Morrison teen’s quick actions help save woman’s life

MORRISON, Ill. (KWQC) - What started as an ordinary drive to work turned into a life-changing moment for a Morrison teenager whose decision to stop and help may have saved a woman’s life.

Earlier this month, 16-year-old Randy Gerlach was driving to work when he noticed a car sitting in a ditch along Linden Road near Morrison. While other drivers continued on, Gerlach said something didn’t feel right.

“I didn’t know what might have been going on,” Gerlach said. “And it could have been something that might have killed her if I didn’t stop.”

Unsure whether the driver had simply gone off the road or needed help, Gerlach turned his car around to check.

“I wasn’t sure if something actually happened or if they just accidentally went too far on the shoulder,” he said. “So I turned around because I figured by then, if it was an accident and they didn’t mean to, they would have been gone by then, and they weren’t.”

When he reached the vehicle, Gerlach found a woman unconscious behind the wheel with the car still running.

He immediately called 911 and followed the dispatcher’s instructions while waiting for first responders to arrive.

“I called 911 and did what they told me, went through the whole thing until they got here,” Gerlach said.

Emergency crews rescued the woman from the locked vehicle and took her to the hospital.

Gerlach said first responders later told him that if he had arrived about 20 minutes later, the woman likely would not have survived.

“Mostly just right place at the right time and that I actually did the right thing,” he said.

Despite being called a hero by his family, Gerlach doesn’t see himself that way.

Instead, he hopes others would make the same decision if they encounter someone who may need help.

“Go with your gut and listen to what the dispatcher — whoever you called — is telling you to do,” Gerlach said. “And if it seems sketchy, don’t try to do it.”

The woman has since returned to work and told KWQC she is doing better.

Gerlach said he hopes she’s continuing to recover and encourages others to trust their instincts because a simple decision to stop and check on someone could make all the difference.