Man dies following cardiac event in park
A man died in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park last week following a cardiac event near the Greenbrier Ranger Station Aug. 9.
Harold Thompson, 58, of Knoxville, Tennessee, was hiking along the Injun Creek manway leading to the Grapeyard Ridge Trail with his brother when he experienced cardiac distress about 1.5 miles from the ranger station.
Ranger received a report of the situation at about 2 p.m. Thompson’s brother, an EMT, administered CPR along with park medics for about an hour, and emergency responders used an automated external defibrillator as well. Under consultation with the park’s medical advisor from the University of Tennessee Medical Center, Thompson was pronounced dead at approximately 3 p.m. He was transported by the Gatlinburg Fire Department to LeConte Medical Center.
