Two Spanish Fork High School juniors, PJ Merrill and Traven Elquist, were hailed as heroes after saving the life of a man at a cross-country meet in the city on Saturday.
The incident unfolded while the students were waiting for their heat to begin. They noticed a commotion nearby and realized something was amiss when students from another school were waving and shouting. Rushing to the scene, they discovered the father of one of their teammates lying unresponsive on the ground.
Traven immediately called 911, while PJ assessed the situation. He determined that the man was not breathing, had no pulse, and was turning blue. Remembering their CPR training from the previous school year's class, PJ began administering the life-saving procedure.
After several tense minutes, the man took a sharp breath and began breathing again. Traven continued to guide first responders to the scene via phone, and the man was successfully transported to the hospital for further treatment.
The man is now recovering well following surgery. Merrill and Elquist's quick actions and the CPR training they received last school year in the class of Rory Eyring, at Spanish Fork High School, undoubtedly saved the man's life, making them true heroes in their community.