After Colorado Man Collapses at Rec Center, Quick-Thinking Employees Credited for Saving His Life: 'True Heroes'

Mar. 15, 2025

A Colorado man owes his life to the staff of a recreational center, who jumped in to help after he experienced a heart attack, officials told a local news outlet.During the June incident at the Trails Recreation Center in Centennial, Colo., the unidentified man fainted inside the center and soon four workers, including Travis Toler, began performing CPR on him,KCNC reported on Monday, Sept. 9.“I took his pulse and checked for any kind of breathing, sense of life, and immediately determined he had no pulse and he wasn’t breathing,” Toler told the station.Christina Neely, another employee, said: “When I arrived on the scene, they were already performing CPR, so I jumped in and started performing the rescue breaths for this person.“Staffers also called 911 and worked to clear the area.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.KCNC reported that the employees created something of a life-saving system with their efforts, as one staff member was connecting the AED, or automated external defibrillator, while two others were performing chest compressions and a fourth member of the staff was providing ventilation.“I’m thinking about the quality of what I’m doing, making sure my compression depth was good and I was at the right rate and just focusing on quality,” Toler said.Neely echoed that, telling the station, “We just kept reassessing and reassessing, trying to figure out if we were doing the next right step.“Colorado Rec Center Staff Save Man’s Life During Heart Attack.CBS ColoradoIt was during this process that Deputy Jeremy Kurzinger, with the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office, arrived as one of the first responders and told KCNC that the four workers were “a team.““I just jumped in as a fifth man to relieve that person doing chest compressions until South Metro Fire Rescue arrived on scene,” Kurzinger said.Kurzinger, along with the recreation center’s staff, worked together until paramedics got there and took over — and determined the man had a pulse and could be taken to a local hospital for further treatment.Kurzinger said the positive outcome would not have been possible if it weren’t for the staff who initially responded.“Knowing that they were there as soon as he hit the ground, performing CPR, is what saved his life those first few minutes,” the deputy told KCNC.“For them to see this and just step up to the plate is what’s heroic to me. They are the true heroes,” he added.In a statement to PEOPLE, the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office said, in part, “We’re proud of Deputy Kurzinger for his efforts that day and we’re grateful for the staff at the Trails Recreation Center for jumping into action and working together as a team until help arrived.““It was a group effort that saved this man’s life and each one of them is a hero,” the sheriff’s office said.(Representatives from the Trails Recreation Center did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.)As for Toler, he said he was beyond excited when he learned that not only had the man survived the potentially fatal heart attack — he later showed back up at the center in person.“I can’t put into words that feeling. It was like Christmas morning, honestly, seeing him here, healthy, back in our facility,” Toler told KCNC. “There’s just no way to describe it.”

A Colorado man owes his life to the staff of a recreational center, who jumped in to help after he experienced a heart attack, officials told a local news outlet.

During the June incident at the Trails Recreation Center in Centennial, Colo., the unidentified man fainted inside the center and soon four workers, including Travis Toler, began performing CPR on him,KCNC reported on Monday, Sept. 9.

“I took his pulse and checked for any kind of breathing, sense of life, and immediately determined he had no pulse and he wasn’t breathing,” Toler told the station.

Christina Neely, another employee, said: “When I arrived on the scene, they were already performing CPR, so I jumped in and started performing the rescue breaths for this person.”

Staffers also called 911 and worked to clear the area.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

KCNC reported that the employees created something of a life-saving system with their efforts, as one staff member was connecting the AED, or automated external defibrillator, while two others were performing chest compressions and a fourth member of the staff was providing ventilation.

“I’m thinking about the quality of what I’m doing, making sure my compression depth was good and I was at the right rate and just focusing on quality,” Toler said.

Neely echoed that, telling the station, “We just kept reassessing and reassessing, trying to figure out if we were doing the next right step.”

Colorado Rec Center Staff Save Man’s Life During Heart Attack.CBS Colorado

CBS Colorado

It was during this process that Deputy Jeremy Kurzinger, with the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office, arrived as one of the first responders and told KCNC that the four workers were “a team.”

“I just jumped in as a fifth man to relieve that person doing chest compressions until South Metro Fire Rescue arrived on scene,” Kurzinger said.

Kurzinger, along with the recreation center’s staff, worked together until paramedics got there and took over — and determined the man had a pulse and could be taken to a local hospital for further treatment.

Kurzinger said the positive outcome would not have been possible if it weren’t for the staff who initially responded.

“Knowing that they were there as soon as he hit the ground, performing CPR, is what saved his life those first few minutes,” the deputy told KCNC.

“For them to see this and just step up to the plate is what’s heroic to me. They are the true heroes,” he added.

In a statement to PEOPLE, the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office said, in part, “We’re proud of Deputy Kurzinger for his efforts that day and we’re grateful for the staff at the Trails Recreation Center for jumping into action and working together as a team until help arrived.”

“It was a group effort that saved this man’s life and each one of them is a hero,” the sheriff’s office said.

(Representatives from the Trails Recreation Center did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.)

As for Toler, he said he was beyond excited when he learned that not only had the man survived the potentially fatal heart attack — he later showed back up at the center in person.

“I can’t put into words that feeling. It was like Christmas morning, honestly, seeing him here, healthy, back in our facility,” Toler told KCNC. “There’s just no way to describe it.”

source: people.com