April 21, 2006 4:35 p.m. EST
Raleigh, CA (AHN) -- A defense lawyer was in the midst of his argument for a drunk driving case when he collapsed on the courtroom floor and died of a heart attack on Thursday, officials and friends said.
A police officer and bailiffs immediately attempted CPR after Tom Farris, 57, fell in the Wake County courthouse. Emergency personnel arrived within six minuets.
A friend of Farris and a fellow lawyer, Duncan McMillan, says Harris had previously experienced heart problems.
McMillan says that the courthouse had no defibrillators and the rescue workers didn’t have any when they arrived on the scene.
Defibrillators deliver shocks to the heart which can sometimes revive patients. Last year the county allocated money to buy them, but they have been studying where they are needed.
County spokeswoman Sharon Brown said the courthouse should have a minimum of four defibrillators by June.
Details here from All Headline News.