Tulane safety Devon Walker suffered a frightening neck injury during Saturday's game between the Green Wave and the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. In spite of initial reports to the contrary, however, he did not suffer a collapsed long or have a tracheotomy performed on the field as medical personnel tended to him, per Tulane team doctors.
"He did not drop a lung," said Green Wave team doctor Greg Stewart. He added that the doctors and paramedics on hand did perform CPR on Walker while he was on the field.
"When we first got out there and were dealing with him, we didn't have any equipment so it's all about what you can feel through sweat and gloves and all that kind of stuff. So, yes we did [perform CPR] because we figured we would rather err on the side on doing compressions when we didn't need to as opposed to not doing them and wishing we had."
As to the reports of possible paralysis from Walker's injuries, Stewart said that the possibility of such remains unknown.
"The reality is you don't know for 24 to 48 hours."
Walker was taken to Tulsa's St. Francis Hospital where he was diagnosed with a fractured cervical vertebra and swelling of the spinal cord. Per a statement released by the Tulane athletic department, Walker is set to have surgery in the "next one to two days."
Whether or not Walker will be able to return to full health is not yet known.
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