A Los Angeles-based meteorologist, Alissa Carlson Schwartz, collapsed during a live TV broadcast on Saturday morning.
When she passed out, she was about to give a weather update about the impending rain in Los Angeles. According to TMZ, the incident was caught on camera and was a terrifying sight. Carlson’s eyes rolled to the back of her head before collapsing onto the desk she was sitting at.
“The video is absolutely horrifying … you see Carlson’s eyes roll to the back of her head, and she begins to lean forward on the desk she was at. Eventually, she completely collapses,” the outlet added.
When Nichelle Medina and Rachel Kim realized what was going on, they cut to a commercial.
WATCH:
Watch: Relieved to report that CBS LA meteorologist Alissa Carlson Schwartz says she is “going to be OK” after this scary moment when she fainted live on air this morning. The show went to a break as colleagues rushed to help her. pic.twitter.com/u3TI2rvZkt
— TV News Now (@TVNewsNow) March 19, 2023
CBS Los Angeles Vice President and News Director Mike Dello Stritto issued a statement to TMZ hours after Carlson collapsed on camera.
“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,” Stritto said.
“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,” he added.
Carlson also posted a brief update on her Facebook page, thanking everyone for their texts, phone calls, and well wishes. Although nothing has been said about what caused her to collapse, the meteorologist had a previous heart condition, according to TMZ.
“Thanks for all the texts, calls, and well wishes. I’m going to be okay!” she wrote.
Carlson had a similar experience years before, throwing up on set during a weather report while working at another station, and as a result, she was diagnosed with a leaky heart valve in 2014.
“Here’s the thing … Carlson had previously experienced a similar episode years ago — throwing up on set during a weather report when she was at a different station — and as a result … she was diagnosed with a leaky heart valve. That was back in 2014,” TMZ reported.
“Unclear if her previous diagnosis played any role in Saturday’s episode. We’ve reached out to KCAL for a statement … so far, no word back. They haven’t addressed this at all thus far,” it added.
