A group of state lawmakers performed emergency medical treatment Monday afternoon after one of their colleagues collapsed on the floor of the Arizona House.
Ray Barnes, 69, whose district covers parts of Scottsdale, was taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix where he was expected to stay overnight.
Rep. John Allen, R-Scottsdale, said he called 911 after noticing that Barnes was unconscious in his chair on the floor of the House.
Witnesses say that state representatives Colette Rosati, Ted Carpenter, and Cheryl Chase, with lobbyist Mike Williams and legislative assistant Ashley Mazur, performed CPR on Barnes, who was not breathing at the time.
They also used a heart defibrillator in an attempt to restart the lawmaker’s heart. The electronic devices were installed at the Legislature after another lawmaker died of a massive heart attack on the House floor during the 2000 session.
Officials did not know what caused Barnes’ collapse, but initial tests did not indicate a heart attack, said Barrett Marson, a House spokesman. Marson said Barns was in stable condition and was seeing visitors at the hospital.
