Grieving Parents Urge Law That Cops Learn CPR

By LISA FLAUGH

The parents of an 11-year old girl who died of cardiac arrest testified at a city council hearing on Thursday that she might have survived if police officers were given compulsory training in CPR.

“Losing Briana has been a life sentence of depression,” said Michael Ojeda before the Council Committee on Public Safety. He is the father of Briana Ojeda after whom a proposed law in the State Legislature is named, urging that police officers receive training in resuscitation every two years.

Briana’s Law is an effort that began six years ago following 11-year-old Briana Ojeda’s death on August 27th, 2010. Briana was suffering an asthma attack and was being driven frantically by her mother, Carmen Ojeda toward Long Island University. When she turned the wrong way down a one-way street on Cobble Hill Road, Officer Alfonso Mendez pulled her over and tried to write her a ticket. When Ojeda told Officer Alfonso that her daughter needed CPR he told her he didn’t know how and refused to help. When a passer-by eventually jumped in to help, it was too late. Briana Ojeda died by the time she reached the emergency room.

“The officer didn’t know CPR nor did he try to help her,” Michael Ojeda added.
Ojeda implied that the police officer had a bad reaction to the incident. “He went into hiding and shaved his head bald” before he was later identified.

Other witnesses supported the proposed legislation by the State Legislature.

“We know that if you witness someone collapsing from cardiac arrest and you jump in immediately we can save close to 33 percent of those individuals, “Brenda Vitali of the American Heart Association said. “So in those cases where we have someone collapse in front of us and someone is able to respond right away we can double or triple their chance of survival. Calling 911 isn’t enough, and most of those suffering from cardiac arrest are passing away.”

First introduced by Assemblyman Felix W. Ortiz, the law was reintroduced four times. If passed at the state level, basic training standards would be followed as set by the American Heart Association, with strong support coming from the AHA as well.

Councilman Stephen Levin commended the bereaved patents

“You have taken this tragedy that has befallen your family and befallen you in your lives and made it a mission to action to save other lives,” he said. “That is the greatest blessing that you can give to your community, to our city and to humanity. You have taken your pain and used it to make a positive change.”