LSU pitcher’s father revives Florida fan
Published 6:43 pm Wednesday, June 28, 2017
Jared Poché’s father probably came to the College World Series to relax and get away from work — Dr. Jerry Poché is a family physician back in their hometown of Lutcher.
But Dr. Poché had to spring into action during Monday night’s first LSU-Florida game to save the life of a Gator fan who’d suffered a major heart attack in the stands not far where Poché was sitting.
Jared Poché’s father, Dr. Jerry Poché discusses how he saved the life of a Gator fan who’d suffered a heart attack during Monday night’s LSU-Florida game.
The mother of second baseman Cole Freeman came running to Dr. Poché during the sixth inning.
“She grabbed me and said, ‘Doc, we got somebody in trouble.’ ”
By the time Poché got to the gentleman — a Florida fan, he assumed, since he had a Gators’ shirt on — it did not look good.
“It looked like a family member is trying to hold this elderly gentleman up. I’m looking at him, no pulse, I’m like, I think he’s dead.”
But Dr. Poché, along with Jimmy Roy, the father of LSU baseball strength coach Travis Roy, sprung into action.
“We quickly put him down, started doing heart compressions, next thing you know he’s starts breathing on his own, got a pulse back. Probably did CPR about five to seven minutes.”
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Roy, a former fireman with EMT experience, did mouth-to-mouth resuscitation while Dr. Poché worked the heart compressions.
Just before the stadium paramedics arrived, the heart started beating by itself.
Dr. Poché later learned from other paramedics, and confirmed Tuesday, that the man, Bobby Harvey, was in “good” condition at local hospital.
Dr. Poché seemed flustered by the all the attention he was getting Tuesday — LSU officials had to talk him into impromptu press conference at the team’s hotel to alleviate all the interview requests they were getting.
“That’s what I’m trained to do,” he said. “I’m a family doctor back home in Lutcher. Instincts kick in, you do what you got to do.”
And, of course, he didn’t like being called a hero.
He said Roy was the hero.
“He had to give mouth to mouth, I just did chest compressions.”
It was the second time Dr. Poché’s medical skills were used at the College World Series.
In an earlier game, a young boy near where the Poché family was sitting took a line drive foul ball to the forehead.
“He had a big ol’ egg on his forehead,” Dr. Poché said. “I just wanted to make sure he didn’t splatter his forehead. He was good.”
Years, ago he said, there was a similar incident at the Louisiana Superdome when he had to revive a fan at the state high school football championships.
And, no, he had no qualms about rescuing a Florida fan while his son’s team was battling the Gators.
“I don’t think he’s got a (Florida) shirt anymore,” he laughed in his Cajun accent. “We kind of ripped all the buttons off doing the compressions. But yeah, he’s a Florida Gator fan.
“You do what you’ve got to do. Thank God he made it to the hospital.”
“We quickly put him down, started doing heart compressions, next thing you know he’s starts breathing on his own, got a pulse back. Probably did CPR about five to seven minutes.”
