El Kamino S.O.S. Volleyball League saves man’s life after crash on Causeway

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - A local volleyball league -- jumped into action and saved a man’s life following a crash on the Causeway. It happened a week ago - Wednesday, August 9th.

It was just another Wednesday night for the El Kamino S.O.S. League. The 8 o’clock games had just got underway -- when Brandon Ray recalls something went terribly wrong.

“We start hearing some noises... Don’t think very much of it. Then the next thing you know -- you see a car flying by and then the power lines start rattling and falling and the lights go out. It was kind of chaotic,” recalled Brandon.

Cell phone video of the incident shows the volleyball players playing -- when you can hear the crash -- then see the lights go out.

“We all just kind of stood there in shock for maybe a second,” said Vivian Ballard, RN Mobile Infirmary.

A Registered Nurse with Mobile Infirmary -- Vivian Ballard -- went from volleyball player -- to full on first-responder mode.

“I went to assess the man who was in the car - it was pretty clear he was not responsive, he had no pulse, he had abnormal breathing,” recalled Vivian.

As 911 is called -- Vivian made the call to begin CPR.

“Me and another man -- pulled him out of the car -- we immediately started CPR -- and 4 to 5 of us just worked seamlessly just like any other nursing team you would have in an inpatient hospital we worked so well together,” said Vivian.

Taking turns counting compressions -- the volleyball team worked in unison.

“It was the most-well run code I think I’ve ever been in,” said Vivian.

The next day -- the players realized just how close they came to being hit. A trail of pink flags actually tells the story -- outlining the path the driver took as he ran off the Causeway (going westbound -- crosing into eastbound traffic before running off the roadway). The driver would hit Brandon’s Jeep -- knocking it a ways down before hitting a utility pole just beyond the wooden fence to the volleyball courts, where the league was playing.

“It could have been a very different story. Everything kind of lined up for me to be parked there. I don’t normally park this far down -- I was running late getting here,” explained Brandon. “Literally... If my Jeep had not been parked in that exact spot -- he would have come through the fence, where people are playing and sitting along the fence. And it happened so fast I don’t think anybody would have been able to react. It’s just a miracle that it turned out the way it did.”

The man was eventually air-lifted from the scene and did survive -- proving the importance of CPR training.

“You never know when you are going to use it. I’m so glad that I had the training because in this one incident it made literally a life and death difference,” said Vivian.

A big part of his survival was due in part to the CPR provided on scene. If you want to get certified in CPR -- log onto the American Heart Associaiton’s website fo find out where courses are offered.

Meanwhile, if you want to know more about the El Kamino S.O.S. Volleyball League click here.