Heroes Day 2015 WinnersAaron Romero, Alexander Stewart, and Andrew Miles

Aaron Romero, Alexander Stewart, and Andrew Miles

2015 Honorees

On April 3rd, 2015, on the westbound frontage road of Interstate 10 between Cortaro and Twin Peaks Rd., Andrew Miles, Aaron Romero, and Alexander Stewart witnessed a rollover accident involving four teenagers. The teenagers’ vehicle had rolled over multiple times, until it had stopped in the canal upside down, where the water was moving at a rate of 25 cubic feet per second.

They were able to get the three passengers out of the car and to the side of the road where they awaited first responders. The driver of the vehicle, Sabrina Montejano, was trapped underwater in the vehicle.

After many attempts to lift the car out of the water with no success, two of the bystanders brought their pick-up trucks to the sides of the vehicle, where they attached tow chains and straps to the car. Andrew Miles, a student at the University of Arizona and Alexander Stewart, a Sergeant attached to the DM rescue squadron, were able to lift the vehicle out of the water just enough so Sabrina’s head was above the water.

Aaron Romero, an RN with extensive emergency medical training, was able to cut Sabrina out of her seatbelt and bring her to the side of the road. After realizing she had no pulse and was not breathing, Aaron immediately began CPR.

With the help of these citizen heroes, Sabrina survived and was able to return home from the hospital five days later, where she continued her recovery without any signs of permanent damage from the crash. If it were not for the lifesaving actions of these three individuals, those four teenagers would not be with us today.