Family pushes for 'Briana's Law' after NYPD officer fails to provide CPR

[hrmjustin]

Eyewitness News
NEW YORK (WABC) -- Carmen Ojeda will never forget the words 'I don't do CPR; I don't know CPR'. They are a stinging reminder of what happened next, and how she stood by helplessly and watched her daughter Briana slip away.

Carmen rushed the 11-year-old to the hospital - her little girl was having a serious asthma attack, and died. Those words 'I don't know CPR' Carmen says were told to her by NYPD officer Alfonso Mendez. Those words became a call to action.

"This is in honor of her, something she would want us to do," says Carmen.

On Sunday, Carmen, her husband, Michael, and others gathered in support of Briana's Law. Right now, police are trained to give CPR, but only initially at the academy. This proposed legislation would require officers to be retrained and tested every two years. The hope is to prevent what happened to Briana from ever happening again.

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local/new_york&id=9425364

[msongs]

1. so why did the mom not give cpr. guess it was not important for her to learn either nt

[Historic NY]

2. Its not that it won't work, but its expensive and......

the mechanics of CPR have changed constantly since the 70's. It hasn't remain the same. It requires more than just training beyond the standard Red Cross class. ABC is now CAB, pocket mask protection, gloves.

The point is the family looking to blame the police when they are responsible themselves. Where was the childs rescue inhaler? Why didn't they learn CPR, themselves? Don't assume others around you know it.

Perhaps having city-wide courses made available to the general public would be a better answer.

[hrmjustin]

3. Yes I think city wide classes are the answer as well.

Would be cheap as well.