Teenagers on a Bike Ride Save Elderly Woman After Unexpected Ordeal
June 12, 2026
In what started as an ordinary summer morning in Iowa, two teenagers, Gunner Skidmore and Kohen Chick, found themselves in a rescue mission after a startling discovery during their bike ride near Fruitland.
KWQC News
While heading towards Muscatine, Kohen noticed what seemed to be a person lying in a yard by the road. Curious and concerned, the teenagers decided to turn back for a closer look.
“I said, ‘Hey ma’am, are you OK?'” shared Skidmore. The woman replied with urgency, “Yeah, I need help. Call 911.”
Recognizing the gravity of the situation, the boys contacted Gunner’s mother, who promptly arrived and alerted emergency services. It was then discovered that the elderly woman had been outside, unable to move, since 5 p.m. the previous day.
Without access to her phone or water, the woman had endured more than 16 hours in the heat, helpless and exposed to the elements.
“She didn’t have her phone or water or anything. She was there for like 16-plus hours,” Skidmore recounted.
The woman explained to the teens that she had fallen while tending to her horse and, unable to get up, managed to roll from her backyard to the front hoping someone might notice her.
“She was like scared. You could just tell because like her face, she was covered in all these bugs and stuff,” Kohen recalled about the woman’s condition.
Thanks to the timely intervention by the teenagers, she was transported to a Muscatine hospital for treatment.
The boys reflected on the fortunate timing of their encounter. “A few more hours and she definitely like wouldn’t have made it,” Skidmore commented.
The compassion continued beyond the rescue. Gunner’s mother has been in contact with the woman’s family, offering assistance by looking after her horse and planning a warm welcome with homemade lasagna once she is back home.
