Two Iowa Teens on Bike Ride Save Woman After 16 Hours

Gunner Skidmore and Kohen Chick were just enjoying a typical summer bike ride near Fruitland, Iowa, when they spotted something unusual by the roadside that would change everything.

As the two friends pedaled toward Muscatine, Kohen noticed what looked like someone lying in a yard. They circled back to check, and what they found was urgent.

"I said, 'Hey ma'am, are you OK?'" Gunner recalled. "She was like, 'Yeah, I need help. Call 911.'"

The boys quickly called Gunner's mother, who rushed to the scene and contacted emergency responders. They learned the elderly woman had been stranded outside since 5 p.m. the previous evening, trapped in the heat for more than 16 hours without her phone, water, or any way to call for help.

The woman had fallen while feeding her horse and couldn't get up. With no phone and no one nearby, she had rolled herself from her backyard to the front of her property, hoping someone might see her.

"She was like scared. You could just tell because like her face, she was covered in all these bugs and stuff," Kohen said. The teens realized the woman had spent the entire night outdoors, frightened and exhausted.

Their timing couldn't have been more critical. "A few more hours and she definitely like wouldn't have made it," Gunner said.

Emergency responders transported the woman to a hospital in Muscatine for treatment. But the story of compassion didn't end with the rescue.

The Ripple Effect

While the woman recovers in the hospital, Gunner's mother has stayed connected with her family and stepped up to help. She's been caring for the woman's horse, making sure it has food and water every day.

She's also planning to welcome the woman home with a homemade lasagna when she's discharged. What started as two teenagers doing the right thing has turned into a whole network of care and support.

The rescue shows how paying attention to the world around us can make all the difference. These two friends could have easily ridden past, dismissed what they saw, or assumed someone else would help.

Instead, they stopped, investigated, and acted quickly when it mattered most.