A California meteorologist fainted while on air during a Saturday morning broadcast, toppling out of her chair and startling her colleagues just as her segment began.
That meteorologist is Alissa Carlson Schwartz. She works for CBS L.A. and was preparing to deliver her usual weather report on that outlet’s 7:00 a.m. broadcast when she suddenly fainted, with her head falling forward and hitting her desk before she slid out of her chair.
After a short pause, Schwartz’s co-anchors informed viewers that they would take a “quick break” and the show then cut to commercials. Watch that scary event here:
🚨#WATCH: As terrifying moment happened when a CBS LA meteorologist collapsed live on air
Terrifying moment shows when a CBS LA meteorologist Alissa Carlson Schwartz collapsed on-air on Saturday morning while doing a live report her co workers… https://t.co/zkWpaB81yZ pic.twitter.com/tQ9To9spDo
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) March 19, 2023
Schwartz later posted on Facebook, saying, “Thanks for all the texts, calls & messages. I’m going to be ok!” That message followed many of support for her and hoping for her health and well-being, along with speculation as to whether she was okay.
CBS Los Angeles Vice President and News Director Mike Dello Stritto spoke about Schwartz in a statement to TMZ, saying:
“Our colleague Alissa Carlson became ill during our 7 AM newscast this morning. I want to thank her co-workers who took immediate action to comfort Alissa and call 911. Alissa is being treated at the hospital right now. Hopefully we’ll know more shortly. In the meantime, Alissa will be in our thoughts and we’re praying for her to be feeling much better soon.”
Breitbart hinted that the on-air fainting might have happened because of her heart condition, saying:
TMZ noted that Schwartz have previously discussed having a heart condition, which she said she discovered after a 2014 episode in which she vomited during a newscast. It is unclear whether her collapse on Saturday is related to this condition.
In a 2018 segment for KGET, where Schwarz then worked as the chief meteorologist, she said the health scare led to a doctor’s appointment and the discovery that she had a leaky heart valve, which would likely need to be replaced at some point in the future.
Later, nine months after giving birth to her daughter, she said she began to experience chest pains. After seeking medical attention, she learned stem cells from her daughter had caused the valve to “repair itself.”
“The stem cells from my baby had started to heal my heart,” she said tearfully, “I feel like I owe it to people and everybody and to God to give back and to spread this story and to realize that you may have something that you don’t even know you have.”
This isn’t the only on-air collapse to go viral on social media recently. Another happened when Rollan Roberts II, a West Virginia Republican state senator, was announcing hi longshot bid for the presidency. His wife collapsed during the speech and he hesitated to run to her aid, as The New York Post reported:
Footage showed an aide standing nearby trying to stop her from falling, but she dropped to the floor along with an American flag. Meanwhile, the candidate glanced over at his sprawled wife – and did nothing as several people walk over to her. After what seemed like an interminable five seconds, Roberts finally heads to her side. Not surprisingly, he has been mocked mercilessly on social media for his feeble response to his wife in her moment of distress.
Here’s the video of that an example of the mockery directed Roberts’ way:
Rollan Roberts II announces his White House bid as pregnant wife collapses beside him at WV State Capitol. It’s unreal to me the amount of time that passes between him realizing she collapsed and when he begins to casually walk to her. https://t.co/d00djo0P2H
— carrie sunkist (@CarrieSunkist) January 27, 2023
Featured image credit: screengrab from embedded video
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