Story told by Mandy McMahon

“I’m not all about accolades, I was just there at the right time—at the right time, with the right training,” said Teresa Collins, an American Red Cross-certified lifeguard who works as the assistant Aquatics Director at the Caine Halter YMCA of Greenville. “I'm just happy I was there because no one else stopped.”

It was dark on January 21st when Teresa stopped at an intersection in Simpsonville, SC, and watched a frightening accident unfold. Two teenage girls were riding an ATV when they collided with a four-wheeler and were launched off the ATV. The ATV flipped and landed on top of one of the girls, breaking her pelvis, her leg, and causing extensive bleeding from her head.

“It shook me a little bit. It was scary to watch; I saw the whole thing unfold in slow motion,” said Teresa. “I jumped out of my car leaving it on, the door open, and calling 9-1-1 as I approached the girls.”

She immediately pulled over and angled her vehicle at the scene, because her headlights were the only source of light on the road.

“I’m thankful that I’ve been given the training. It kicked in—automatically. I knew the first thing I needed to do was get down close and assess what was going on. I had to do a rapid assessment of what had happened, what was hurt, see if she’s breathing, see if she’s conscious—she wasn’t, but she was breathing.”

Teresa worked to stabilize the girl’s head while she left her phone on speakerphone talking to 9-1-1. The other girl was in shock from the accident and Teresa supported her at the same time while helping her to calm down until more help arrived.

“She came to, but she wasn’t talking to me, she was trying to feel her legs and sit up. I’m still holding her head to prevent further injury. I didn’t feel comfortable moving her. I wanted to stay within my scope of training. That’s when EMS arrived and took over.”

The girl eventually was able to talk and understood what happened. Thanks to Teresa’s action, the two girls survived the accident.

In recognition of her heroism, the Red Cross of South Carolina presented Teresa with the Lifesaving Award Certificate of Merit, the most prestigious award conferred by the Red Cross and signed by the President of the United States. The Red Cross Life Saving Award Certificate of Merit is given to individuals who save or sustain a life without a duty to respond, using skills they learned from a Red Cross training course.

“Lifesavers like Teresa exemplify the mission of the Red Cross to prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies,” said Jamie Raichel, the executive director for the Upstate Chapter of the Red Cross of South Carolina. “We are extremely proud to present this award and commend Teresa for her willingness to help others in distress.”

Teresa was nominated for the award by her supervisor, Sean VanVelsor, Aquatics Director at the Caine Halter Y. Sean was Teresa’s lifeguarding instructor seven years ago, then as a swim instructor, and later as a swim instructor trainer and a lifeguard instructor.

“She didn't leave here at 7 pm thinking that she was going to save a life. She happened to be in the right place, at the right time with the right training. She called me after the whole thing happened and told me the training kicked in,” said Sean. “I felt that she deserved to be nominated, not just for her benefit but to encourage others to get trained and respond.”

This is not the first time Sean has nominated people he’s trained in lifesaving skills for a Red Cross lifesaving award.

“Teresa is an example of things that happen all the time. It’s not always within these walls, especially in a controlled environment like the YMCA,” Sean mentions how lifesaving skills aren’t just for first responders. “A lot of the feedback I’ve received from training is former staff members coming to me and saying ‘Hey, you certified me, and I was at some event and used lifesaving skills,’ which is awesome. It’s a testament to the training. When the emergency happened, their training kicked in.”

Sean has a competitive swimming background and was introduced to the beginner side of swimming which spurred his passion for aquatics and water safety training. More than twenty years later, he’s still training lifeguards and teaching people of all ages to learn and enjoy the life skill of swimming.

“We can’t fully prepare for every situation that happens, but the more people who are prepared with training the more people who are equipped to respond,” said Sean.

DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO’S SAVED A LIFE? Nominate them for an American Red Cross Lifesaving Award or sign up to take a class today at redcross.org/take-a-class.