Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia has given one of his detectives an award for the way he responded when a lawyer had a heart attack during a trial in September. Senior Corporal Frank Serra was waiting to testify in a different trial at the Crowley Courts Building on September 27th.
Defense Lawyer Allan Fishburn says he was starting at a murder trial. He was not the lead attorney.
"I remember driving into the courthouse thinking how easy it is to be second chair in a murder case because you don't have to do squat," he says.
But after submitting some exhibits on how PCP affects the body, Fishburn says he went into cardiac arrest.
"I sat down. Then I woke up in the hospital," he says.
While Serra waited to testify at a different trial, he was notified about Fishburn's emergency. Serra went to the courtroom and performed CPR for 15 minutes while paramedics responded.
"It's quite wild, going from getting ready to be questioned on the stand to giving CPR, but that's pretty much how it went," Serra says.
Tuesday, Garcia awarded Serra Dallas Police Department's Lifesaving Bar.
"The altruistic actions of Detective Frank Serra, without a doubt, were paramount in saving Allan Fishburn's life," Garcia read from the proclamation. "Without swift response by Detective Serra, Mr. Fishburn may not have survived a massive heart attack."
"You go from moments before getting on the stand to be questioned, and they're not easy questions, to acting as a human and acting as anybody should do to save another individual," Serra says. "I'm grateful I was able to react because you never really do know how you're going to react until you're put in that situation."
Fishburn attended the ceremony Tuesday at Dallas Police Headquarters.
"I'm very grateful," he said, adding he was able to return to his gym less than a week later.
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