DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. — Five Mountain Vista High School students were honored for their quick-thinking and bravery after they rescued two people who were trapped in a crashed car at a busy Douglas County intersection in January.
Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly awarded all five students with the Sheriff's Commendation Award at the school on Thursday.
Amadou Bah, Ibrahima Bah, Abdulai Bah, Kasper Skonieczny and Ousmane Balde were waiting at a red light on their way to school on the bitter cold morning of Jan. 27, when temperatures had dropped below zero degrees. As they sat at the light, which was at the intersection of Wildcat Reserve Parkway and Poston Parkway, they witnessed a car crash, which ended with one of the cars flipping onto its roof in the intersection.
Before first responders arrived or any other drivers had even reacted, the group ran toward the overturned SUV and helped to ease the driver and passenger, who were both trapped, out of the car.
Amadou Bah said he remembered every driver around them stopping as the car tumbled in the intersection. It felt like time stood still, he said. No drivers got out of their cars.
"We all just started getting out and running," he said.
Ibrahima Bah said he was thankful they were there to help, and Abdulai Bah stressed that sometimes you need to take a risk to help somebody in need.
"They risked their own safety to ensure the well-being of others in their community, acting quickly to assist the victims despite not knowing the full extent of the danger at the scene," the sheriff's office said in a press release. "A cell phone video from the incident captured their heroic efforts, reflecting their willingness to put others before themselves in the face of uncertainty."
They were not paralyzed by fear or doubt, Sheriff Weekly said. They acted quickly and without hesitation, he said.
"They understood that people's lives were potentially at risk and they were there when it mattered most," he said. "... They chose to serve their community, not because they were asked to, but because they felt that it was the right thing to do."
Once first responders arrived, they briefly spoke with the teens before telling them to wait in the safety of their car as deputies worked around the crash scene.
The sheriff's office released body-worn camera footage from the scene, showing the students standing near the overturned car and explaining what had happened.
You can watch that full body-worn camera video below, as provided by the Douglas County Sheriff's Office.
Sheriff Weekly first heard about the incident from the school resource officer at Mountain Vista High School and wanted to thank and honor the teens' actions.
"These students displayed qualities far beyond their years: Courage, compassion and selflessness, despite the unknowns and despite the rush of traffic all around them and despite the dangers they may have faced with a flipped over vehicle in a busy intersection," Weekly said at the school on Thursday. "They didn't wait for somebody or an adult to come and take charge."
Watch the full ceremony honoring the teens at Mountain Vista High School in the video below.
They exemplify what it means to be good people, which is a core value of the high school, Weekly said.
“Their quick response, even at the risk of their own safety, is nothing short of heroic," he said. "I am proud to recognize them for their incredible actions.”
The sheriff explained that the two family members in the crashed car were unable to make the Thursday ceremony, but provided gift cards for each of the students as a token of their appreciation.
Take a break from the bad news and explore all of the good happening around Colorado in Denver7's positive news stories below. Have a positive story idea? Send it to newstips@denver7.com. We'd love to hear from you.
