“A few more hours and she definitely like wouldn't have made it,” one of the Iowa teens told local news outlet KWQC
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/Iowa-teens-save-life990-061826-AS-467ad148a8b04a15b627d8a74dae05fd.jpg "On June 9, 2026, Gunner Skidmore and Kohen Chick were riding their bicycles when they discovered an elderly woman who had fallen in her yard. The woman had been on the ground for more than 16 hours,")
Credit: Muscatine County Emergency Management
NEED TO KNOW
- Two teen boys in Iowa rescued an elderly woman who had been lying injured on her property for at least 16 hours
- “A few more hours and she definitely like wouldn’t have made it,” one of the boys told local news outlet KWQC
- The teens, Gunner Skidmore and Kohen Chick, were honored with an award from Muscatine County emergency officials
Two Iowa teenagers are being hailed as local heroes after they helped an elderly woman who had been lying injured in her yard for over 16 hours.
The incident occurred the morning of June 9 in the small town of Fruitland, in Muscatine County, according to local station KWQC.
Teen Gunner Skidmore said he had started out his day as usual — eating a Pop-Tart and scrolling social media — when his best friend Kohen Chick asked him if he wanted to ride bikes.
Skidmore and Chick, both 13, headed out to a local trail that ran by some houses when they noticed something amiss.
"I went to the trail and Kohen was like, 'You see that lady back there?' “ Skidmore recalled while speaking to the outlet. “Then, we went back and looked, and it took a little while to find her."
They eventually located a woman who appeared to have fallen on her property.
"I said, 'Hey ma'am, are you okay?' She was like, 'Yeah, I need help. Call 911,' " he said.
The teens initially weren't sure what to do, but Skidmore said he contacted his mother, who quickly arrived and called emergency services.
"She showed up pretty fast and then my mom called 911," Skidmore said. "[The elderly woman] didn't have her phone or water or anything. She was there for like 16-plus hours."
According to the boys, the woman told them she had been outside since approximately 5 p.m. the previous evening.
"She was scared," Chick said while speaking to the outlet. "You could just tell because like her face, she was covered in all these bugs and stuff."
The teens believe the woman fell while feeding her horse. They said she told them she had rolled from her backyard to the frontyard in an effort to get help.
The boys believe the timing of their bike ride may have been critical.
"A few more hours and she definitely like wouldn't have made it," Skidmore said.
The woman was transported by ambulance to a hospital in nearby Muscatine for treatment, according to KWQC.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Skidmore's mother told the outlet that she has remained in contact with the woman's family and has helped care for her horse while she recovers. She also plans to prepare a lasagna for the woman when she returns home.
A spokesperson for the Muscatine County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) tells PEOPLE that the teens were presented with a special award by the county's emergency management director, Christopher Jasper, on June 15.
Credit: Muscatine County Emergency Management
"Today, I would like to recognize the extraordinary actions of two young men whose quick thinking and compassion helped save a life in Muscatine County," Jasper said during the award ceremony, per an excerpt of the speech obtained by PEOPLE.
"Without the prompt actions of Gunner and Kohen, the outcome could have been tragic. Their awareness, compassion, and willingness to help a person in need undoubtedly made a difference and may very well have saved her life," Jasper added.