Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
- Scott Smith, a 47-year-old Utahn, was reunited with the Idaho medical team that saved his life during a heart attack at the Spudman triathlon in Burley, Idaho.
- Smith experienced symptoms such as chest tightness and nausea after crossing the finish line, leading him to the medical tent where his heart attack was identified.
BURLEY, Idaho — What would you say to the people who saved your life? Utahn Scott Smith, 47, was reunited Friday with the Idaho medical care team whose quick actions made all the difference for him.
On July 27, Smith competed in the Spudman triathlon race in his hometown of Burley, in Idaho. It's an annual event he loved and had participated in since he moved from Burley. As he crossed the finish line, he started feeling off. He trained extensively, including swimming in Idaho's Snake River.
"My wife had made a comment. She says, 'A helicopter at this event? Isn't that a little bit of overkill?' We did not realize just how maybe foreshadowing that would be," Smith said later.
"My neck started to hurt. ... Then I started feeling some chest tightness. I attributed it to post-race being tired," he said.
When he started feeling nauseous, he went to the medical tent, where a nurse took his vitals.
That's when the team knew he was having a heart attack. Smith was loaded into Intermountain Health's helicopter and flown to Twin Falls.
"These things don't happen very often, but when they do, they're pretty time-sensitive," flight medic Brett Cross said. Smith had a "widow-maker" heart attack that typically has a pretty high mortality rate.
"Only about 12% of people survive those heart attacks outside of the hospital," physician's assistant Brandon Pope said.
Doctors were able to repair Smith's heart, and on Friday, he was able to have a reunion with the first responders who helped him.
"It was really great to see him standing up and shaking our hand and being healthy," Cross said.
"I don't know what to say to them other than because of the care that you took, and what you did, I get to go home to my family, and my family has a father still," Smith said.
Smith says he's feeling better and healthier than ever.
