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'Without them, we may have had a different outcome': Phoenix lifeguards honored for saving man's life

Those guards are being recognized for their heroic actions that saved a man's life.

PHOENIX — When a car crashed near a Phoenix public pool in late June, a group of teenage lifeguards sprang into action, going above and beyond the call of duty.

Those guards are being recognized for their heroic actions that saved a life.

By all accounts, it was a normal Monday afternoon on June 27. The lifeguards at the Deer Valley Pool at 19th Avenue and Utopia Road were going about their normal business when suddenly everything changed.

“I was just sitting, eating some food, some lunch,” said Lifeguard Riley Eans. “And then I heard my assistant manager, Elizabeth, go, ‘there is a car accent across the street, and some guards decided to respond, you should too.’ So, I got up immediately.”  

“So, we went across the street, but once we crossed the street we saw this older man on the ground,” recalled Lifeguard Itzianahi Toyos. “And we were like, 'oh, this is something serious.'”  

A driver, driving northbound on 19th Avenue, suffered a medical emergency. He passed out behind the wheel and struck a pole. When the Phoenix Fire Department arrived, it was a scene they weren’t quite expecting.

“When we arrived, we got and there was a bunch of lifeguards around, that come from across the street here,” said Phoenix Fire Medic Troy Campbell. “And we're all doing CPR on him. Half of them were barefoot still. And they were just all helping out, doing what they could to revive this guy.”

“So, I was already the one with gloves so I addressed the head wound, and then I switched with the person that had the [CPR] mask on the seal, because I already had gloves, so no one was applying pressure. So, I kind of either used my elbows or my knee to still apply pressure to the head wound while still using my hands to mask him for the [CPR] breaths,” said Toyos.

The quick thinking and action by the Deer Valley Lifeguards gave the man the best possible chance for survival. For that, they were honored for their bravery and courage.

“The metaphor is: you either bite as a puppy or not, and you all bit,” explained Phoenix Fire Captain Todd Keller, as he addressed the group of lifeguards on Tuesday. “And because of what you did, someone is breathing. We have some awards we are going to give out from the City of Phoenix. We really want to say thank you on behalf of the fire department, and the City of Phoenix for what you did.”

Each lifeguard received the Phoenix Fire Life Saver Award for their actions.

“It's very humbling to have been a part of something like that,” Eans said. “And it's very much a bonding experience for us guards to feel like we did that together.”

Medic Troy Campbell summed up their courage like this:

“Those guys did a great job and they were competent, they're efficient, they quickly intervened and without them, we may have had a different outcome.”

The name and current condition of the driver, as well as what led to the accident, are not available due to privacy issues.

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