Two elderly women are lucky to be alive after losing consciousness and overheating in a hot tub in a rural cabin.
Rescue crews were called to Wolfe County, Kentucky, after the women in their 80s weren’t able to get back out of the hot tub because of ‘pre-existing issues’.
They showed signs of hyperthermia and passed out before another woman was able to get into the hot tub and make sure they didn’t drown.
The Wolfe County Search and Rescue Team said the two women had been pulled out by caretakers of the rural cabin, but one was in critical condition.
The pair were cooled down with cold water in the shower, from the hose, and with cold compresses until they were well enough to be taken to the hospital.
The rescue team is now warning others to brush up on hot tub safety before entering the water to avoid any accidents.
Symptoms of hyperthermia – or overheating
Symptoms of heat exhaustion include:
- weakness
- tiredness
- dizziness
- headache
- feeling sick or being sick
- excessive sweating and skin becoming pale and clammy or getting a heat rash, but a change in skin colour can be harder to see on brown and black skin
- cramps in the arms, legs and stomach
- fast breathing or heartbeat
- a high temperature
- being very thirsty
If someone has heat exhaustion, follow these 4 steps:
- Move them to a cool place.
- Remove all unnecessary clothing like a jacket or socks.
- Get them to drink a sports or rehydration drink, or cool water.
- Cool their skin – spray or sponge them with cool water and fan them. Cold packs, wrapped in a cloth and put under the armpits or on the neck are good too.
Stay with them until they’re better.
They should start to cool down and feel better within 30 minutes.
Source: NHS
In a post online, they wrote: ‘Hot tubs offer a fantastic way to relax, but always remember to limit soak times.
‘The recommended maximum immersion time is between 15-30 minutes. Ensure you are capable of exiting the hot tub once you enter, especially if you have any sort of disability.
‘Hyperthermia and Heatstroke can be fatal, and this story could have ended much differently without the quick thinking of all those involved with this rescue,’ they added.
Previously, a British girl had to fight for life after she was sucked into the mechanism of a hot tub at a hotel.
Isabella Floyd, 4, was relaxing with her family in a Bulgarian resort when she went into the jacuzzi with her mum, Nicola, 28, when her bottom became stuck in the filter.
Her mum tried to pull her free, but Isabella was kept down by the force of the vacuum as she shouted out, ‘My tummy, my tummy’.
It was only possible to release her when a lifeguard came to switch off the electrics. When she was finally able to get out, her bowel was badly damaged.
Surgeons operated twice and removed part of her intestine, but she had to be put into an induced coma.
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