GLENDALE, AZ — A West Valley teen who was hit by a truck on his way to school reunited with the first responders who saved him on that August day when he nearly lost his life.
In August, ABC15 reported on a truck hitting a 13-year-old on his way to school near 67th Avenue and Deer Valley Road.
Zeyad Elsuhimi, now 14, was the boy pinned under the pickup truck. When firefighters and paramedics arrived on scene, he was in critical condition.
"He has no pulse, and he's not breathing, and when you look at him, this kid's head was purple," Glendale Fire Captain Gregg Lentz told ABC15.
"The first thing we initially saw was that front left driver side tire was directly over his chest and all that weight was pinned on top of him," firefighter-paramedic Aaron McMurdie said.
Crews deployed a jack, spreaders, and cribbing to lift the truck off Elsuhimi.
"When that tire did finally come off of his chest, he took a breath!" said Captain Tommy Gobster.
Crews determined he was bleeding internally. Firefighter paramedic Kasey Gallagher described inserting a needle into Elsuhimi's ribs to restore air to his lungs, and Firefighters Nathan Calles and Gene Tracy helped work on Zeyad's bike — still wrapped around his leg — cutting it away before he was rushed to the hospital.
"We've been on similar calls like this, all of us have, throughout our whole career, and the outcomes usually aren't favorable to the patient," Lentz said of the time crews spent waiting for news. "It was an emotional roller coaster for all of us."
A local newspaper even reported that Elsuhimi had died. His family still has a copy of that newspaper, but Zeyad is very much alive. Now 14 and a freshman at Mountain Ridge High School, Elsuhimi missed class Wednesday to, for the first time, shake the hands of his heroes and deliver his thanks in person.
"You are one tough kid," Gobster told him. "Kudos to you for being strong and tough man."
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"Thank you guys for saving me, because I honestly wouldn't be here without you guys and the doctors who helped me and everybody who helped me along the process," Elsuhimi said. "I don't think I would be like this if it wasn't for all the firefighters, doctors, medical personnel, friends, family, and community. They've helped me a lot throughout the process."
After months of recovery, Elsuhimi said he is nearly back to his usual self.
"I've done almost a full recovery. I'm feeling a lot better," Elsuhimi said.
The experience has also given him a new sense of direction.
"I hope to be a doctor actually, one day," Elsuhimi said. "Because after this experience, it's made me realize the beauty of saving lives, and I would like to do it for other people."
For the crews who saved him, Wednesday's visit offered something they rarely receive.
"We don't usually get closure from these calls," Lentz said.
"I mean, this is why we do this job. We all signed up to save people's lives, and so when we get to do that, it makes it worth it, and when we get to meet the person, it makes it even more worth it," said Gobster.
Elsuhimi thanked all the members of the crew who helped him from Engine 156 and Ladder Truck 155.
A spokesperson for the Glendale Fire Department provided the following names of heroes who helped save Elsuhimi's life:
Engine 156: Captain Tommy Gobster, Engineer/Medic T. Love, Firefighter/Medic Brian Millick, Firefighter Paramedic Kasey Gallagher.
Ladder Truck 155: Captain Gregg Lentz, Engineer Paramedic Aaron McMurdie, Firefighter Paramedic Josh Boothby, Firefighter Gene Tracy, Firefighter Nathan Calles.
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.
