The procedure for Ralph Orlando was the standard one: closed massage and artificial ventilation, with simultaneous injection of substances to correct metabolic imbalance. This procedure failed to induce spontaneous contractions of the heart muscle. Electrical defibrillation was then begun.

No one had any idea how long it had been since Orlando had suffered his arrest; presumably whoever had ridden with him in the ambulance knew, but that person could not be found.

Initial electroshock therapy failed. Using a long needle, Adrenalin and calcium were now injected directly into the right heart ventricle, and further shocks were administered. It was now twelve minutes since his arrival.

While this was going on, the rest of the EW staff was organizing itself around the other patients. One resident was assigned to oversee the care of each injured man. In the operating room across from Orlando, John Conamente was also surrounded by people. He was simultaneously being examined by the orthopedic surgeons, having intravenous lines inserted in both arms, having blood samples drawn, being catheterized, and being questioned by the resident, who stood at his head and shouted in order to be heard over the noise of the people working around him. The resident conducted a typically stripped-down history and systems review, which under normal conditions might take ten or twenty minutes.

The resident asked, "What happened? Did it fall on you?" (At this time, most people still did not know the nature of the accident, except that something had fallen on a group of construction workers.)

"Yeah," John Conamente said.

"Where did it hit you?"

"My leg."

"Where else? Did it hit your shoulders?"

"Yeah."

"Did it hit your head?"

"No."

"Were you unconscious?"

"No."

"Does your left arm hurt?"