By Aaron Bracamontes
El Paso Times
EL PASO, Texas — A group of Coronado High School cross country runners went out for a morning run Monday and ended up with harder training than they anticipated.
During their West Side neighborhood run, Aryana Martinez, Karime Martinez, Katiana Tarabulski, Rachel Schlinke and Shanahan Vigil and Chris Hernandez heard the faint cries of someone calling for help near the intersection of Escondido and El Puente.
The group quickly determined the cries were coming from the home of Debbie Whitcomb, 59, who had fallen and broken her hip.
Entering through a side door left unlocked, Vigil found the helpless resident.
“She told me she fell and broke her hip,” Vigil said. “I stayed with her and my friends went to ring doorbells to call 911.”
Neighbor Pat Phillips let the runners call 911, while she also went next door to help Whitcomb.
The group put their team skills in action and as one stayed with Whitcomb, another ran back to relay information to emergency dispatchers on the phone, while still others ran to grab blankets and pillows to keep the patient comfortable.
Whitcomb “looked like she wanted to cry,” Vigil said. “She said she had been there for three hours until we ran by.”
Paramedics eventually arrived and Whitcomb was taken to Providence Memorial Hospital.
On Tuesday, the group of runners delivered a card to Phillips’ home so she can give it to Whitcomb.
Phillips said she was impressed with how the group of teenagers responded and helped Whitcomb.
“She was definitely helpless,” Phillips said. “If these guys hadn’t heard her or gone to her aid, I have no doubt she would have been there all day.”
The runners were just happy Whitcomb is going to be OK.
“When we were waiting, you could hear her in pain and it was kind of scary,” Aryana Martinez said.
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