A bike ride in Gilbert turned into a rescue, and now a 14-year-old is being formally recognised for it.
The Gilbert fire and rescue department said it will honour Royal Cothrun at an 11 August town council meeting after he helped an elderly woman with dementia who had wandered miles off course in 39.4C heat.
Cothrun was riding his bicycle in June when he came across Theresa Morgan struggling to walk with a grocery bag on one arm and a purse on the other, according to authorities and reporting by local outlet KNXV.
Cothrun later told KNXV he stopped because “she just looked like something was wrong”.
“I knew it was hot,” Cothrun said to the outlet. “She was sweating.”
Morgan, who turned 76 in July, had recently been diagnosed with dementia. She became disoriented on her way home after visiting a grocery store.
In video captured by Cothrun’s smart glasses, he could be heard telling her: “I don’t think there’s any apartments around here – I can tell you that.” “Yeah, I could look it up on my phone if you want me to.”
Cothrun took Morgan to some shade, helped her remember her son’s phone number and called him. He stayed with her until Jeff Morgan and Gilbert fire and rescue arrived.
Jeff told KNXV in a report first published on 9 July that he believed Cothrun’s kindness may have saved his mother’s life.
“It’s incredible, really, what he did,” Jeff said to KNXV. “Just so lucky, so fortunate, that he ran across her and he cared enough to stay with her and to take care of her.”
In a statement received by the Guardian on Friday, the fire department said confusion or sudden disorientation is a serious warning sign that someone may be close to heatstroke, which can be fatal if it is not treated quickly.
Battalion chief Ryan McHugh said the agency was “proud to recognize Royal’s heroism” and planned to honour him at the council meeting.
“Royal’s quick thinking and compassion not only protected a vulnerable member of our community – but also highlighted the real dangers posed by Arizona’s extreme heat,” McHugh said. “His actions remind us all to stay alert and look out for one another, especially during the summer months when heat-related illnesses can become life-threatening.”
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