MURRAY, Utah — Nearly three dozen people, made up of both first responders and civilians, were celebrated Monday night for helping save lives during two separate incidents in Murray.
One of those incidents took place on December 20th of last year.
Heather Van Boerum was heading into the Costco in Murray when she heard some commotion nearby.
"I turned to look and saw a car headed towards me, and I was hit by that car into another car," she said.
Dozens of employees at Costco jumped in immediately to help her, and first responders arrived just minutes later.
One of those was Tad Raban, a firefighter and paramedic with the Murray City Fire Department.
"We took over from that point, put on some more tourniquets up high, stop that blood flow," said Raban.
The incident resulted in Van Boerum having both legs amputated. But ultimately, the actions of Raban and the others saved her life.
"She was getting pretty close. She was still conscious and talking, just asking for pain meds," said Raban.
The efforts by him and the others to save her life were recognized during the Murray Safety Fair at Murray Park.
One by one, those who played a role in saving Van Boerum's life received an award and even a warm embrace from her.
The event also honored the heroic efforts of a handful of other people, including the Zaharias family, who stepped in and stepped up to save 15-year-old Cole Andrew.
Andrew nearly drowned in a backyard pool in Murray back in April.
"I was just trying to get out of the pool, try to push myself up out of the pool," Andrew said. "I wasn't able to, and lost consciousness."
Andrew's friends Malachi Merrill and Johnny Zaharias were there to help get him out of the pool and keep him from drowning.
"We didn't know exactly how Cole was doing, so it definitely felt like it could've been a life or death situation," said Merrill.
Raban got emotional when talking about Van Boerum, who he saw for the first time Monday since the incident back in December.
"It was wonderful," he said. "It's great to see people up walking around."
It was a sentiment echoed by those like Van Boerum.
"The fact that I have lost my legs just pales in comparison to what could have been," she said.
Both Van Boerum and Andrew told FOX 13 News they are grateful for the men and women who stepped up to help them when they needed it the most.
