BREAKING: Man transported from AC to local hospital

Perla Arellano | The Ranger | Amarillo firefighters and paramedics responded to a medical emergency on the Washington Street Campus Monday and found a man who had suffered from a seizure.

A man was transported to a local hospital after suffering a seizure on the Washington Street Campus Monday, Amarillo College Police Department Officer David Pearson said.

Windy Peyton said her husband, Austin Peyton, 31, was transported to Northwest Texas Hospital after the seizure. Pearson said he was in stable condition.

The seizure occurred about 3:55 p.m. on the first floor of Lynn Library Learning Center. Windy Peyton said they were visiting Casey McGee, coordinator for the Library Learning Commons, a friend she made when she was a student in the past.

The Peytons were accompanied by two service dogs, Wizard, a Seeing-Eye dog, and Sunny Boy, who is also training as a Seeing-Eye dog. Sunny Boy, Windy Peyton said, is also trained to give an alert when a person is having a seizure. The dog began nudging her as the seizure began, she said.

“I noticed immediately, the dog Windy is training, as soon as he (Austin) made a fist, that dog wanted over there with him,” McGee said. “This dog is really sensitive to that.”

After he came out of the seizure, McGee said Windy Peyton had her husband lie down to rest. McGee left for a meeting and didn’t know first-responders had been called and that Austin Peyton had been transported to a local hospital.

“I thought he was OK,” McGee said.

Leesa Robinson, a radiography major, was in the library working on homework when the incident occurred. She said she was startled, but the Peytons weren’t “freaking out” so she did not feel as if she should get involved.

“I had my headphones on,” said Robinson, adding she had no idea what happened until she saw firefighters enter the library.

After they arrived, Robinson said she felt it best to keep to herself, and let the professionals tend to their patient, even though it bothered her that she had not noticed something was happening across the room.

“The thing that bothers me is I had no idea what was going on or that there was a problem,” Robinson said. “It makes me think with technology and millennials’ mindset, are we dangerously unaware of our surroundings?”

Robinson said she though she’s never been in a similar situation, she’d like to think if she were to need help, others wouldn’t hesitate.

“What if someone was alone on campus and had an attack or passed out? How long would it take for someone to notice?” Robinson said. “I hope if I were to pass out in my chair, someone would notice and come check me out.”