MONUMENT, Colo. (KOAA) — A gym member collapsed at a Monument Planet Fitness in February, and quick action from two employees — and a good Samaritan — likely helped save his life. This story came to our attention after rumors began circulating that the person had died, but instead, we found out he’s on the road to recovery after the frightening ordeal.
On Feb. 10, a member collapsed while on the stair climber in the cardio area of the Planet Fitness in Monument. Club manager Cory Nigbur and employee Olivia Torres were nearby and immediately retrieved the gym’s automated external defibrillator, or AED.
“We had a medical emergency take place in our cardio area of the gym, and Olivia and myself were fortunate enough to be right there when the whole event went down,” Nigbur explained.
The AED guided them through the emergency response process, including CPR. The device is also capable of delivering an electric shock if needed during cardiac arrest.
“I never thought I’d have to actually use it,” Torres said of the AED.
Alongside a good Samaritan who did not want to be identified, Nigbur and Torres used their training to assist the member until paramedics arrived. The person who collapsed also did not want to be identified, but we’re told he visited the gym this week.
“It just felt amazing to know that you know I helped this man, and everyone else in the community just was so caring about him and really excited about his recovery,” Torres added with a smile.
Nigbur said the experience reinforced the value of preparation.
“You can never have too much training, and when, unfortunately, you need to use it, the more training you have, the better the outcome is going to be,” Nigbur said.
Torres echoed that message, urging everyone to learn CPR and first aid.
“I think everyone should know CPR. Everyone should know first aid. It’s just that important because you never know when or where it’s going to happen,” Torres said.
On Tuesday, Olivia received the district’s first-ever “Tiger Award” for her actions. Nigbur said the new award goes to staff who show extra initiative in taking care of their members.
“I think any business that has any number of people coming to it could benefit greatly from having this kind of machine and the proper training on how to use it,” Nigbur said of the AED device.
For more information on how an AED device works from the American Red Cross, click here.
“Without this machine, I’m not sure we would have had the outcome that we did,” Nigbur included.
Nigbur also pointed to the importance of keeping an eye on your heart rate while exercising.
“Monitoring your heart rate, having an idea of what feels normal to you is a great thing, especially when you’re in the gym,” he said. “The rule of thumb is usually 220 minus your age is around the active heart rate that you want to be at. And if you start to feel that you’re short of some breath, tightness in the chest, even numbing of the limbs, it’s definitely time to flag somebody down or just kind of stop and take a breather from what you’re doing.”
Click here for more on how you can safely monitor your heart rate from Johns Hopkins University.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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