Why did the ambulance that could have saved Jesus de Miguel remain outside the stadium? Doubts over medical assistance

Jesus de Miguel died at 8:00 a.m. on November 3 in the intensive care unit of La Candelaria Hospital. He had been taken there in a stable but serious condition after suffering a cardiopulmonary arrest on the pitch, caused by a hard collision with goalkeeper Owono. His heart had been restarted thanks to cardiopulmonary resuscitation during transport by ambulance. However, this ambulance never entered the field of play.

It is from this moment that the investigation opened by the National Police begins. The file is now in the hands of investigators, who must reconstruct what happened during those dramatic moments. This is essential to answer the only question everyone is asking: could the footballer have been saved?

The investigation is not only related to the clash with Owono

The investigation does not focus only on the collision with the goalkeeper and the consequences that it may have in terms of criminal law, but also on everything that happened after the collision and the time it took for medical intervention. There are several elements of the emergency chain that raise questions, especially the way the player's transport was managed. Why did the ambulance remain outside the stadium? Why was an AED (Automatic External Defibrillator) not used? Why was the stretcher on which the player was placed transported by the players? Was the protocol provided for such cases fully respected? After the pain and messages of condolence, the legal need now arises to clarify a number of points that still remain unclear.

Why was the ambulance left outside the stadium?

At the Heliodoro Rodriguez stadium, the ambulance can enter through the San Sebastian stand. This is the only point that directly connects the road to the playing field. The procedure stipulates that the ambulance will only enter if the medical staff declares that the patient needs complete immobilization. Why was this procedure not activated in the case of De Miguel?

If it were confirmed that a person had been in ventricular fibrillation for twenty minutes inside a stadium, without receiving the necessary assistance or undergoing defibrillation, as is the hypothesis raised by the Spanish daily El Mundo, the matter would take on entirely different dimensions from a judicial point of view.

The stretcher was carried by the footballers themselves.

Another striking sight is that of the Tenerife and Andorra players carrying De Miguel off the pitch. They help carry the Red Cross stretcher off the pitch, while Gomis stands in the middle and directs the operation. The point is not to blame the medical staff. What needs to be understood is whether the personnel present had the necessary means and conditions to intervene as quickly as possible.

In the event of a cardiac arrest, time is of the essence. Equally important are resuscitation and possible defibrillation. For this reason, the sequence of interventions and the time of transport become essential elements. It now needs to be clarified what happened between the collision with Owono and arrival at the hospital. It must be determined whether, during those minutes when De Miguel still needed to be saved, everything possible was done.