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Gilbert 14-year-old receives Citizen Hero Award for saving woman in severe heat
Fourteen-year-old Royal Cothrun helped a disoriented woman find shade and contact her family in extreme heat. The Town of Gilbert is awarding him a key to the town for his life-saving actions. FOX 10's Andrew Christiansen hears from the teen about his heroic actions.
GILBERT, Ariz. - A 14-year-old boy in Gilbert is being hailed as a hero after seeing a woman struggling in the heat and immediately jumping in to help.
What Happened:
Royal Cothrun was riding his E-bike near South Valley Junior High School when he saw a woman who was disoriented. That was when he decided to help her out by putting her in the shade and calling her family.
It was about 106 degrees outside when Cothrun noticed Theresa Morgan wandering down the street near Lindsey and Galveston roads in Gilbert.
Gilbert teen saves woman wandering in severe, 106-degree heat. (Courtesy: Cothrun family)
"Her face was pale, and she just looked really worried and confused," the teen said.
Becoming Disoriented:
Morgan was disoriented and mumbling, telling the teen she did not know where she was going.
"She was lost. I think she would have kept walking I hadn't seen her," he said.
Unable to Phone for Help:
To make matters worse, her purse zipper was stuck, so she could not get to her phone.
"Oh your phone's in there…It got stuck," video recorded by Cothrun at the scene showed.
Gilbert teen saves woman wandering in severe, 106-degree heat. (Courtesy: Cothrun family)
Far from Home:
Morgan said she lived near apartments, but the teen noted the nearest apartments were far away.
"I don't think there are any apartments around here. I can tell you that," the teen said on phone video.
Call for Help:
Cothrun got the woman into some shade and used his phone to call her son.
"While he was on his way, she fell in the rocks that were near the shade, so then, as soon as her son got her, he immediately called 911 because she was laying on the rocks, her arms were bleeding," he said.
Gilbert teen helps wandering woman in severe heat.
Dangers of Heat:
It is a 911 call doctors say likely saved her life. Dr. Frank LoVecchio, an emergency physician with Valleywise Health, says heat illness can sneak up on a person fast.
"The early things that happen are you feel weak, you feel tired, you might feel nauseous, you might feel abdominal pain," LoVecchio said. "Bring them someplace where it's cooler and that could be indoors, air conditioning, preferably also call 911 at the same time. If they're awake and able to drink something, give them something cool to drink."
Teen Honored as Hero:
The Town of Gilbert is honoring Royal for his actions with a key to the town and a Citizen Hero Award.
Gilbert teen receives Citizen Hero Award for life-saving efforts, after helping woman in severe heat.
His advice to others in his shoes is simple: "Make sure they're OK, and just check up on people if they look like they're in need," Cothrun said.
Map of where the teen found the woman.
The Source: Information in this report was gathered from Royal Cothrun, a 14-year-old Gilbert resident; Theresa Morgan, an affected resident; and Dr. Frank LoVecchio, an emergency physician with Valleywise Health.