CBS Los Angeles weather forecaster, Alissa Carlson Schwartz, experienced a sudden medical crisis live on air, leading to her immediate hospitalization.
Scheduled to present the weather segment at 7:00AM, Carlson Schwartz unexpectedly began to feel unwell just as co-anchors Nichelle Medina and Rachel Kim were passing the broadcast to her.
As Medina introduced the forecast by referring to the "calm before the storm," viewers saw Carlson Schwartz's eyes roll back as she attempted to steady herself on the desk. The situation escalated as the meteorologist slumped forward, and her legs gave way, causing her to fall backwards behind the desk.
Watch the terrifying moment below:At first, Medina and Kim didn't seem to register that their colleague was in the throes of a medical emergency. They initially thought she was reacting to the upcoming bad weather. However, when the severity of the situation became clear, they swiftly cut to a break. On-set medics rushed to Carlson Schwartz's aid.
CBS Los Angeles chose to air pre-recorded and promotional content for several hours following the incident, according to TMZ.
Mike Dello Stritto, CBS Los Angeles' vice president and news director, addressed the alarming event: "Our colleague Alissa Carlson became ill during our 7AM 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."
Carlson Schwartz took to social media to address her audience, expressing gratitude for their "texts, calls, and well wishes", and assured everyone that she is "going to be ok!"
This is not the first health scare for the meteorologist. Back in 2014, Carlson Schwartz had a similar episode while working at another network.
While she was filling in for one of her colleagues, Schwartz suddenly began throwing up in the middle of the broadcast, leading to a diagnosis of a leaky heart valve, which doctors predicted would eventually need replacement.
It's not known if her fainting was related to this condition.
In a twist of fate, the weather forecaster discovered after her pregnancy that the stem cells had initiated healing of her heart valve. Since then, she has used her platform to raise awareness about heart disease, the leading cause of death in Americans.
Carlson Schwartz has also adopted a healthier lifestyle following her previous health scare, and has competed in a pageant to encourage others to get their heart health checked.
Our thoughts are with Carlson Schwartz during this challenging time, and we wish her a swift recovery.