Czech Police reward four teenagers for saving a woman's life

Four teenagers received awards today from Vladimír Danyluk, the director of the Ústí Regional Police, for saving someone’s life. Last week the four saved the life of an older woman who was probably about to die as the result of a suicide attempt. 

The two boys and two girls range in age from 14 to 18. The incident took place last Wednesday when Roman Horvát, Anita Horvátová, Petr Jano and Pavlína Szasziová were out for a walk along the Elbe river in the Neštěmice quarter.

During their stroll they heard someone’s mobile telephone ringing for a very long time. The teenagers followed the sound and found a woman lying in the grass a few meters away from the riverbank.

"We discovered she was still breathing. My friend called an ambulance and I answered the phone and let her family know what was happening. We put a coat on her so she wouldn’t be cold and waited for the ambulance," Anita Horvátová told the Czech News Agency, adding that she had originally believed the woman to be dead.

"We were all afraid. She lived, she survived, and that’s good," Horvátová said.

"I ran to the fishermen to ask them how an ambulance might get down there," said 16-year-old Roman Horvát, Anna’s brother. When the emergency responders arrived, he got in their vehicle and led them to the spot.

In the meantime the other teenagers covered the woman with their own coats so she wouldn’t catch cold. Her husband also arrived at the scene; the woman is seriously ill and probably wanted to commit suicide because she is in enormous pain. 

"Alcohol and a bottle were found there, as well as signs that medicines had been taken," Danyluk told the Czech News Agency. If the teenagers hadn’t found the woman, she probably would have died. 

"Their behavior took us by surprise – we were surprised that they answered the phone, they didn’t just help themselves to it, and they responded to the situation the woman was in," Danyluk said, explaining his decision to give the teenagers recognition. The teenagers claim they would gladly do the same thing in the future.   

"That’s what anyone would do, we should always help others," said Petr Jano. Police gave the rescuers not just certificates, but gifts of computer accessories and small electronic items.