Witnesses recount Mercer student’s collapse at soccer game. Was death preventable?
The death of a Mercer University student who suddenly collapsed during an intramural soccer game has left students with concerns about whether there could’ve been better preparation for a medical emergency.
Mason Sells, 20, collapsed at the intramural soccer fields after deflecting a soccer ball off his chest on Sept. 24. Mercer medical student and former emergency medical technician Reed Resendiz was on the opposing team during the incident and said he rendered immediate aid.
“I did the best that I could with the amount of training I had and with the equipment provided,” Resendiz said. “I wish that this could have ended differently, but as a Samaritan with limited equipment there wasn’t much I could do and I know EMS did the best to their ability.”
First responders were on scene within three minutes of the initial 911 call, according to Larry Brumley, senior vice president for Marketing Communications at Mercer University. Coroner Leon Jones and Brumley both said CPR was administered quickly after Sells collapsed.
But another student, Bobby Shelton, said the emergency medical personnel were “walking at a leisurely pace” after students “urged them to hurry.”
It wasn’t until emergency responders arrived that an automated external defibrillator, commonly referred to as an AED, was used. The university says there were multiple AEDs at the outdoor recreation complex where the intramural soccer games are hosted.
When asked if the university will adjust any safety policies after this incident, officials said the university is constantly searching for ways to improve its processes and procedures.
Brumley said there already are “more than 40” AEDs on campus and at least one in most major buildings as well as in each Mercer Police patrol car.
A STRING OF TRAGEDIES
Two days before Sells’ death, Wesleyan cross-country runner Nefertari Holston was pronounced dead after going into cardiac arrest while competing at a cross country meet hosted by Middle Georgia University in Macon, according to media reports.
The same day, freshman cornerback Khalil Moody collapsed during a football game against The Citadel at Five Star Stadium. The game was delayed for over 15 minutes as medical staff tended to him. Kate Hardie, a student intern for the football team, said an AED was utilized on scene. The Mercer athletics department said Moody is now in stable condition. Without the quick response of the medical staff, that might not have been the case.
On Apr. 10, 2023, another tragedy happened during a pickup soccer game on the university’s intramural field when Baba Agbaje collapsed and was later pronounced dead from cardiac arrest.
This string of tragedies highlights the importance of AED education especially during sports events.Jannifer Fowler, a paramedic and program director of Pillar EMS, said having an AED “is crucial, it is the difference between life and death.”
Fowler said she doesn’t think AED education is adequate in schools. It is critical for personnel and even participants in events to understand where AEDs are located, so if someone collapses, “nobody is running around trying to find it, which is what usually happens,” Fowler said.
“Immediate use of CPR and use of an AED can double, or even triple, survival rates,” according to the American Heart Association. In addition, 9 out of 10 people who receive a shock from an AED in the first minute live.
‘Always having a smile on his face’
Sells is remembered for “always having a smile on his face” and being a “voice of reason” to Nathan Jones, a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity at Mercer who has been friends with Sells since childhood. A candlelight vigil was held Sept. 29, which would have also been Sells’ 21st birthday. There were around 250 people who attended to honor his memory and the legacy he left behind.
Jacob Woods, the president of the Alpha Tau Omega chapter at Mercer, organized a GoFundMe page to support the Sells family.
Reporter Jesse Fraga contributed to this story.