By Gary Massaro
Rocky Mountain News (Denver, CO)
Copyright 2007 Denver Publishing Company
WESTMINSTER, Colo — One set of heroes honored a trio of others Tuesday at the scene of what could have been a tragedy.
Westminster firefighters and paramedics congratulated Cesar Gonzalez, Alfonso Zuniga and Junior Simental, crediting them with saving the life Saturday of a youth who had gone to the bottom of an apartment complex swimming pool, hauling him out and reviving him.
Zuniga, Gonzalez and Simental told of their rescue at a news conference.
Zuniga, 26, was returning home after picking up his wife, Laura, at work.
“I saw splashing,” he said. “I saw only hands above the water. I told my wife, ‘I don’t think he’s playing.’ ”
So Zuniga ran to the poolside, where he noticed the unidentified youth lying on the bottom.
Gonzalez was riding bikes with Simental, a fellow Iver Ranum High School classmate. They saw the commotion and went to poolside.
Gonzalez, 19, jumped in.
“He was totally on the bottom,” Gonzalez said. “His eyes were white.”
Gonzalez grabbed the boy and pushed off the bottom of the pool, making it to the side, where Zuniga and Simental helped pull him out.
Then Gonzalez started cardio-pulmonary resuscitation.
“I had to take a health class at school,” Gonzalez said. “I saw other kids doing it. But I didn’t try it. I was scared. If he died, what was I going to do? Am I responsible for his death?”
Zuniga ran to the office to have someone call 911, but no one was available. So he called authorities on his cell phone. He said he was thankful he learned CPR in a course sponsored by his employer, King Soopers, where he is a baker.
Zuniga kept encouraging and guiding Gonzalez through the procedure.
“I told him, ‘Don’t stop,’ ” Zuniga said.
So Gonzalez kept pushing on the boy’s chest.
“Then I give him some air,” Gonzalez said. “I press again and then give him more air. I do this about three, four times.”
The boy spit out water, came to and began to speak.
“He said, ‘I was dead.’ Then he said a bad word at the water,” Zuniga said.
The boy’s identity hasn’t been released. He didn’t want to talk to reporters.
“I saw him (Monday),” Zuniga said. “He looked happy.”
Firefighters who showed up to congratulate the heroes were happy as well.
“It was pretty great,” said Jeff Wofford, a firefighter-paramedic with Westminster Fire and Rescue. “Without their help, this kid might not have made it. They’re the real heroes on this one.”
The youth pulled from the pool doesn’t live at the complex.
Firefighter/paramedic Samuel Pendleton congratulated the heroes as well.
“Thanks for being able to jump in,” he said. “A lot of people would have just kept walking.”