If you follow ABC 7 meteorologist Drew Tuma on Facebook, you may have seen that he posted a black-and-white photo of an ugly gash on his forehead on Monday. As he has since explained on air, it came from collapsing on a Muni platform due to heat exhaustion on Saturday, during this past weekend's historic heatwave.
"Like many people in San Francisco, I don't have AC in my apartment," Tuma explains. "You know Friday was UNBEARABLY hot and there was no relief overnight into Saturday. During the heatwave Saturday morning, I was feeling a little lethargic in my house from all of the warmth. I had finally had it and thought I'll go into work early and be more comfortable in the AC."
He continues, "I hop on Muni to take it downtown. On the ride there, the car was warm and I could feel myself getting short of breath so I decide next stop I'll get off, get some fresh air and catch my breath. It was a little too late. I step off the train onto the platform and next thing I know I see stars and blackout."
He says that people on the platform rushed to help him, and the gash on his forehead came because he "fell like a tree in the woods" and hit his head on the ground. He was rushed to the emergency room, given "seven to nine stitches" and is making a full recovery, and he assures fans "Thankfully my brain will be just fine and my scar will heal nicely in due time." But some of the doctors who treated him joked that the lightning-bolt shape of the gash is "perfect for a weatherman."
"PLEASE let my experience with Heat Exhaustion remind you to ALWAYS listen to your body. Even a very healthy 20-something is not immune to the effects of extreme heat," Tuma writes.
The Department of Public Health reports that 60 people were admitted to the hospital for heat-related ailments during Friday's record-setting 106-degree heat and Saturday's 102-degree heat.
Via the Examiner we learn that not everyone got the medical attention they needed as quickly as Tuma did. Reportedly there were 28 life-threatening calls over the weekend in which fire engine crews waited 20 minutes or more for an ambulance to arrive, because EMTs were in short supply.