTORIA, Australia — An off-duty paramedic is being credited with saving an injured football player from paralysis.
9News.com.au reported that Zack Guarnnaccia, 24, was making his debut for the Orbost Snowy Rovers Saturday afternoon when he collided with another player after he went in for a contest with his head down. Paramedic Jason Ross was watching his son play from the sidelines when he saw Guarnnaccia collapse.
Ross said he knew Guarnnaccia was at risk of being paralyzed because of the way he landed, according to the report.
“I had a sick feeling in my stomach and when I watched him go down I waited to see if he moved, when he didn’t move I thought I better go over because they were getting ready to move him,” Ross said.
Ross rushed onto the field to help trainers. Guarnnaccia was airlifted to a hospital with a fractured vertebrae and a dislocated neck. He underwent a three-hour surgery where doctors stabilized his spine using six screws and two plates.
Guarnnaccia credited Ross with stopping the spinal injury from becoming something much more debilitating.
“He saved me at the end of the day,” he said.