The coughing did “wake Chad up” (or he was already awake), hence how we know about it in the first place. Chad relayed this information to Tammy’s father per the news story below. However, it has not been reported whether her falling out of bed awoke him. Let’s keep in mind that the “fact” that Tammy had a coughing/vomiting fit that evening and that she fell out of bed in the night (as opposed to having been moved there) comes only from Chad (as far as I am aware, unless one of the children has corroborated this).
Family members say mother of missing children in Rexburg joined a dangerous cult with new husband
I hate being the devil’s advocate (especially in this case), but, typically, if you are on the phone with 911 and are with someone in need of resuscitation, the 911 operator will request that you perform CPR and will walk you through what to do, if necessary, over the phone until help arrives. I do not see any indication in the following article of Alex being taken to the hospital for injuries, so the “blow” to the head may not have been as severe as one would expect. (Or, more likely, there was no blow to the head at all, MOO.)
Man dead after family fight at Chandler home leads to shooting