ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Being at the right place at the right time can sometimes save lives.
That’s what happened to Daniel Navarro, 17, when he was working at the Wendy’s on Apopka-Vineland Road in Orange County on March 24.
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Navarro said that’s where he found his pregnant co-worker unresponsive in the bathroom. His quick thinking led him to get down on the floor and perform CPR on her.
“Nobody was there, just a customer, so I started doing CPR. When she was calling 911, she asked for the address and everything so in about a minute, the manager came, everybody came, and I was already doing it, so (my co-worker) started to open (her) eyes and (try) to speak,” Navarro explained.
It just so happens, that same day, Navarro learned what to do during a CPR training at Lake Buena Vista High School.
“I would never think, like, I was going to save a life that same day,” he said.
Orange County Assistant Fire Marshal Inez Pressler said crews went to different high schools to teach first aid skills to ninth and 11th grade students as part of a state requirement.
“Part of the training was a video and it pretty much was telling the scenario when you find somebody, they’re down, call 911, start CPR. And we do the video and skill set so we actually watch them and we actually have them run through the scenario,” Pressler said.
Navarro, who moved to Central Florida from Venezuela a few years ago, said he was paying attention during the training along with 700 other students.
Pressler said Navarro is the perfect example of why it’s important to learn how to save a life.
“I’m just so proud of him, I really am,” she said.
A spokesperson with Orange County Public Schools said they plan to honor Navarro for his bravery at their board meeting next week.