CPR drop mechanism for a hospital bed

A patient support apparatus, such as a bed, stretcher, or the like, includes a support deck having a plurality of pivotable sections adapted to support a patient thereon. A head section of the support deck generally supports a patient's torso and is movable between a generally horizontal orientation and a raised orientation. A CPR drop assembly allows the head section to be pivoted relatively quickly to the horizontal orientation in order to allow CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) to be administered to the patient. The drop assembly may include a foot pedal having both a mechanical and electrical link to an actuator. The drop assembly may also be configured to operate in different manners depending upon the angular orientation of the head section at the time the drop assembly is initially activated.